Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

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GETTING STARTED!

I'D LIKE TO PURSUE UNDERGRADUATE STUDY IN THE UNITED STATES.

Start by contacting a Department of State-affiliated Educational Advising/Information Center near you. The advisers at these centers are trained to help you find all of the information you will need to find the academic program that best suits your needs and goals. We also recommend you look at If You Want to Study in the United States: Undergraduate Study.

I'D LIKE TO CONDUCT RESEARCH OR POST-DOCTORAL STUDIES IN THE UNITED STATES.

A Department of State-affiliated Educational Advising/Information Center near you can help you find out about pursuing graduate and post-doctoral study and research in the U.S., including funding opportunities. Please take the time to read If You Want to Study in the United States: Graduate and Professional Study and Research.

I'M INTERESTED IN PURSUING ENGLISH LANGUAGE OR OTHER SHORT-TERM STUDIES.

Consult an Educational Advising Center for resources and ideas. Also be sure to read If You Want to Study in the United States: Short-Term Study, English Language Programs, Distance Education and Accreditation.

WHY IS ACCREDITATION IMPORTANT?

Accreditation is a process of ascertaining educational quality based on established standards, through peer review. It is the equivalent in the United States to recognition given to schools and higher education institutions by ministries and statutory laws in other countries. Because there is no centralized ministry of education in the U.S., the role of monitoring quality in education belongs to the individual states and to the accrediting institutions. Accreditation is important when you are considering the acceptability of the degree for purposes of obtaining a job, transferring credit, or gaining acceptance to further academic programs. Read more about Accreditation in the United States and about accrediting organizations.

HOW CAN I FIND UNIVERSITIES' HOME PAGES ON THE WEB?

The U.S. Network of Education Information (USNEI) lists several sources for links to U.S. undergraduate and graduate programs as well as to vocational and technical institutions. IPEDS College Opportunities On-Line is a direct link to over 9,000 colleges and universities in the United States. Direct links to many U.S. institutions' home pages can be found at the University of Texas at Austin's website. Yahoo.com's web directories also provide links to lists of universities and community colleges.

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