Study in the U.S.

U.S. Higher Education

There are close to 5,000 accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. providing options for students interested in all different fields, geographical locations, school types, and school sizes. To attend school in the U.S. you must have at least the minimum qualifications to attend a University in Zambia. If you will need financial assistance then you must not only meet the minimum requirements, but must also be exemplary. Financial assistance in the form of merit based scholarships and need based aid is controlled primarily by the individual schools to which you apply. The U.S. Embassy does not have any scholarships for undergraduate studies in either Zambia or the U.S.

If you are starting this process now you are looking at completing an application by January 1, 2013 for admission in August or September 2013.

Standardized Tests

Undergraduate and graduate programs will require some combination of the tests listed below. The U.S. Embassy does not administer any of the tests listed below, nor do we register students for these tests.

SAT
www.sat.collegeboard.org/home  
Cost: $78 for Reasoning; $73 for Subject Test (3 subjects)
SAT Test Dates in Zambia
October 6, 2012
November 3, 2012
December 1, 2012
January 26, 2013
March 9, 2013
May 4, 2013
June 1, 2012
Test Locations: American international School, Lusaka; International School of Lusaka; Lechwe School, Kitwe; Simba International School, Ndola.

ACT
www.act.org/
Cost: $76.50
ACT Test Dates in Zambia
October 27, 2012
December 8, 2012
February 9, 2013
April 13, 2013
June 8, 2013  
Test Locations: American International School, Lusaka

TOEFL
www.ets.org/toefl/
Cost: iBT $160
TOEFL Test Dates in Zambia
Fri., Oct 12, 2012
Fri., Oct 19, 2012
Sat., Oct 27, 2012
Sat., Nov 03, 2012
Fri., Nov 16, 2012
Sat., Nov 17, 2012
Sat., Dec 01, 2012
Fri., Dec 07, 2012
Sat., Dec 08, 2012
Test Locations: ICT Test Center, Lusaka (across from UNZA)

GRE
www.ets.org/gre/
Cost: $190
Upcoming Test Dates:
Test Locations: International School of Lusaka

GMAT
www.mba.com
Cost: $250
Upcoming Test Dates:
Test Locations: ICT Test Center, Lusaka (across from UNZA)

LSAT
www.lsac.org
Cost: $144
Upcoming Test Dates: June, October, December 2012 and February 2013 Test Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya. 

U.S Embassy, Lusaka, Zambia Programs

Education Advising:
The American Embassy offers advising services to those who intend on studying in accredited U.S. universities. The advising service is free to all and offers advice beginning at the college search process until the time of departure for America. Advising services are available by appointment by emailing EDULusaka@state.gov and group events are regularly advertised on our Facebook page at: facebook.com/usembassyzambia

United States Student Achievers Program (USAP):
The United States Student Achievers Program (USAP) is a program to help high achieving, economically disadvantaged students prepare the strongest possible applications to U.S. colleges and universities. The program is NOT a scholarship program, and there is no guarantee that students in the programs will receive scholarships to U.S. schools. However, the program assists students with all of the steps involved in applying to U.S. schools from school research and selection, to standardized testing, to completing the application and the financial aid forms. More information is available here: http://www.usapglobal.org/. Applications for the 2012 cycle are available starting March 9, 2012 and are due April 20, 2012.

Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowship Programs:
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program brings citizens of other countries to the United States for Master’s degree or Ph.D. study at U.S. universities. The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program provides ten months of non-degree academic study and related professional experiences in the United States. Applications for 2013-2014 Fulbright cycle are available starting February 1, 2012 and are due March 30, 2012. Applications for the 2013-2014 Humphrey cycle are available starting April 1, 2012 and are due May 31, 2012. For more information: http://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/
http://www.humphreyfellowship.org

Avoiding Scams

Rules of thumb to avoid scams: 1) No legitimate scholarship program will ask you for money to apply for a scholarship; 2) If a program sounds too good to be true, it probably is; 3) No legitimate program can guarantee that you will receive a scholarship; 4) Be on the lookout for misspellings, poor grammar, etc. For more information: www.finaid.org/scholarships/common.phtml
www.finaid.org/scholarships/protecting.phtml 
www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams

Other Resources

For general information about applying to U.S. colleges and universities: www.educationusa.info/5_steps_to_study/ colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges www.petersons.com/

Find out whether a school is accredited by a recognized U.S. accreditation body at: ope.ed.gov/accreditation/  

For information about distance learning opportunities: www.usdla.org/