In recent years, more and more undergraduate students from China are enrolled in US colleges each year. With the economic growth in China, many Chinese families are able to pay for the high quality education for their children. However, language barrier, lack of information, being unfamiliar with the US education system and the complexity of the admission procedure combined together made it difficult for students and parents to find that best fit. It is the duty of the educators and service organization like Pathway to build the gap and help the students to identify a program that best suits the students talent, interest, career goal and financial background.

Besides receiving quality education, it is the goal of many parents and students to gain overseas experience and culture exposure. Parents would like their children to have a broader view and global competency. Pathway helps students to participate in study-abroad programs, short-term student exchange programs or summer training programs. Pathway also helps students to transfer to US universities after 1 or 2 years of study in China.

Although each university has its own admission criteria, the following documents are usually required:

• High school diploma (final copy submitted upon registration at the university)
• High school transcripts (both Chinese and English version)
• TOEFL or IELTS score
• Financial support documents
• SAT or ACT score (optional for some universities if not seeking scholarship)

Many universities also require an essay or personal statement to be submitted. Students with special talents, deep civic involvement, valuable volunteer experience, honors or awards in provincial/national/international level competitions are highly welcomed in US universities. Thus a personal statement should expand these areas in great details and make sure to attach all the certificates with the personal statement.

If you transfer from a university from China, you should also include transcripts from the studies in the Chinese university.

Generally speaking, you should have all the materials ready 10 months before the semester you plan to enroll, especially if you want to apply for scholarships. E.g. if you plan to enroll in the fall of 2015, you should have materials ready to be sent out in October 2014. Watch for different deadlines posted by the universities you are interested in applying.

Tuition for international students varies greatly among universities. Generally speaking, tuition in public universities ranges from $20,000 to $40,000 per year and tuition in private universities can be $40,000 to $60,000 per year, or even higher. Some private universities may have lower tuition compared to public universities because their tuition charges for domestic and international students are the same. Tuition can vary from program to program , from year to year, even in one university. Students should drill down to the program level and the year level in order to find the accurate amount.

Obtaining health insurance while studying in USA is mandatory. A student can choose to purchase his/her own health insurance, or use the plan provided by the school. The annual insurance cost for international students can vary greatly based on the company and plan selection. It can be as low as $500 or as high as $3000.

The following are four types of scholarships commonly seen in the US colleges:

• Competitive Scholarships - this type of scholarship is merit based. Students need to demonstrate strong competency in certainly areas as stated in a scholarship, e.g. high SAT or ACT score, high GPA, strong leadership quality etc. The scholarship amount is usually high and the scholarship is usually granted to a limited amount of students each year. This type of scholarship is usually renewable each year if the student maintains good academic standing or meet other requirements.
• Admission Based Scholarships - this type of scholarship is automatically granted if a student is admitted. Students do not need to submit a separate application. There may be different levels of admission based scholarships in one universities and the level is determined by a certain criteria such as SAT or ACT score. The scholarship is usually renewable each year and the student must maintain good academic standing or meet other requirements such as volunteering for university events.
• Need Based Scholarships - some universities provide scholarships for students with talent but have financial difficulties. Students may need to provide proof of financial stress each year in order to renew the scholarship. A separate application is generally needed.
• Scholarships Provided by Foundations or Organizations - this type of scholarship is usually one time only. Sometimes the requirement is very specific, e.g. scholarships for women in technology fields. Typically the scholarship is awarded to students already enrolled in a university, thus students can look for scholarships like this after the first semester or the first year of study from the university or school website.

Conditional admissions are granted to students which deficiency in certain areas, such as language proficiency, required experience, or satisfactory course work. Students will get an admission letter but conditions attached, e.g. must provide proof of language proficiency or take some English classes and receive grades B or above. If the condition is not met, the admission status will be revoked.

Not all universities or programs grant conditional admissions. You must read the admission requirements carefully to understand if or what type of conditional admission is available.