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College and University System:
Post-secondary education in the United States is known as college or university and
commonly consists of four years of study at an institution of higher learning. Like high
school, the four undergraduate grades are commonly called freshman, sophomore, junior, and
senior years (alternately called first year, second year, etc.). Students traditionally
apply to receive admission into college, with varying difficulties of entrance. Schools
differ in their competitiveness and reputation; generally, the most prestigious schools
are private, rather than public.
Admissions criteria involve the rigor and grades earned in high school courses taken, the
students' GPA, class ranking, and standardized test scores (Such as the SAT or the ACT
tests). Most colleges also consider more subjective factors such as a commitment to
extracurricular activities, a personal essay, and an interview. While numerical factors
rarely ever are absolute required values, each college usually has a rough threshold below
which admission is unlikely.
Unlike in the British model, degrees in law and medicine are not offered at the
undergraduate level and are completed as graduate study after earning a bachelor's degree.
Neither field specifies or prefers any undergraduate major, though medicine has set
prerequisite courses that must be taken before enrollment.
Some students choose to attend a community college for two years prior to further study at
another college or university. In most states, community colleges are operated either by a
division of the state university or by local special districts subject to guidance from a
state agency. Community colleges may award Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science
(AS) degree after two years.
Those seeking to continue their education may transfer to a four-year college or
university (after applying through a similar admissions process as those applying directly
to the four-year institution, see articulation). Some community colleges have automatic
enrollment agreements with a local four-year college, where the community college provides
the first two years of study and the university provides the remaining years of study,
sometimes all on one campus. The community college awards the associate's degree, and the
university awards the bachelor's and master's degrees.
Graduate study, conducted after obtaining an initial degree and sometimes after several
years of professional work, leads to a more advanced degree such as a master's degree,
which could be a Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Business
Administration (MBA), or other less common master's degrees such as Master of Education
(MEd), and Master of Fine Arts (MFA).
After additional years of study and sometimes in conjunction with the completion of a
master's degree, students may earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or other doctoral
degree, such as Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Theology, Doctor of
Medicine, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, or Doctor of Jurisprudence.
Some programs, such as medicine, have formal apprenticeship procedures post-graduation
like residency and internship which must be completed after graduation and before one is
considered to be fully trained. Other professional programs like law and business have no
formal apprenticeship requirements after graduation (although law school graduates must
take the bar exam in order to legally practice law in nearly all states).
Entrance into graduate programs usually depends upon a student's undergraduate academic
performance or professional experience as well as their score on a standardized entrance
exam like the Graduate Record Examination (GRE-graduate schools in general), the Medical
College Admissions Test (MCAT), or the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Many graduate
and law schools do not require experience after earning a bachelor's degree to enter their
programs; however, business school candidates are usually required to gain a few years of
professional work experience before applying. Only 8.9 percent of students ever receive
postgraduate degrees, and most, after obtaining their bachelor's degree, proceed directly
into the workforce.
The vast majority of students (up to 70 percent) lack the financial resources to pay
tuition up front and must rely on student loans and scholarships from their university,
the federal government, or a private lender. All but a few charity institutions charge all
students tuition, although scholarships (both merit-based and need-based) are widely
available.
Generally, private universities charge much higher tuition than their public counterparts,
which rely on state funds to make up the difference. Because each state supports its own
university system with state taxes, most public universities charge much higher rates for
out-of-state students. Private universities are generally considered to be of higher
quality than public universities, although there are many exceptions.
Annual undergraduate tuition varies widely from state to state, and many additional fees
apply. A typical year's tuition at a public university (for residents of the state) is
about $5,000. Tuition for public school students from outside the state is generally
comparable to private school prices, although students can generally get state residency
after their first year. Private schools are typically much higher, although prices vary
widely from "no-frills" private schools to highly specialized technical
institutes.
Depending upon the type of school and program, annual graduate program tuition can vary
from $15,000 to as high as $40,000. Note that these prices do not include living expenses
(rent, room/board, etc.) or additional fees that schools add on such as "activities
fees" or health insurance. These fees, especially room and board, can range from
$6,000 to $12,000 per academic year (assuming a single student without children).
College costs are rising at the same time that state appropriations for aid are shrinking.
This has led to debate over funding at both the state and local levels. From 2002 to 2004
alone, tuition rates at public schools increased by just over 14 percent, largely due to
dwindling state funding. A more moderate increase of 6 percent occurred over the same
period for private schools.
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