Most public universities in the US do not provide financial aid. On the other hand, most private universities in the US do provide financial aid or scholarships. These private universities have different policies when it comes to admission of international applicants who apply for financial aid. These are:

A. Need-Blind Admission
Want a university that will cater to YOUR financial needs? Dream of a university that will not look at your financial status when reviewing your application? Or a university that will pay for you should you gain admission? APPLY NEED BLIND!

Currently, there are only 6 schools which practice this policy. They are Princeton, Yale, Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, and Amherst. Your chances of admission to these schools will not be jeopardized if you apply for financial aid. Besides that, these schools will provide sufficient financial aid for you to enroll.

B. Admission Blind
Application to certain schools is independent of your need for financial aid. This includes Cornell University. Cornell can admit you without providing you any financial award even though you have indicated that you require financial aid to attend.

C. Need-Aware/ Need-Based Admission
For need-aware admission, your application to certain universities will have a lower chance of success if you apply for financial aid. These include Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania.

A. Regular Decision (RD)

This is the normal application policy by all universities. Regular Decision deadlines are usually at the end of December or early January (varies from university to university). Under Regular Decision, applicants are under no obligation to enroll even if they have been admitted. They are welcome to apply to as many Colleges as possible without any binding clauses.

B. Early Decision (ED)
Early Decision plans allow you to apply early (usually in early November) and get an admission decision from the college well in advance of the usual notification date (around middle of December). However, Early Decision plans are binding; if you apply as an Early Decision candidate, you agree to attend the college if it accepts you and offers an adequate financial aid package. Although you can apply to only one college for Early Decision, you may apply to other colleges through the regular admissions process. If you're accepted by your first-choice college early, you must withdraw all other applications. Usually, colleges insist on a nonrefundable deposit well before May 1.

C. Early Action (EA)
Early Action plans are similar to Early Decision plans in that you can apply early in the admission cycle (usually in December, January or February) whether or not a college has accepted you. But unlike Early Decision, most Early Action plans are not binding, i.e. you do not have to commit to a college to which you've applied for Early Action. Under these plans, you may still apply to other colleges. Usually, you can let the college know of your decision in late spring or whenever you've decided.

D. Single-Choice/Restrictive Early Action (SCEA)
Some colleges notably Yale and Stanford have begun offering a new admissions option called Single-Choice Early Action (usually in October). This plan works the same way as other Early Action plans, but with Single-Choice, and candidates may not apply early (either Early Action or Early Decision) to any other school.

You can still apply to other school’s Regular Decision and are not required to give your final answer of acceptance until the Regular Decision deadline. This allows you to compare offers of financial aid in the spring before making a commitment.

– Adapted from Collegeboard.com

E. Rolling Admissions
It is an admission policy where no specific deadline is fixed. Under rolling admissions, applications are reviewed as they come in until all spots are filled.

Each university in the USA has its own requirements for undergraduate application. Please check with the universities you intend to apply (their websites are the best resource) to confirm what documents and information they require.

The Standard Requirements for university application in the USA are:
- Personal Information
- Academic qualifications and achievements
- Co-curricular activities
- Essays and/or personal statements
- Teacher recommendations (normally 2)
- Standardized test scores ( e.g. SAT 1 , SAT 2 , TOEFL )
- Counselor’s report

In some cases, the universities may provide interviews through the local alumni associations.

Application dates differ depending on whether you are applying for: Early Decision or Regular Decision. Both applications start in early October. However, Early Decision normally ends by early November while Regular Decision normally ends by early January of the following year.

General Information regarding SAT 1
The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems—skills you learned in school that you'll need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200—800, with two writing sub scores for multiple-choice and the essay. The test is about 4 hours long and is administered seven times a year in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories, and six times a year overseas. Colleges usually take the highest scores of the math, verbal and writing sections (which can be from two different test dates) although they always receive your entire College Board testing history.

General Information regarding SAT 2
Subject Tests (formerly SAT II: Subject Tests) are designed to measure your knowledge and skills in particular subject areas, as well as your ability to apply that knowledge. Students take the Subject Tests to demonstrate to colleges their mastery of specific subjects like English, history, mathematics, science, and language. The tests are independent of any particular textbook or method of instruction. The tests' content evolves to reflect current trends in high school curricula, but the types of questions change little from year to year. Many colleges use the Subject Tests for admission, for course placement, and to advise students about course selection. Used in combination with other background information (your high school record, scores from other tests like the SAT Reasoning Test, teacher recommendations, etc.), they provide a dependable measure of your academic achievement and are a good predictor of future performance. Some colleges specify the Subject Tests they require for admission or placement; others allow applicants to choose which tests to take. Colleges usually take the highest scores of each subject (which can be from two different test dates)

Both sections are quoted directly from Collegeboard.com

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Test Dates
The SAT is tested on the following months outside USA, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories (6 times a year):

January
May
June
October
November
December

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Registration
To register for the SAT 1 and SAT 2, you would need to register at www.collegeboard.com or through the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE).

General Information
The Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL®) measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to use and understand English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university settings. The TOEFL test is offered in different formats depending on a test taker's location.

The Internet-based TOEFL Test
The TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The test helps students demonstrate that they have the English skills needed for success. Each section has 30 marks with the highest score being 30 for each section. Maximum score is 120. Only the TOEFL iBT test is offered in Malaysia. Registration is through ETS. The test dates varies with the test venues. Once you register for TOEFL, it would ask you to fill in the location for the test. Only then would you know which date is available.

– Quoted directly from ETS TOEFL website: www.ets.org/toefl

A. Writing part
You would have to write two essays. One of them is to write a summary of the information provided to you and the other is to write your response to a question posed to you. The two tasks are rated from 0 to 5, and the average of these scores is converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30. Human scorers rate the responses.

Scorers evaluate the integrated writing task on the overall quality of the writing (development, organization, appropriate and precise use of grammar and vocabulary) and the completeness and accuracy of the content. Scorers rate the independent writing essay on the overall quality of the writing:
o Development
o Organization
o Appropriate and precise use of grammar and vocabulary.

B. Reading part
This test is similar to the critical reading section of the SAT. However, it is much easier compared to the SAT.

C. Listening part
You would have to listen to a few conversations and answer them based on the conversations. It is advisable to write down the key points of the conversations so that answering it would be easier.

D. Speaking part
You would be asked to give your comment on an issue or present the ideas given in a recorded conversation. Each of the six tasks is rated from 0 to 4, and the average of these scores is converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30.Human scorers rate the responses. They evaluate the test-taker's ability in topic development, delivery, and language use.

Exemption from TOEFL Test
If you have been attending an English-medium school for at least 2 years and have achieved a decent SAT 1 score, you can apply to the individual universities for exemption from taking the TOEFL. There is no guarantee that the universities would allow such exemptions. Please take the initiative to ask the universities you are applying to.

Important Information
If you intend to take the TOEFL, please register as early as possible as the test venues have limited places unlike the SAT 1 and SAT 2. The delivery of the test scores by ETS is also not as fast as College Board’s. Your scores may not arrive on time for admission consideration.

Here's a link to a spreadsheet that you could do some referencing for average aid amounts and gauge 'college generosity':
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pbj...dpIP1qwBA#gid=0

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This is a project initiated by Teo Xian Jin, for the benefit of others. If you intend to contribute towards the enhancement of the data, please do not hesitate to contact him by email at [teoxianjin@hotmail.com].

Notes regarding the cost figures in the spreadsheet
1. Most of the figures are obtained from the colleges' common data set 2007-2008 if available.
2. Figures that haven't been cross-referenced have been entered as text, indicated by a green arrow/ a hyphen entered before the figure (does not affect calculations).
3. The above figures are only 70% accurate as of 2005-2006 and should be only used as a rough reference/estimate to calculate the cost of attendance per annum (Total cost).

Notes regarding middle 50% SAT scores in the spreadsheet
1. The scores are obtained from Princeton Review.
2. The scores are the average per section, where the lowest and highest are taken when colleges post different scores for each section. (i.e. 560-640 for Maths and 600-680 for Critical Reading would generate a 560-680 figure)
3. Average interquartile range of SAT scores is 100.
4. 90% of cases where a certain section's average is significantly higher, the critical reading score will be higher than the maths score.
5. ACT scores are converted where SAT scores aren't available.
6. A considerable amount of colleges do not regard the writing section of the SAT I.
7. Scores from admitted students are on average lower than the scores of accepted students.

Additional notes
1. The Princeton Review selectivity rating is to be viewed in tandem with the other information provided as there are non-quantifiable factors in the admissions game.
2. Some of the cells are unfilled, resulting in a unrealistic 'Total cost'.
3. Colleges which provide Merit aid and Need-based aid usually award a higher amount of merit aid per person, thereby making figures unreliable.
4. Disclaimer: Teo Xianjin will not be held responsible for any inaccuracies in any of the figures and for the consequences resulting from the usage of the figures in the spreadsheet.