Once you decide your deadline, you will have to arrange the documents required to complete your application accordingly. If you wish to apply early, then you will have to do this in the months before November. If you choose to go according to the regular deadline, then you will have to arrange the documents in the months prior to January.
Universities and Colleges in the U.S require many documents from International students that are to be submitted online. These documents provide a detailed picture of a student’s academic and intellectual pursuits and helps colleges choose the best out of the thousands of applicants.
Even though every college has its separate requirements, most of them include the following documents:
School Reports and Official Transcripts
Your School Reports have to be filled by your school counselor. The School Report forms are available on the online application website. On the website, you will first need to complete certain sections of your profile and then invite a counselor to the website who will submit your school report. Your Counselor can choose to submit your school report and transcripts online (preferred) or offline.
Your School report will include answers from your counselor to questions like the grading system the school uses, your rank, your co curricular achievements, your academic curriculum etc. It will also include a recommendation letter from your counselor talking about why he/she recommends you for the program. The purpose of the school report is to know more about you as a person and as a student. The counselor will also have to submit official transcripts (mark sheets) of your senior classes. Most colleges prefer that you send your transcripts for the 10th, 11th and 12th grades (if available).
Mid – Year Reports
Under most circumstances, you will apply to colleges in the U.S while you are still in your Class 12th. This means that you will not be able to submit your Class 12th final marks/transcript before the end of the academic year. To solve this problem, many colleges in the U.S ask for ‘Mid – Year Reports’. These Mid Year Reports are an assessment of your academic performance for half of your 12th grade. They will be taken into consideration during the admission process.
The basic purpose of these mid – year reports is to make sure that your marks are as good as they were in your previous grades. Colleges use these reports to verify whether you are being able to cope with higher level education and to ensure that you take your education seriously. The procedure for submitting Mid – Year Reports is very similar to the procedure of submitting School Reports. You will have to request your counselor to submit these reports. Even though these reports can be submitted using offline methods, most colleges prefer receiving reports online.
Final Year Report
You will be required to submit your Final Year Report (Class 12th Report) that will include your Class 12th final transcripts after you get admission in a U.S college. Usually, you will be enrolled in a U.S college before your results for Class 12th are declared. This means that your final 12th marks will not be taken in to consideration during the admission process. But it is important to keep in mind that this admission is provisional and a big drop in grades or marks from your previous academic record in the Class 12th results might lead to your admission getting cancelled.
Supplementary Certificates
Apart from your academic transcripts, you might also be required to submit certificates regarding your co – curricular achievements. Most colleges do not recommend uploading or sending separate certificates but rather prefer that students mention their co – curricular achievements in the application form itself. Achievements in the field of arts, performing arts and athletics are highly valued by almost all colleges and universities.
Test Reports
Your Test reports (SAT, TOEFL, ACT, IELTS etc.) are required by almost every college and university in the U.S. The organizations who administer these tests provide applicants with the option of directly sending the test reports to a total of 4 colleges for free. If you wish to apply to more colleges or send your test reports to other colleges apart from those 4, you will have to contact these organizations through your profile on these websites and request them to send your test reports by making an extra payment.
You can also choose to send or upload your test reports later in case the results have not been declared yet.
