If you’re an international student, you need to understand each section of the applications which are required to be submitted. The application system for universities in the US is unique and can often be hard to grasp. 

Universities in the United States accept applications through various platforms. These platforms can be broadly divided into two segments:

1. Common Application Platforms, and
2. University Specific Application Platforms

Common application platforms are single applications that can be submitted to multiple universities through the same platform. There are three Common Applications Platforms:

1. Common Application 
2. Coalition application
3. Universal Application

On the other hand, University Specific applications are official applications accepted by a particular university or group of universities only. For example, the University of California applications are accepted only by UC schools such as UC Berkeley, UCLA and others.

It is important to remember that some universities only accept common applications while some only accept university-specific applications. There are some universities that accept both. In that case, you can choose to fill either. An example of such a university would be Indiana University. 

Here are the broad details of the different sections on these applications, and their criteria:

Section 1: The first section on any application is the personal information section. This section asks detailed questions about the applicant, his/her family and academics.

Section 2: The second section is the Essay Section. In this section, the applicant is required to write essays. The number of essays required varies from university to university. Questions vary from, “why you would like to join a particular university” to “tell me something about yourself”. Word limit can vary from 50 words to over 800 words per essay. There are some universities that don’t require any essays and you can find a detailed list online.

Section 3: This section would require the applicant to list and describe the number of activities that they have participated in their 4 years of high school. Some universities even allow applicants to upload their resumes. 

Section 4: – This section would ask the applicant detailed questions on why they would like to study at that particular university. Questions would be related to academics such as the course and the specific college they would like to study at. It is important to research the university well before filling out this section.

Section 5: This section would ask applicants to submit recommendations from their teachers, academic counselors, family, and even employers. Every university has its own requirement and the details of that would be mentioned on the application.

Section 6: This is the section where the applicant makes the payment and submits the application. Some universities also have fee waivers. Applicants can email the university and see if they qualify for a fee waiver. Some universities have no application fee and a list of these universities can be found online.

So you see, the application form is not too complicated, but what exactly you should mention throughout the application as a whole is the difficult part. Don’t worry! We have professional counselors at UniRely who will assist you, every step of the way. The road to get into your dream college in the US may seem hard, but UniRely’s team will help you make a successful application.