Most Colleges all over the U.S. require a minimum of 12 years of formal education. In the Indian context, it implies qualifying in class 12th examination or junior college, as applicable.  The acceptable degrees include: Indian School Certificate, Intermediate Certificate, Higher School Certificate, Higher Secondary Certificate, and All India Senior School Certificate.

Most schools require qualifications comparable to a U.S. Bachelor’s degree (Four-Year Degree Program) or a minimum of 16 years of formal education. In the Indian context, this implies qualifying in either a professional four-year course like engineering or other such courses.

If you have completed a 3-year degree program in India, the advisable plan of action to maximize eligibility for U.S. graduate schools is to apply for a Post Graduate degree in India. A one-year university affiliated program will make up for the fourth year of a U.S. Undergraduate degree.

Students who apply are also required to take standardized tests like GRE, GMAT, LSAT and TOEFL etc. depending on the course or program chosen. For more details on these, check out the Tests To Be Taken section. The minimum TOEFL score required is usually 550 (Paper-based test) or 220 (Computer-based test) for graduate courses. But for financial aid, a minimum score of is 600 (Paper-based test) or 250 (Computer-based test) is usually required.