The main requirements for admission to educational institutions in the United States are:

• a strong academic background;
• demonstrated command of the English language;
• for many programs, scores on one or more standardized admissions tests;
• adequate financial resources.

Academic Background

To be eligible to apply for a graduate level program, you should have completed, or be about to complete, a first academic or professional degree. In the United States this typically takes four years of university study to complete, giving U.S. students 16 years in total at school and university. If your first academic degree required only three years of study, or if you have completed only 14 or 15 years of school and university study combined, or if your degree study involved courses in only a single technical field, check with an educational adviser about whether you will be eligible for admission to graduate degree programs in the United States.

Graduate school applicants should also have excellent grades, particularly in the chosen field of study. Most graduate departments require, at a minimum, the equivalent of a U.S. "B" grade average in undergraduate work. Proven research ability or relevant work experience also increases your chances of admission at the graduate level.

To complete graduate study in the United States successfully, you will need to be able to read, write, and communicate orally in English with a high degree of proficiency. English language proficiency will also help you to achieve your academic and personal goals while in the United States.

To determine your level of English language proficiency, arrange to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as early as possible — at least a year before you plan to enroll. As with many areas of U.S. education, each institution sets its own English language admission standard, but some guidelines on the standard required are given in the section on TOEFL scores below. Some institutions accept English language examinations other than TOEFL; check the information you receive from institutions to see which examinations they accept.

Even if you have a good basic level of English proficiency and have met the minimum TOEFL requirements for a university, some schools may require you to take courses to improve your mastery of American English, academic or research usage, and study skills. If you studied English under the British system, you may find that U.S. vocabulary and usage are quite different.

If you are applying for a teaching assistantship, the university may ask you to demonstrate your proficiency in spoken English, which the TOEFL examination does not test. The Test of Spoken English (TSE), often required for this purpose, is offered less frequently and at fewer centers than TOEFL. Allow several additional months for the application process if you are applying for a teaching assistantship.

TOEFL Waivers: If you are a non-U.S. citizen and nonnative speaker of English who has been educated in English for most of your school life, your TOEFL requirement may be waived. Allow time in the application process to correspond with U.S. universities about this issue. American universities are unlikely to accept secondary school English language examination results as proof of your language ability.

TOEFL is given on computer in almost all countries worldwide. In Hungary, the test is offered on many days in the month, but only in Budapest and Miskolc.

Test Registration: Preregistration is required, and it is NOT possible to go to the testing center and hope to find space available that same day. Computer-based testing registration deadlines vary.

Content: The test uses a multiple choice and essay format to measure each examinee's ability to understand North American English. The test is divided into four sections: listening, structure, reading, and writing. The writing section requires the test taker to write an essay. Scores: The total score ranges between 40 and 300 for the computer-based test. Each graduate department within a university decides for itself what score is acceptable. In general, colleges consider a total score of 250 or above to be excellent and a score below 173 to be inadequate. Most institutions require a score of between 213 and 250 for admission to a graduate program.

Graduate Admission Tests

Most graduate departments require scores on at least one academic admissions test, either a general aptitude test such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test or a demonstration of proficiency in your field (GRE Subject Test), or sometimes both. The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required almost without exception for applicants to business schools. The Miller Analogy Tests (MAT) may also be required in fields like education and psychology. These tests are in addition to an English language proficiency examination. They are sometimes referred to as standardized tests because all applicants are required to take the same tests (including U.S. applicants), allowing admissions officers to compare candidates by test score. Professional schools such as schools of law, medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine have special examinations.

Usually, the faculty of each department within a university determines the requirements for various admissions tests, as well as the weight given to the results. Consequently, there is no general rule to follow with respect to test requirements.

To find out if you need to take one or more of these tests, consult university catalogs and Web sites or look in university reference books that are available at the American Corner in Pécs. The reference books may also give the test score ranges of successful applicants to the various programs. There are no passing or failing scores on these examinations, but your score will have an effect on the overall competitiveness of your application.

Admissions tests are multiple-choice tests that require a high degree of English proficiency. Some also require mathematical skills or in-depth knowledge of content related to the field of study. It is important to note, however, that test scores are only one of the factors used in evaluating an international student's application. Admissions officers are aware that you may be taking the examinations in a language other than your native tongue, and they will take this into account.