We would be happy to offer you more information and accompany you in the process of applying to U.S. universities.
We suggest that families begin by attending one of our information sessions on the 5 Steps to U.S. Study offered online at the beginning of every month. In these sessions we offer an overview of the process and everything you will need to have in mind to apply to U.S. universities. You can find these (and other opportunities) under events!
Remember that no official ranking system exists for colleges and universities in the United States. The best college or university is the one that is best for you and meets your requirements—academic, financial, and personal.
About 18 months before you plan to begin your studies in the U.S., normally in Spring of your penultimate year of secondary school (11th grade or 1o de bachillerato), you can begin to use college search tools to filter and identify universities that you may want to apply to.
Some filters to consider are:
What fields of study or “majors” interest you?
Where in the U.S. would you like to live? (consider climate, transportation, cost of living)
Do you prefer to live in a city, a town or a rural area?
Do you prefer a large university or a small one?
What sports or activities do you want to participate in while at university?
Will you need a scholarship or financial aid?
Consider your answers to these questions and play around with college search tools like the following to begin making your list.
It is important to consider your budget when creating your college list. Most of the funding you may be able to receive will come directly from the university; beyond university funding, there are not many large scholarships available for undergraduate students in Spain.
There are two types of economic support a university or college can offer. One is need based financial aid where the university looks at the family’s economic situation and calculates the aid they can offer based on what the family may be able to afford. Not all colleges have this type of aid for international students, so it is important to check with each university you are considering and also see if your family’s financial situation would allow you to access this type of aid. If you want to opt for this type of help, you will have to fill out an extra form while applying.
The other type is merit based aid which are scholarships that the university can offer to attract students with academic merit. Some universities already consider all students who apply for admission for these scholarships and other universities have a separate application.
Each university has its own funding policy for international students and there are many resources you can use to find a university that can potential offer you the funding you need. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we would be happy to help you!
In order to apply to U.S. universities and colleges, you will need to gather the following components:
Academic transcripts in English for the last 4 years of schooling (from 9th grade or 3o de la ESO in Spain)
A 650 word essay
Letters of recommendation from 2 or more teachers
List of extracurricular activities
Exam scores (some exams you may need to take include English exams such as IELTS, TOEFL or DET and standardized exams such as SAT and ACT)
Some universities or programs may require additional documents such as:
Additional supplemental essays
Additional letters of recommendation from coaches, mentors or peers
Portfolio of your work for artistic programs
An audition or video for music or performance programs
An interview
Many universities use platforms such as CommonApp or Coalition where you will fill out a form and upload all of these components.
It is important to start preparing these components as soon as possible and please get in touch with us for more details on the format, structure and examples of all of these materials. You will likely need the help of a school counselor or administrator to add information about your school to your application.
You will apply for a visa after you have been admitted and have confirmed your attendance at a U.S. university. Your university will provide you with more information about the requirements and the type of visa to apply for.
There are two main types of visas you may receive for study in the US.
The J-1 is typically for short stays, exchanges and government-sponsored programs.
The F-1 is the visa you will normally apply for if you are pursuing a full 4-year degree.
The first step, once you have confirmed your attendance at a university, is to receive the DS-2019 (for J-1 visas) or I-20 (for F-1 visas) form from your university. Once you have received this form, you can pay the visa fees and request an interview with the embassy in Madrid. You will need to make an appointment and go in person to Madrid for the interview. It is usually a short and simple interview, and once it is done, if your visa is approved you will receive it within 2 weeks.
For more information, please contact us or visit the embassy website.
Key components to this final step include making your travel arrangements, gathering pre-departure materials and documents for arrival, as well as reporting to your school and attending orientations.
Check your new institution’s website for additional pre-departure information that will be more specialized and have information about health insurance, average local temperatures throughout the year, local transportation options, housing, and more.
Attend Pre-Departure Orientation with us! In May or June of every year we offer a Pre-Departure Orientation where we cover everything you need to know about cultural differences, resources on campus, academic systems and expectations and housing. A consular representative from the U.S. Embassy will answer your questions about visas and a panel of students who have studied in the U.S. will answer questions on campus life. Sign up here [] to receive a notification when we schedule this session!
