Universities and Colleges in USA - Ranking, Courses, Fees, Scholarships, Admissions

Latest on the H1B Visa:  Indian students and workers in the US breathed a big sigh of relief after the USCIS issued a clarification on the $100,000 H1B Visa Fees. As part of a latest media release, the department clarified that the fees would only be applicable to new H1B Visa applicants, current H1B holders looking to get their visa stamped at a US embassy abroad, or wishing to get an inspection at a US border or airport, before entering the country.

The department further clarified that no fee would be charged from current H1B holders who are looking to change their visa type. Exemptions would also be granted in “extraordinarily rare cases” where an immigrant’s employment is in the interests of the US, and if no American worker is able to fill the specified role.

About

Home to Ivy League universities like Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, etc., the United States is a popular study abroad destination among international students. The country has a large number of top-ranked universities in the world known for their academic excellence, research opportunities, and faculty expertise. Universities in USA constantly dominate the top ranking list in the world, making them reputable law, business, and medical schools in the world. MIT University, Harvard University, Stanford University, and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are among the top 10 universities in the world.

Check the below video for Harvard University vs IIT Bombay: Which is your best bet?

Notably, 192 of the best colleges in the United States have secured their place in the QS World University Rankings 2026. International students can pursue higher education from over 1,000 best universities in the USA. The cost of studying in the US varies by the program and living expenses for international students. Fall intake in the USA is the main academic session for admission in the USA for students, which begins in September. 

Also read: Which type of application deadline to choose?

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Universities in USA Highlights 2025

The United States is the top destination among international students to study abroad due to the high reputation of its educational institutions. Over 1,000 colleges in USA are there that offer world-class education to students at undergraduate and graduate levels. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16 to 1 at most of the top universities in the USA. The Universities in USA fees range between INR 92k to INR 40+ L based on the course type and location. Applicants must meet the entry requirements to get admission to the best colleges in the USA. The below table includes the highlights of the best US universities for international students:

Parameter	Statistics
No. of universities in USA	1046
Tuition fees of universities in USA	Up to INR 10 L: 252 universities Over INR 40 L: 305 universities
Best Majors  in USA	Computer Sciece, Business Administration and Management, Healthcare, Engineering and Data Science
English language exams required	IELTS TOEFL PTE Duolingo
Entrance exams required	GRE GMAT SAT ACT
Best students cities in USA	Boston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.

Why Study in USA?

Higher education, better job opportunities, the best student cities, international student groups, the world’s top universities, etc. are the Top Reasons to Study in the USA for international students. The US education system is a top-ranker for its widely known research-oriented expertise. Student’s Ivy League universities and scholarships program to study in the USA.

Wish to study law from abroad, but confused whether to do so in the UK or US? Then the video below is for you:

Post-Work Permits in USA

Post Study work permit in the USA is one of the major reasons to study in the country. This will attract international students to study higher studies in the USA. Students who completed their degrees from top colleges in the USA can apply for post-study work. Students must have a valid Post-study work visa to get the work permit.

Read more about the Countries that give Work Permit after Study

Part-Time Options in USA

Part-time jobs are important for international students who come to study abroad in the USA. Students can work up to 20 hours a week when classes are in session and up to 40 hours a week full-time while the classes are not going on. Below are some of the top Part-time job professions for students:

• Library Monitor
• Teaching Assistant
• Tour Guide
• Peer Tutor
• Campus Tech Support

Must read about the 10 In-Demand Part-time Jobs for Indian Students in the USA

Student Visa Fee in USA: Visa application option and cost

The United States continues to be the top preferred choice among international students to study abroad. Applicants must have a valid student study visa in the USA to study at top universities. According to the USCIS report, over three lakh Indian students applied to study in the USA in 2024. Check below the student Visa Fee in USA for Indian students:

Type of Student Visas in USA & Costs
Types of Student Visas	F1	J1	M1
SEVIS Fee
Amount	USD 350	USD 220	USD 350
Accepted Modes of Payment	Credit Card Money Order/ Demand Draft
Payable in	Dollars at the applicable exchange rate as determined by the bank
MRV Application Fee / Visa Application Fee
Amount	USD 185	USD 185	USD 185
Accepted Modes of Payment	NEFT Online Transfer Instant Money Transfer by Mobile - IMPS By Cash at counters of Axis Bank/ Citibank
Payable in	Payable in INR at the Exchange Rate Fixed by the Consular Office (At present the exchange rate is fixed at USD 1 = INR 85.37 - as of Jul 3, 2025)

Also read: Student Visas for Study Abroad

Top Job Sectors & Economy in USA

Graduates who completed their degree from popular universities in the USA get employment in top job sectors in USA. As per the report, Healthcare is the highest-paying job sector in the USA for graduates. We have below the top job sectors in the USA for international students:

• Healthcare
• Information Technology
• Real estate development
• Retail
• Education

Best Students Cities in USA 2025

According to QS Best Students Cities 2026 ranking, 12 US cities are ranked among the top 100 student cities in the world to study abroad. Students can choose their universities located in these cities to study in the USA. Boston and New York are among the top 20 in the world in the Best Students Cities Ranking 2026. Students can check below the list of best student cities in the USA:

Best Students Cities	Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World - Best Student Cities 2026
Boston	15
New York	23
San Francisco	41
Los Angeles	43
Chicago	47
Philadelphia	70
Washington DC	74
Atlanta	80
San Diego	87
Pittsburgh	89

Read more about the Best Student Cities in USA

Top Universities in USA 2025

The United States is the home of plenty of top-ranked universities in the world. These US Universities are known for high ranking, quality education, and better career opportunities. The below table includes the list of the top 10 universities in the USA by QS World University Ranking 2025 and Times Higher Education Ranking 2025:

Top Universities in USA	Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Ranking 2026	Shiksha Popularity Ranking
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	1	1
Stanford University	3	4
Harvard University	5	2
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	10	9
University of Chicago	13	14
University of Pennsylvania	15	13
Cornell University	16	15
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	17	8
Yale University	21	11
John Hopkins University	24	16

Check out the video below to know more about top universities in the USA:

Best Engineering Universities in USA

Universities in the USA offer Engineering programs in popular specializations like Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, etc. International students can check the list of the best BTech universities in the USA below:

Engineering Universities in USA	Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Subject Ranking 2025
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	1
Stanford University	3
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	6
Harvard University	9
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	13
Georgia Institute of Technology	15
Carnegie Mellon University	19
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)	22
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	23
Purdue University	29

Best Management Universities in USA

Around 9 popular US universities are ranked under the top 20 Management Universities in the world. They all offer high-quality business and management courses to students with better career opportunities. Check the list of top 10 Management Universities in USA below:

Management Universities in USA	Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Subject Ranking 2025
Harvard University	1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	2
Stanford University	3
University of Pennsylvania	9
University California Berkley (UCB)	11
Yale University	16
New York University (NYU)	17
University of Chicago	17
Northwestern University	17
Columbia University	20

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Also read: Top Business & Management Studies Universities in USA

Best MBA Universities in USA

The USA is the home of the top MBA universities in the World. Students can check the list of top MBA universities in USA below:

MBA Universities in USA	Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) MBA Ranking 2025
Stanford Graduate School of Business	1
Penn (Wharton)	2
Harvard Business School	3
MIT (Sloan)	4
Columbia Business School	8
Northwestern (Kellogg)	11
UC Berkeley (Haas)	13
UCLA (Anderson)	14
Chicago (Booth)	15
Yale School of Management	16

Also read: Top Countries to Study MBA Abroad

Top States/ Cities to Study in USA

Many US cities rank among the top student cities in the world by QS Best Students Cities ranking 2024.

Top Cities to Study in USA	Count of Universities
California	134
New York	107
Texas	68
Pennsylvania	65
Illinois	51
Massachusetts	50

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Top Courses in USA

US top universities offer courses in degree, certificate, and diploma levels for international students. There are around 956 degree, 85 certificates, and 9 diploma programs are offered at US universities. The below table includes the top 10 courses in the USA with their number of universities:

Top 10 Courses in USA	Count of Universities
BE/BTech	802
BBA	741
MBA/PGDM	683
MS	669
BSc	628
BA	419
MA	342

Know more about the Most popular programs in the USA

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Universities in USA Admission Requirements

International students who wish to continue their higher education at US Universities must meet the entry criteria of the university. The requirements to study master's in USA for Indian students are different from bachelor’s requirements. Students must complete the 12th class education for bachelor's admission and have a bachelor’s degree for master’s admission.

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Universities in USA Entrance Exams

Some of the entrance exams accepted by US universities for MS courses are given as follows:

Entrance Exam	Count of Universities
GRE	524
GMAT	434
SAT	97
ACT	12

Check GMAT vs GRE: Which is Best for Indian Students?

Universities in USA English Language Requirements

Students whose first language is not English must submit the score of any of the below English Language Proficiency test scores:

English Language Exams	Count of Universities
TOEFL	1031
IELTS	959
Duolingo	815
PTE	500

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Universities in USA Documents Required

To complete the admission application, international students must submit the required documents to get into US Universities successfully. We have mentioned below the documents required as per the program:

Documents	Bachelors Admission	Master’s Admission
Academic	Must complete 12th-class education with the required score	A bachelor’s degree is required for master's admission in the USA
English language test	IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/Duolingo	IELTS/TOEFL/PTE
Standardized test scores	SAT/ACT	GRE/GMAT
Other documents	Resume, LORs, etc.	Academic transcripts, Proof of Finance, LOR, SOP, Resume

Universities in USA Admission Intakes

Usually, there are two intakes in the USA for international students, namely Fall and Spring. Students can choose any of them to study in the USA. Apart from Fall and Spring, there is one more intake in the USA, i.e., Summer that usually starts in May. However, most of the courses in the USA begin in the Fall intake. International students can apply for scholarships and financial aid in the Fall intake.

• Fall semester: The fall intake in the USA is the most opted one by Indian students. The fall months in the USA are from September to December
• Spring semester: The spring semester starts in January and ends in May. The spring intake in the USA begins in October or November. 
• Summer semester: This intake is for limited programs and courses and usually starts in May

Also read: Admission Intakes In US Universities

Cost of Studying in USA

The cost of studying in the USA for international students varies by program from one university to another. To study MS in the USA, the average first-year cost is INR 23.5 L and for studying MBA in USA, the average cost is INR 27.8 L for international students.

Universities in USA Tuition Fees

International students can check below the first-year tuition fees range of US Universities:

First-Year Tuition Fee Range	Count of Universities
Max 10 lakhs	252
Max 20 lakhs	767
Max 30 lakhs	930
Max 40 lakhs	992
40 lakhs +	305

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Cost of Living in USA

The cost of living in USA for international students is around INR 8.3 L to INR 15 L depending on the city. Studying in the USA is expensive for international students because of the high cost of living and tuition fees at some top universities. The living cost includes the accommodation cost, room rent, food, travel, stationery, entertainment, and other expenses. Students can check the Cost of Living in USA for the different states below:

Big Cities in the USA	Average monthly expenses in the USA
Cost of Living in New York	USD 3,300 or INR 2.7 L
Cost of Living in California	USD 4,000 or INR 3.2 L
Cost of Living in Boston	USD 3,316 or INR 2.8 L
Cost of Living in San Francisco	USD 4,000 or INR 3.2 L
Suburban Cities of the USA	Average monthly expenses in the USA
Cost of Living in Atlanta	USD 2,200 or INR 1.8 L
Cost of Living in New Orleans	USD 2,000 or INR 1.7 L
Cost of Living in Philadelphia	USD 1,300 or INR 1.1 L
Cost of Living in Seattle	USD 2,500 or INR 1.1 L
Cost of Living in Texas	USD 2,000 or INR 1.7 L
Cost of Living in Illinois	USD 1,470 or INR 1.2 L

(USD 1 = INR 83.09)

Check the list of 8 Most Affordable Cities for Studying in the US

Scholarships in USA

There are around 1382 scholarships in USA for international students available in undergraduate and graduate programs. Among all the US scholarships, 1210 are college-specific and 172 are not specific to a college. Some of the popular scholarships for studying in the USA are Global Study Awards, Tata Scholarship, BrokerFish International student scholarship, QS Undergraduate Scholarship, etc. Students can check below the list of universities with their scholarships:

Scholarship	Financial Reward	Eligibility
Fulbright Nehru Master's Fellowship	J-1 Student Visa support Round Trip Air Travel from the fellow's home city to the institute in US Financial cover for tuition and fees, living costs and healthcare Scholarship can be availed for higher studies in the following areas: Economics, Environmental Science/Studies, International Legal Studies, Public Health, Journalism and Mass Communication, Sustainable Development or Urban and Regional Planning	Must have completed the equivalent of an US Bachelor's degree with a minimum 55% Must possess a four year UG degree OR a Completed PG degree OR a full time postgraduate diploma, if the duration of UG degree is less than 4 years Must have paid work experience of a minimum of three years, in the proposed field of study Must demonstrate leadership capabilities and active participation in Community Service Must not be enrolled in a US degree program of have a another degree from a university in USA Must not be an employee of the Government of India or the Indian State Governments
Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarships	Upto USD 100,000 (INR 87.66 L) in financial aid as cover for: tuition fees, cost of living in USA, one way travel, and healhcare Valid for a course duration between 9 months to four years	Must be an Indian passport holder and resident of India, at the time of applying, and born after Jan 1, 1995 Must possess a degree from a recognized university in India, or be in the final year of graduation Students with a UG degree from abroad, must have resided continuosly, been employed or have been enrolled in studies for 2 years in India Social Sciences, Humanities, Architecture, Fine Arts and related subject students, must have attained a minimum 65% marks or CGPA 6.8/10 or GPA 2.6/4 from a recognized institute Maths, Science, Environment and related subject students must have secured a minimum 70% marks, CGPA 7.2/10 or GPA 3/4 Must already be admitted to the institute and have chosen a course, at a university abroad, at the time of application Students who do not satisfy the above, are ineligible to apply
Cornell University Tata Scholarship	Varies	Must be a citizen of India and have attended secondary school in the country Must hold an undergraduate admission offer from Cornell University Must demonstrate financial need Preference is given students enrolled in the following: College of Architecture, Art and Planning, College of Engineering, Applied Economics and Management at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business OR Enrolled in Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences or any other science
Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation Scholarships	Varies	Must be an Indian national, aged less than 30 years as of Jan-end, 2025 Must have graduated from an accredited Indian University or be in the final year of studies Must be planning to pursue postgraduate education at one of the best universities in USA from Fall 2025 Scholarship would be awarded after the receiving the official admission letter

Also read: Scholarships to Study in the USA for International Students

Jobs after Studying in USA

Known as the "Land of Opportunities", the United States Job Market, is arguably the most vibrant job market in the world. The country is home to a number of prominent global organizations, Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Tesla, NVIDIA and the list goes on. Here are some popular career options in USA, after graduation, along with their average annual wages:

Job	Average Annual Salary (in USD)	Average Annual Salary (in INR)
HIgh School Teacher	USD 57,574	INR 50.44 L
Operations Manager	USD 75,279	INR 65.95 L
Human Resources Manager	USD 76,960	INR 67.42 L
Mechanical Engineer	USD 81,905	INR 71.76 L
Project Manager	USD 82,265	INR 72.1 L
Electrical Engineer	USD 86,603	INR 75.87 L
Software Engineer	USD 96,626	INR 84.65 L
Attorney or Lawyer	USD 103,300	INR 90.5 L

Source: Payscale

Conversion rate: 1 USD = INR 87.61

US Universities with the Best ROI

Mentioned below are some of the best universities in USA, based on the average annual salary secured by their graduates, at the end of the year placements:

Name of University	Average Salary
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	USD 165,000 or INR 1.4 Cr
Harvard University	USD 175,000 or INR 1.5 Cr
Stanford University	USD 175,000 or INR 1.5 Cr
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	USD 155,000 or INR 1.3 Cr
University of Chicago	USD 82,000 or INR 68.1 L

(USD 1 = INR 83.09)

Also, Want to know about some side-hustles that can make you INR 1 L a month? Then check out the video below:

Is studying in India better than studying in the USA?

Both India and the USA have different education systems. In India, the teaching methods are more theoretical and the US Universities offer world-class facilities with research labs and modern equipment. US universities are more diverse, with students from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. In India, the student body is predominantly local. Check below the list of Top Universities in India and Top Universities in the USA:

Top 3 Universities in India	Top 3 Universities in the USA
Indian Institute of Science	Harvard University
Jawaharlal Nehru University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jamia Millia Islamia	Stanford University

Akash Gaur10-22-2025 12:22