EducationUSA is the official name for U.S. Department of State-affiliated educational advising centers overseas. Each year EducationUSA centers receive millions of contacts from students all over the world. Centers are staffed by professional advisers, many of whom have studied in the U.S. Advisers provide comprehensive, objective information on all accredited U.S. higher educational institutions. Advisers are not agents or recruiters and are not permitted to receive commissions from colleges, universities or agents.  We ask you to review the State Department's Policy Guidance for EducationUSA Advising Centers regarding Commercial Agents.

EducationUSA Advisers’ are ready to assist accredited U.S. colleges and universities in recruiting diverse and qualified international students and exploring opportunities to expand internationalization efforts. On the EducationUSA website accredited U.S. institutional representatives can receive a secure login to access specialized information about our network and services available. Discover these opportunities to partner with EducationUSA:

Expand the EducationUSA Reference Collection

Provide Advising Centers with information about your institution. Supply catalogs, promotional or instructional CDs, DVDs and videos to display at centers. Determine the type and quantity of materials each centers requests by click on the Send Materials to Our Centers link. 

Direct Prospective Students to EducationUSA Advising

Encourage your prospective international students to contact EducationUSA centers as early as possible to obtain on-the-ground, in-country support throughout the admissions process.  Direct students who visit your international admissions site to the closest advising center by including a link to the EducationUSA website. To request a hyperlinked logo and text explanation, click on the Request Our Logo link in the Resources box on this page after you have successfully completed the Request a Login process as a U.S. higher education member.

Explore Regional Recruitment Opportunities

The Regional Educational Advising Coordinators (REACs) foster student mobility between the United States and a specific region of the world, by overseeing and supporting a regional network of EducationUSA Advising Centers.

REACs serve as a resource on the local educational systems within their region; provide assessment, direction, training and quality control for Advisers at EducationUSA Centers; and develop and promote the EducationUSA network.  Contact the REACs for guidance on regional student mobility trends, explore recruitment in a new region or country, identify opportunities to connect with Advisers, and participate in overseas conferences. For the complete list of the REACs and the countries they serve visit www.educationusa.info/highered-reacs.php.  

Visit EducationUSA Centers

Plan your international travel in cooperation with REACs and EducationUSA Advisers, to ensure a higher profile and maximum exposure for your institution. Contact the EducationUSA center in advance to arrange a meeting, participate in a group advising session, or attend a college fair or other special event at the EducationUSA Advising Center.  Advising Centers regularly host public presentations to orient interested students on the admissions process to U.S. colleges and universities.  If you cannot include travel in your budget, send information on local alumni who can represent your college or university at special events.

Consider Student Mobility Trends

The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange is published annually by the Institute of International Education with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  The data presented in the Open Doors report are obtained each year through surveys sent to accredited U.S. institutions, who report on the international students enrolled at their colleges and universities. Ensure that accurate and complete data are submitted by your institution to IIE annually and consider student mobility trends from the annual Open Doors report when planning international student recruitment.

Contribute to Advisers’ Professional Development

The U.S. Department of State provides for training of EducationUSA Advisers about U.S. higher education and invites U.S. colleges and universities to participate. Consider participating in opportunities to host EducationUSA Advisers for visits to your college or university campus, in combination with established programs such as the U.S.-based training and international education conferences.  Representatives of the U.S. higher education community are also welcome to participate in annual EducationUSA regional advising conferences overseas.  Connecting with EducationUSA Advisers during professional development activities promotes information-sharing and communication.

Contribute to EducationUSA Connections e-Journal

The EducationUSA Connections journal is a quarterly, online publication produced for EducationUSA Advisers as a professional development resource and includes information about higher education in the United States, scholarship opportunities, specific fields of study, best practices in advising, and other topics. If you would like to be added to the Connections distribution list, have suggestions for future issues or would like to submit an article, please contact Shannon Bishop, Connections Managing Editor, at sharrison@iie.org.

A quick glance at the C.V.s of world leaders today and in the recent past, you will find a significant number of them have studied at some point in the United States.  Nothing does more for the public diplomacy efforts of the U.S. Government than to have future world leaders who have positive experiences studying on American college and university campuses.  We invite you to utilize the Foreign Students Yesterday, World Leaders Today document to help build your case for international recruitment at your institutions.

In understanding what international students bring to U.S. colleges and universities, the economic benefit of enrolling over 670,000 students and for many graduate students, their families as well, cannot be underestimated.  As part of research conducted by NAFSA, The Economic Benefits of International Education to the United States of America: A Statistical Analysis provides a very useful tool to convince those who might questions the value of international education efforts.

How to Have An International Student-Friendly Campus!

An international student-friendly campus is one that recognizes that in an increasingly interdependent world there is educational value in having international students on the campus. The institution has made a commitment to diversity among the student body and understands that international students represent a key element in that commitment to diversity. 

In order to host international students on your campus, your institution must be approved by the Department of Homeland Security to enroll international students and issue student and/or exchange visitor visa-qualifying documents (I-20/DS-2019). By having such approval your institution agrees to comply with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Government pertaining to the enrollment and tracking of international students under the SEVIS Program.

International student-friendly campuses…:

Have a special section on its website for students from other nations. This section offers guidance and assistance to those who may be unfamiliar with the complexity of U.S. higher education and the international student admissions process. It offers the information in a format easily understood by those new to the U.S. system. To ensure that prospective international students receive appropriate assistance with this complex undertaking, the section also refers the students to the nearest EducationUSA advising center or to the EducationUSA website.

Ensure that the leadership of the institution and the professional staff who deal with international students are aware of and actively engaged in the many legal, regulatory, educational, and cultural issues that concern international educational exchange. To achieve this objective, the institution maintains membership in appropriate international educational exchange associations or organizations.

Facilitate the presence of international students on its campus within all appropriate legal and ethical guidelines governing the admission of international students. It employs professional staff, at least part-time, to the admission of non-immigrant students from other nations. The institution does all it can to ensure that each application for admission from a prospective international student is treated with the special care and expertise it merits and requires.

Make certain that the international students who enroll are provided with various forms of specialized assistance designed to ensure success in their studies and their stay in the U.S. Toward that end, the institution employs professional staff whose primary goal is the successful academic, linguistic, psychological, and cultural adjustment of each international student who enrolls on the campus.

Recommended Activities/Programs of an International Student-Friendly Campus include:

• Offer a separate orientation for new international students to ensure that initial adjustment needs are met
• Explore with your Food Services outlets on campus the options for kosher/halal meals
• Ensure that there are housing options for new international students
• Make a special effort to integrate international students into the mainstream of student life on campus and into the local community
• Provide options for additional English instruction for non-native speakers if needed
• Provide housing options for international students during vacation periods
• Provide access to a local host family program to serve the needs of international students enrolled

How to Have an Internationally-Friendly Website!

Important links to have for international students:

• If there is no direct link to “international students” on your home page, many students will click the link for “prospective students.” From there, sites should link to:

»» School description with costs and housing information

»» International undergraduate/graduate admissions

»» Proportion of international students at the university and class profiles

»» Quotes and profiles of accepted international students

»» Requirements and documents that apply to international students

• Visas: Up-to-date information with new SEVIS regulations is located at:

»» travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html

»» travel.state.gov/

»» travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/forms/forms_1342.html - is the place to download visa application forms

Examples of good internationally-friendly websites:

• State University of New York at Buffalo

»» www.buffalo.edu/aboutmyub/

Information on degrees and research opportunities are all on one page.

»» http://www.ee.buffalo.edu/admissions/graduate.php

Clearly states admissions requirements, provides institutional/departmental codes for score reporting, lists deadlines, provides guidelines on letters of recommendation (content, focus), gives guidelines on payment of application fee, provides mailing address, and states how to receive a form I-20.

 • Northern Arizona University

»» http://international.nau.edu/international_admissions/index.html

NAU incorporates great visuals as well as solid content for students, in addition to a Facebook page feed, virtual & video tours of campus.

 • Georgia Institute of Technology

»» www.ece.gatech.edu/academics/graduate/apply.html  

This graduate school website (for electrical & computer engineering) walks the applicants through the online application process and outlines the weight that is assigned to each component of the application package.

The following are suggestions from EducationUSA Advisers on how U.S. institutions can make their websites more accessible to prospective international students.

DO provide:

Web link for international students. On your international admissions home page include the link educationusa.state.gov and refer applicants to the EducationUSA center in their country.

Regional accrediting association details. Accreditation is a key element in the selection process.

Tuition and cost information. List the total amount that will appear on I-20 or DS-2019 forms as well as individual programs costs.

Months & specific dates. List important dates for completion of required testing, application deadlines, notification, orientation and enrollment.

Contact information. List names and numbers for all offices dealing with international students.

Deadlines. Prominently list deadlines with clear mailing instructions.

FAQs. List commonly asked questions and answers about your institution/foreign student admissions and services.

Checklist. List required documents and tests.

Local information. Include campus size in hectares, average local temperatures in Celsius, distances in kilometers, etc.

Number of credit/hours. Specify how many hours are needed to be enrolled full-time.

Course catalog. List all courses with course descriptions.

Downloadable application. Provide in a variety of formats. Application fee waivers or allow students without credit cards to mail application fee after completing on-line applications.

Information on program eligibility List which programs are open to international candidates and which are not, if relevant.

DO NOT:

Require Social Security Numbers. Most international students don’t have them.

Require GPAs. Many countries do not recognize the concept of GPAs.

Require zip codes or a U.S. address.

Use terms “fall” and “spring”. These are confusing to students from the southern hemisphere or areas with no seasons.

Give 800 numbers. They are not toll free outside the U.S. Also, automated responses are often not received overseas.

Use “college” to refer to university-level programs.

Require original copies of academic certificates. Many international students cannot obtain multiple originals of their academic certificates. Define what you mean by certified, and provide a PDF example. Provide instructions for submitting a signed copy provided by the home university. Refer students to an EducationUSA center for assistance: educationusa.state.gov

EducationUSA Wants to Hear from You!

Discover how to increase international visibility of your institution through EducationUSA:

Send Us Your Updates

Accredited U.S. higher education institutions can showcase their campuses to over 400 advising centers in 170 countries each week through the EducationUSA Weekly Update.  The weekly updates are a compilation of several announcements from U.S. colleges and universities distributed by email to Advisers and posted for students through various EducationUSA social media tools.  U.S. higher education institutions can submit Weekly Update content online with announcements about:  

• scholarships, assistantships or other financial awards for which international students are eligible
• new or specific academic programs that may be attractive to international students

Share Your Videos 

Prospective student audiences employ a wide variety of tools and formats to learn about opportunities for study in the United States.  The EducationUSA YouTube channel hosts a collection of instructional videos created by EducationUSA Advisers as well as promotional videos from accredited U.S. colleges and universities looking to reach out to prospective international students. Include your video among the U.S. College & University playlist on the EducationUSA YouTube Channel.

"Like" EducationUSA on Facebook

U.S. colleges and universities can connect to Advisers through the EducationUSA Facebook Page www.facebook.com/EducationUSA.  If your institution has a Facebook Page or Group for your prospective or admitted international students or alumni, link it to EducationUSA.   

Join EdUSA Connects Web Meetings

Interface with EducationUSA Advisers and prospective international students through EdUSA Connects web-based meetings. Share presentations and multimedia from your desktop to present on a variety of topics on U.S. higher education.  Bridge the communication between current and future students through the web-based forum and live discussions about study in the United States.

 For more information on how to promote your institution through EducationUSA, contact Marty Bennett            , EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator. 

Each year EducationUSA Advisers, Regional Educational Advising Coordinators (REACs), and Department of State officials attend a variety of U.S.  and international conferences in order to promote the EducationUSA network and make connections with the higher education community.

Connecting with Participating Advisers

EducationUSA Advisers and staff attend conferences of international education and professional associations. Typically, EducationUSA staff present sessions and host a booth at the exhibit hall.

• American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)
• American Association of Community Colleges  (AACC)
• Asia Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE)
• Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA)
• College Board Annual Summer Institute for International Admissions
• Council of International Schools Forum (CIS)
• EducationUSA Forum
• EducationUSA Regional Conferences/Workshops overseas
• European Association for International Education (EAIE)
• Forum on Education Abroad
• NAFSA: Association of International Educators (NAFSA)
• National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC)
• National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals  (NAGAP)
• Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC)
• Regional NAFSA Conferences
• Washington International Education Conference (WIEC)

EducationUSA welcomes invitations and recommendations for participation in future conferences with all organizations. 

Host EducationUSA Advisers on Your Campus!

The following opportunities are available to accredited U.S. higher education institutions and specialized schools to interact with EducationUSA Advisers in a variety of settings on campus. Hosting EducationUSA Advisers on your campus offers a wonderful opportunity to showcase your institution and community for international students and scholars without having to travel outside the United States.

U.S. Based Training (spring or fall)

The U.S. Based Training Program (USBT) provides hands-on professional development in the United States for EducationUSA Advisers with at least one year of experience and builds on training they have received in their country or region. The program for Advisers includes training in Washington, D.C., attendance to a professional conference and visits to groups of campuses around the country. U.S. colleges and universities form clusters to host 4-5 EducationUSA Advisers participating in USBT during the spring or fall.

Explore Program (fall)

The EducationUSA Explore program is designed to acquaint new advisers with the culture and conditions of American campus life while improving their knowledge of international student admissions and services. Entry-level EducationUSA advisers stay at a primary host campus for up to 3 weeks in time for international student orientation and start of the fall term. The adviser will serve an internship in the institution’s office responsible for international students while experiencing student life and sitting in on classes for the first two weeks.

Campus Tours (various times)

EducationUSA Advisers attending annual U.S. conferences typically will visit groups of area campuses within a state or region prior to or following the conference.   

Opportunities to host Advisers are announced through the College Board.  Please contact usbt@collegeboard.org for more information. 

What Are Opportunity Funds?

Provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs within the U.S. Department of State, Opportunity funds support underserved students of modest means by covering the up-front costs of applying to accredited colleges and universities in the United States. All students receiving assistance through Opportunity funds must be applying to a degree program.

Funding

Such costs may include: test preparation and fees, visa and application fees, transportation costs, books and settling in allowance, English language courses, and when appropriate, and limited top-off funds toward tuition.

Opportunity Funds can be used for both graduate and undergraduate education at accredited, degree granting institutions in the United States. The total amount of support per recipient may not exceed US $10,000.

Opportunity Student Profile

When you admit an Opportunity student, you are accepting a student who has undergone a selective nomination process by the EducationUSA Adviser, Regional Educational Advising Coordinator, and the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy. Opportunity students are selected based on their strong academic background and great potential for succeeding at a U.S. institution of higher learning. Beyond academic ability, Opportunity students bring both cultural and socio-economic diversity to your campus.

When U.S. institutions admit Opportunity recipients, it is expected that the college/university will provide full financial aid to the student. Most, if not all, Opportunity recipients will not have enough estimated family contribution to cover the costs of housing and tuition/fees.

Opportunity funds are provided through EducationUSA Advising Centers in the following countries:

Asia 

• Bangladesh 
• Burma 
• Cambodia 
• Indonesia
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyz Republic
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Mongolia
• Nepal
• Philippines
• Sri Lanka
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan 

Europe   

• Belarus
• Russia
• Turkey
• Ukraine

Middle East & North Africa 

• Algeria
• Bahrain
• Egypt
• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Morocco
• Oman
• Syria
• Tunisia
• Yemen

 Sub-Saharan Africa

• Ghana
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Nigeria
• South Africa
• Uganda
• Zimbabwe

Latin America 

• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Venezuela