Universities in the United States

There are about 3,000 universities that offer undergraduate programs. More than 1,000 universities that offer Masters programs, and approximately 400 of these offer Doctoral and Post-Doctoral degrees (PhD). There are several types of universities in the U.S.

Public Universities

These are state-affiliated institutions and some may include the words "State University" in their title. They are relatively inexpensive when compared to the other universities nation-wide, but getting admission into these universities can be more difficult than a private institution. State universities tend to be very large with enrollments of 20,000 or more students. Also, many government-funded research projects are allocated to state universities, which provide research assistantship opportunities for highly qualified students. Most of the universities offer partial or full tuition fee waivers to teaching and research assistant students.

Private Universities

Private institutions are supported by student tuition, investment income, research contracts, and private donations. Tuition fees tend to be higher at private universities than at state universities, but they charge the same tuition to both state and out-of-state residents.

The quality of education is equal between public and private universities. The main differences are funding and fees. Public universities are funded by state governments, student tuition payments, and private donations. Since public universities are supported by state governments, they give enrollment preference and lower tuition fees to the in-state students. All international students are subjected to out-of-state tuition. However, the tuition is usually lower at most state institutions than at private institutions, even for those who are out-of-state residents.

Community Colleges

These are institutions normally run by a certain community for their own people. Many high school graduates who cannot afford to go to a university, or who simply are not ready for a four-year institution, will choose to go to community college. These institutions accept international students, but they have a fewer number of attendees, as most students are commuters from the near-by area. Although community colleges focus on undergraduate programs, some offer good graduate programs as well. These institutions will be mostly located in suburbs, and the basic advantage in these institutions is minimum academic fees.

Technical Institutes

These are institutions mainly specializing in engineering degrees, mostly at the Masters and Doctoral level. These institutions are famous for their renowned research programs and most international students are attracted to these sorts of institutions.

Admission into universities is very competitive, and decisions are made based on the student's application package, including resume, samples of previous work, and letters of recommendation. Academic fees vary from university to university and usually range $7,000-35,000 per year. An average academic fee is $10,000-12,000 per year, excluding living expenses.

University Ranking

Various organizations define U.S. university ranking by various factors, such as number of programs, acceptance percentage, and enrollment. There is no official university ranking list available to students by the government or any educational-related organization. The most commonly used ranking report is the one published by US News.