With the rising number of patients in the United States and the lockdown declared in India, there is no clarity on when the consulates will start processing the visas again. Considering this, it is anticipated that there will be a backlog of visa interviews and many prospective fall 2020 students are panicking whether they will get their visas in time.
Though the consulates are positive of issuing visas on time, many universities in the US have begun offering deferrals in case situations do not improve until August 2020 and students need to postpone their travel and join the course later in Spring.
As per our latest correspondence, the Offices of International Admissions of most universities have offered deferral for students from one semester up to one year.
All the fall 2020 undergraduates can get deferral to spring 2021. The graduate deferral, however, can only be offered by the program coordinator. Students are therefore required to connect with the graduate advisors of respective universities since not all units (programs) are offered deferrals.
Though most universities are offering deferrals up to one year, they are encouraging students to not defer at the moment and wait until May.
For students who are in the middle of their semester in the US but are currently in India, can fly back to the States once the travel ban is lifted and more so, after obtaining clearance from the US Consulate. For regular updates, visit the DHS and consulate websites.
Important links:
In the last blog, we saw the fall 2020 course commencement decisions that the universities are likely to make.
As per the recent updates we received from the office of graduate and undergraduate admissions of a few universities, the fall 2020 admission process is going on and students who are still sending applications can connect with the admission office staff via video chat and email. Those who haven’t received any admits yet, have nothing to worry as the admission process will not be canceled and they will receive admits, though the decision may be released later than the usual time taken by the universities.
Fall 2020 Graduate Admissions
The graduate application deadlines will not be extended for most universities. As we informed you in the last blog, those of you who haven’t received the I-20 approval yet, the staff are creating the I-20s but the shipments are being withheld until the mail services in India fully resume. For admitted students, the university will send an email with the student’s SEVIS number from the I20 which can be used to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee that is mandatory for the F1 visa application process.
Fall 2020 Undergraduate Admissions
In consideration of the disruption of exams and classes, most universities have extended the application deadline for fall 2020 undergraduate applications to May 1, 2020.
Sending official transcripts and financial documents
In case you haven’t been able to obtain your official academic records/transcripts due to closure of school or college, US universities are allowing you to send unofficial, digital transcripts for securing admission.
Even if the deadlines for sending graduate applications have not been extended, most universities have extended their document deadline for graduate admissions to May 1, 2020. This is however applicable to only admitted students. This means you can send your official or university attested mark sheets/degree certificates/transcripts to the office and finish other paperwork by May 1. The packages need to be post-marked by May 1, 2020. Few other universities have also extended these deadlines up to mid-May.
Most universities have also announced an extension to send financial documents. Some universities have extended this deadline up to May 15 while some of them have extended it up to July 1.
In the next part, we will cover the updates on visa, program decisions and deferrals offered by universities. The next blog will be published on Saturday, 4th April 2020.
To update our students on the changing situations in the US due Coronavirus outbreak, we are publishing this blog that will be carried in three parts. In this first part, we shall provide you with firsthand information about student safety, fall 2020 admissions, and course commencement decision.
International student safety scenario
All the international students in the US are safe and have been asked to stay in their respective housing facilities within the US. For those who are on campus, many universities are providing temporary accommodations with fixed supplies until any other arrangements are made by the student. All the universities are offering only online classes for the spring 2020 semester. Universities have offered webinars to enable students to continue their studies and chat in real-time with the faculty members. Most universities have also shifted their administrative offices online. Students have also been provided with essential contacts and links to US Health Departments.
Fall 2020 admissions and course commencement decisions
A lot of confusion is going on among Indian students about the fall 2020 admissions and whether the course will commence in time or not, considering that the embassy has temporarily stopped processing US visas. However, universities are actively arranging webinars for the prospective students where they are informing students about the process. You can get in touch with the universities you have secured admits from and join the webinars.
Meanwhile, here are a few developments about the fall admissions and course commencement, that as Indian students, you must pay heed to:
- Even if the visa process has been stopped, for now, admissions of students who have received admits for fall 2020 is secure.
- As per the possibilities cited by a few prominent US universities, there are three ways in which fall 2020 session will be commenced:
- If the situation comes under control by May 2020, the session will commence in August as per regular schedule but the students will be required to join 14 days prior to the commencement date and they will be quarantined for these 14 days before moving them to the campus.
- If the situation comes under control by June/July, the semester will commence in September and it will be an on-campus semester.
- If the situation does not improve until July/August, the fall semester too could likely be shifted to online mode. The decision is also likely to be influenced by the situation in India but in any case, the fall semester and admissions will not be canceled.
- Those of you with I-20 forms already approved, their forms will land in India on time since the shipping process is still functional in the US but the forms won’t be delivered at home. They will be delivered only after the lockdown in India is lifted. Those who have their approval pending will have to wait for the updates as the Department of Homeland Security will be taking a call on it soon.
The next blog will cover updates on the admission process to US universities and will be published on Thursday, 2nd April 2020.
While both the GRE® General Test and the TOEFL iBT® Test are now being offered as Special Home Edition test, this is only available in the United States, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hong Kong (China) and Macau (China) from Thursday, March 26. India is not one of those countries: there is no Special Home Edition test for Indian test-takers.
Email: gre-info@ets.org
Updates for GRE: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gre/asia-pacific/
Updates for TOEFL: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/toefl/asia-pacific/
GRE at Home: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gre/at-home/ (Not Available in India)
TOEFL at Home: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/toefl/at-home/ (Not Available in India)
In the last blog, we covered the following points:
- Abundant employment opportunities
- The strongest economy in the world
- Worldwide acceptability of US degrees
- Wide range of universities to choose from
In this blog, we will cover the remaining six points:
- Access to the latest technology and research
It is a well-established fact that US education offers an updated syllabus in accordance with the industry requirements. It provides easy access to the latest developments in various fields and enables you to stay abreast of the changing technology which adds to employability. Almost all US universities focus on research-based education which again opens multiple career avenues for those of you who wish to work on research-based projects or go for a Ph.D. subsequently.
- Students of all calibers can make it to the US
One of the biggest plus points of studying in the US is that due to a large number of universities compared to Germany, Canada, and other European countries, students who are fairly good and not extra-ordinary, too can make it to good universities and secure good jobs. With decent GPAs, good overall experience and a GRE score above 300, you can definitely make it to a good state university in the US.
- Flexible course structure
In the USA, you have a wide scope to choose your subjects and there is ample flexibility to switch courses and classes to manage your studies at a steady pace without feeling burdened or obligated. This ease of learning lets you settle faster and allows you to blend in with the culture, both inside and outside the classroom.
- 100 percent loan availability
Another key point of studying in the USA is the easy availability of education loans as compared to other countries. Due to job guarantee and high salary structures in the US, most financial institutions have the guarantee of repayment and therefore provide easy loans for higher education in the US. We assist you in the process with our partner financial institution that offers up to 100 percent loan against property. Many a time, they even offer unsecured loan to students joining universities with a high reputation.
- Rich campus experience
US universities are known for their rich campus life which includes not just academic activities but also various extra-curricular activities, volunteering events, clubs, and student organizations. These engaging experiences play a huge role in ensuring the overall development of a student. What adds to the comfort is the excellent student support, aid, and services that these universities offer to make you feel at home.
- Lifestyle
The USA is probably the only place that offers a perfect blend of everything and has something for everyone. Its multi-cultural environment becomes one of the most conducive factors to settle down. Be it in the college or at the workplace, your interaction with diverse groups of people allows you to develop in a versatile manner.