[Michu]

Infos fuer Tests und Testvorbereitung

Als Teil des Bewerbungsverfahren, verlangen die meisten amerikanischen Colleges und Universitaeten Testergebnisse von standardisierten amerikanischen Zugangspruefungen. Colleges und Universitaeten nutzen diese Pruefungen um alle Bewerber (von den USA und anderen Laendern) an einem einheitlichen Standard zu bewerten.
Zugangspruefungen sind Multiple-Choice Tests, die sehr gute Englischkenntnisse voraussetzen. Bei einigen werden auch mathematische Fertigkeiten oder tiefergehendes Wissen des angestrebten Studienfeldes verlangt. Es ist jedoch wichtig zu wissen, daß die Testergebnisse nur einen der zahlreichen Faktoren ausmacht, die bei der Bewertung der Bewerbung eines internationalen Studenten herangezogen werden.
Auszug: Testing(Education USA/U.S. Department of State)

http://educationusa.state.gov/undergrad/testing.htm

• Educational Testing Service: Anmeldung per Telefon oder Online. Verschiedene Test wie SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), TWE und TSA (Test of Written/Spoken English), GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), GRE (Graduate Record Examination), LSAT (Law School Admission Test).

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.3a88fea28f42ada7c6ce5a10c3921509/?vgnextoid=85b65784623f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCR D

• Prometric: Informationen zur Anmeldung für SAT, TOEFL, TWE und TSE, GMAT und GRE bei Prometric PTC Registrations Europe, P.O.Box 2024, 8203 AA Lelystad, Netherlands, Phone: +31-320-239-540

http://www.prometric-emea.com/ContactUs/TestTakers/Europe+AP.htm

• Test Prep: (Peterson's)

http://www.petersons.com/testprepchannel/college_bound.asp


Übersicht der verschiedenen Tests


• ACT: (College Admission Test)

http://www.act.org/aap/index.html

• American Dental Association (ADA):U.S. Licensure for International Dentists

http://www.ada.org/prof/prac/licensure/us.asp

• Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools Zertifizierung

http://www.cgfns.org/sections/prog/overview.shtml

• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)

http://www.ecfmg.org/

• GED (General Educational Development): Allgemeine Informationen zum Test

http://prometric.com/GED/GEDBulletin.htm

• Anmeldung zum GED in Deutschland

http://securereg3.prometric.com/Welcome.aspx

• GMAT Transition FAQs: Graduate Management Council

http://www.gmac.com/gmac/TheGMAT/GMATOperations/GMATTransitionFAQs.htm#Link2

• GRE:Graduate Record Examinations

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.435c0b5cc7bd0ae7015d9510c3921509/?vgnextoid=b195e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCR D

• IELTS:International English Language Testing System

http://www.ielts.org/testcentresandexaminers/

• LSAT - Offizielle Seite der Law School Admission Council: einschliesslich Online-Anmeldung, Uebungstest, Formulare.

http://www.lsat.org/

• MCAT - Medical College Admission Test:American Medical Association

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/

• SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test): College Board Online

http://www.collegeboard.com/splash

SAT Registration Page:ab 16. August 2005

http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_code/codeSearchSatTest.jsp

• SSAT Student Guide Online: Online-Anmeldung und Information zum Secondary School Admission Test.

http://www.ssat.org/

• TOEFL: Offizielle Seite des Anbieter des TOEFL

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.435c0b5cc7bd0ae7015d9510c3921509/?vgnextoid=69c0197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCR D

• TOEFL: Online-Anmeldung für Examen, die vor dem 22. Oktober 2005 stattfinden.

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=24beaf5e44df4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCR D&vgnextchannel=57767f95494f4010VgnVCM10000022f951 90RCRD

• TOEFL - Internet-Based Testing (iBT): Anmeldung für iBT Toefl, der nach dem 22. Oktober 2005 angeboten wird.

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.1488512ecfd5b8849a77b13bc3921509/?vgnextoid=f968af5e44df4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCR D&vgnextchannel=6cd6197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f951 90RCRD

• TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication

http://www.toeic-europe.com/

• USMLE Web Site: United States Medical Licensing Examination

http://www.usmle.org/


Testvorbereitung

• GMAT POWERPREP Test Preparation Software: Kostenlose Registrierung bei mba.com notwendig

http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT/ToolsToHelpYouPrepare/GMATPrepProducts/PowerprepSoftware.htm

• GMAT Test Taking Strategies

http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT/ToolsToHelpYouPrepare/TestPreparation/StudyStrategies.htm

• GRE General Test and Subject Test: Vorbereitungsmaterialien

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.1488512ecfd5b8849a77b13bc3921509/?vgnextoid=302b66f22c6a5010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCR D&vgnextchannel=d687e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f951 90RCRD

• Word Lists for Graduate Record Examination (GRE):Zusammengestellt von Sungwoo Park, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Dept. of Computer Languages

http://pllab.kaist.ac.kr/~gladius/gre/

• SAT: An Official SAT Practice Test:Kostenlose Registrierung erforderlich

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/test.html

• SAT Question of the Day

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/test.html

• SAT II Subject Test Preparation:Subject Tests messen das Wissen der Schüler in bestimmten Themenbereichen und die Fähigkeit, dieses Wissen anzuwenden. Tests gibt es für Englisch, Geschichte, Mathematik, Naturwissenschaften und Sprache.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/lc_two/practice_questions.html

• TOEFL - Internet-Based Testing (iBT):Vorbereitungsmaterialien für iBt-TOEFL in den Bereichen Lesen, Hören, Sprechen und Schreiben.

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.1488512ecfd5b8849a77b13bc3921509/?vgnextoid=e3772d3631df4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCR D&vgnextchannel=cde7197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f951 90RCRD



Der „NEUE“ TOEFL-Test:

http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/TOEFL_Tips.pdf

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.435c0b5cc7bd0ae7015d9510c3921509/?vgnextoid=69c0197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCR D



http://www.us-botschaft.de/germany-ger/austausch/studium.html#Überblick



Gruss
Michael

[Michu]

Living Expense Budgets for College Students
Collegeboard.com
Living Expense Budget

February 2006
Dear Colleague:

I am pleased to provide the 2006-2007 nine- and twelve-month low and moderate living expense budgets for students by region and by metropolitan areas. The budgets reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index Urban (CPI-U) of 3.4 percent for 2004, and an estimated adjustment of 2.2 percent for 2005.

The budgets are developed based on data from the most recent Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) and the Indexes of Comparative Costs and are reported by the 28 metropolitan statistical areas, which are defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Since a factor could not be established for every region of the country, no region is adjusted by a value of less than 1.0.

The base budgets for 2006-2007 are as follows:


Moderate (Prevailing) Budgets:


12 Month

$20,520

9 Month

$15,390


Low Budgets:


12 Month

$13,750

9 Month

$ 10,310

The breakdown of these budgets into the living allowance components is approximately as follows:

Housing

55%

Transportation

21%

Miscellaneous
24%

The College Board is pleased to continue to provide these budgets for use in developing your student expense budgets, debt management materials, and for use in professional judgment decisions. We look forward to hearing from you about ways in which the College Board can provide other services to your institution and students.

Sincerely,

Susan S. McCrackin
Director, Financial Aid Services Requirements
The College Board

Go to Budgets for Nine-Month Academic Year

Go to Budgets for Twelve-Month Academic Year

http://www.collegeboard.com/highered/res/leb/leb.html

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/...art/48391.html

Gruss
Michael

[Michu]

US-Hochschulen bekommen wieder mehr internationale Bewerbungen

Washington (AFP) - Trotz der nach den Anschlägen des 11. September 2001 erlassenen Restriktionen bekommen die US-Hochschulen inzwischen wieder mehr Bewerbungen ausländischer Studenten. Wie die Organisation Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) am Freitag in Washington mitteilte, stieg die Zahl der ausländischen Bewerber für höhere Studiengänge in diesem Jahr um elf Prozent.

Dies lag vor allem an einem wieder deutlich gewachsenen Interesse indischer und chinesischer Studenten. In den beiden vergangenen Jahren hatte es eine deutliche Abnahme der entsprechenden ausländischen Studienbewerbungen gegeben, was Experten auf die verschärfte Visapolitik der USA zurückführten.

http://de.news.yahoo.com/24032006/28...werbungen.html

Graduate Applications from International Students Increase Significantly

But Numbers Remain Below 2003 Levels

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is reporting that graduate applications from international students increased 11% from 2005 to 2006. This growth follows a two-year cumulative decline of 32%.

The report on applications for fall 2006, being released today, shows large gains in the volume of graduate applications from China (+21%) and India (+23%) to CGS U.S. member institutions. Annually, China and India are the two largest sending countries of students to the U.S. CGS also reports notable application increases in the sciences and engineering, fields critical to maintaining U.S. economic competitiveness in the 21st century global economy. Overall, despite these increases, the number of international applications is still down 23% since 2003 for institutions that have responded each of the last three years.

“This increase in applications from international students is good news, and is a result of sustained efforts by both the federal government and graduate schools,” CGS President Debra W. Stewart remarked. “The federal government has made considerable progress in reducing delays in visa processing, and graduate institutions continue to improve their admissions systems and enhance efforts to attract international applicants. But the lower volume compared to three years ago bears watching.”

Global competition on the rise

The global competition for talent is increasing rapidly. Just two weeks ago, the United Kingdom announced a new immigration policy to attract international students and highly-skilled workers. The European Union, China, India and other countries are enhancing their higher education systems to attract talented students to their universities.
“At this time, the relationship between the quantity and quality of applications is unclear,” added Dr. Stewart. The issue of quality will be addressed in the next phase of CGS’ international graduate admissions survey, to be released in July.

Dr. Stewart further noted that “the change in these numbers demonstrates the fluidity in international applications. It would be a mistake to presume that things are back to normal. We must be vigilant in adopting policies that encourage international students to

pursue graduate study in the U.S. in order to strengthen our competitiveness and security in the global marketplace. Continuing to attract a highly-qualified pool of applicants from around the globe may be our next frontier.”

Increases from key countries/regions and in all fields of study

The report notes increases in applications from China (+21%), India (+23%), Korea (+3%), and the Middle East (+4%). Applications increased across all broad fields of study, including the critical fields of engineering (+17%), life sciences (+16%), physical sciences (+10%), and social sciences (+10%).

While 65% of responding institutions reported increases greater than 5%, 35% reported either no significant increase or a decline.

About the report

Findings from 2006 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, Phase I: Applications is based on the first phase of a three-part annual survey of international graduate student admissions among CGS U.S. member institutions. Over 150 schools responded, including over 80% of the 25 institutions with the largest international student enrollments. Last year, CGS reported a 3% increase in international graduate admissions followed by a 1% increase in international first-time enrollment for fall 2005. The full report is available at the CGS website www.cgsnet.org.

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of over 450 institutions of higher education engaged in graduate education, research and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. CGS member institutions award 90% of the doctoral degrees and over 75% of the master’s degrees in the U.S. The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.


http://cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/N_pr_intlapps06_1.pdf

http://cgsnet.org/Default.aspx?tabid=57&newsid440=16&mid=440&&

Full Report:

http://cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/R_intlapps06_1.pdf

Gruss
Michael

[Michu]

College tuition and fees up more than 6% at four-year public schools

College price increases slowed this year but they again topped inflation, and financial aid isn't keeping pace, a new report says.
Tuition and fees at public four-year public colleges rose $344, or 6.3%, to an average of $5,836 for the 2006-07 academic year, according to the College Board's annual "Trends in College Pricing" report, released Tuesday.
Accounting for inflation, prices rose just 2.4% — the lowest rise in six years, and the third straight time the gap between prices and overall inflation has narrowed.

CALCULATE: What will it take to save for a college education?

http://financenter.usatoday.com/tools/money/savings04/tool.fcs

Tuition and fees at private four-year colleges rose 5.9% overall, to $22,218.
The news that price hikes are getting smaller is tempered by the fact that this decade has been a period of an extraordinary increases in college costs. Published prices are up 35% in five years — the largest increase of any five-year period in the 30 years covered the report.

That's coupled with the reality that grant aid — from the government, colleges and private sources — isn't covering the price hikes. For the 62% of full-time undergraduates who receive grant aid, the average net cost of a four-year public school rose 8% to $2,700, the report said.
"There is some good news: There's a lot of aid out there that is helping students," said Sandy Baum, senior policy analyst at the College Board. "But there are real notes of caution about ... the failure of grant aid to keep up with the rise in prices."

The best news came for people at the nation's public two-year colleges, which educate nearly half of American college students. There, tuition and fees rose just 4.1% to $2,272. The increase was limited by California, which is home to more than a fifth of the nation's two-year public college students and lowered tuition and fees 12% this year. Elsewhere, prices rose 5.1%.

Accounting for financial aid, however, the average net cost nationally for two-year public college students declined, and is less than $100.
"We're seeing more students who would generally have gone to the state university coming to the community college because of the issue of pricing," said Wilfredo Nieves, president of Middlesex Community College in Connecticut, who spoke at the announcement.

At four-year public schools, adding room and board to tuition and fees makes the college prices average $12,796. At private colleges, the price is $30,367.
The cost increases at state schools are baffling to many students and parents, given the relative health of the economy and state finances.
After several years of sharp cuts, state spending on higher education has been rising again nationally. The problem is that more people are enrolling, so there is less and less to spend per student.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/2006-10-24-college-costs_x.htm

Gruss
Michael

[Michu]

Tuition Increases Continue to Slow at Public Colleges According to the College Board's 2006 Reports on College Pricing and Financial Aid

Total Grant Aid Increased Last Year, But Pell Grants Declined
10/24/06

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The College Board today announced that at four-year public colleges the increase in average tuition and fees slowed for the third year in a row, but prices are still up 35 percent from 5 years ago, after adjusting for inflation. The increase in average tuition and fees for two-year public colleges in 2006-07 was just slightly above the inflation rate. At all institutions, the net price—the average price students pay after grants and tax benefits are considered—is significantly lower than the published price.

Total student aid increased by 3.7 percent to $134.8 billion in 2005-06, but total federal grant aid failed to keep pace with inflation. Even without factoring in inflation, the average Pell Grant per recipient fell by $120.
Evidence of these trends, along with average 2006-07 college prices and 2005-06 student aid data, is documented in the reports, Trends in College Pricing 2006 and Trends in Student Aid 2006. Also released today was a 2006 supplement to Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society, which documents the monetary and nonmonetary benefits of higher education, in addition to differences in participation and success across demographic groups.

"The College Board continues to advocate for need-based aid, so that more students can have the opportunity to benefit from a college education," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board. "Though student aid makes it possible for many students from low- and middle-income families to afford college, we still face inequality in access to higher education across ethnic, racial, and economic lines."

Pricing1

Published tuition and fee charges at four-year public colleges average $5,836 in 2006-07. There was a $344 increase over last year, which represents 6.3 percent, or 2.4 percent after adjusting for inflation. The average total tuition, fee, room, and board charges for in-state students at public institutions are $12,796.

After grant aid and tax benefits are considered, full-time students enrolled in public four-year colleges and universities pay on average about $2,700 in net tuition and fees. After declining or just keeping pace with inflation each year between 1996-97 and 2002-03, the average net price students pay at public four-year colleges has increased even more rapidly than published prices for the past four years because grant aid has not kept pace.

Published tuition and fee charges at four-year private colleges average $22,218 in 2006-07. The $1,238 increase over 2005-06 represents an increase of 5.9 percent, or 2 percent after adjusting for inflation. The average total tuition, fee, room, and board charges at private four-year colleges and universities are $30,367.

Full-time students enrolled in private colleges and universities pay on average about $13,200 in net tuition and fees after grant aid and tax benefits. Because of growth in grant aid and tax benefits, the net price students pay has increased more slowly over the past decade than the published price.

Published tuition and fee charges at two-year public colleges average $2,272, $90 more than last year. The 4.1 percent increase is less than one-half of one percentage point above the rate of inflation. After grants and tax benefits are considered, full-time students enrolled in public two-year colleges and universities pay less than $100 on average in net tuition and fees. After adjusting for inflation, the net price students actually pay is lower in 2006-07 than it was a decade earlier.

Total Budgets

Tuition and fees represent only a fraction of the total cost of attending college. When living costs and other education-related expenses are considered, tuition and fees constitute 67 percent of the total budget for full-time students enrolled in four-year private colleges and universities, 36 percent of the budget for in-state residential students at public four-year institutions, and only 18 percent of the budget for two-year public college students commuting from off-campus housing.

Institutional Finances

Reductions in revenue from sources other than tuition, particularly state and local appropriations in the public sector, were associated with rapidly rising public college tuition levels in recent years. Other important factors affecting costs include health benefits and particularly utilities, which have increased in price more rapidly in recent years than the prices of other goods and services purchased by colleges and universities. Faculty salaries are significantly higher at private institutions than at public institutions, and the gap is growing. The reports do not include detailed analysis of the causes of tuition increases.

Student Aid2

Almost two-thirds of full-time students receive grant aid that lowers the price they actually pay to attend college. Millions of students also benefit from federal tax credits and deductions for college tuition.

In 2005-06, postsecondary students received a total of $134.8 billion in student aid from federal and state governments, colleges and universities, and other private sources. About 44 percent of this aid was in the form of grants and 51 percent was in the form of loans through the federal government. Subsidies awarded through the income tax system and work-study made up the remainder. Undergraduate students receive significantly more of their aid in the form of grants than do graduate students.

In each of the federal student aid programs, aid per student was lower in inflation-adjusted dollars in 2005-06 than it had been earlier in the decade. Both the total amount of Pell Grants awarded and the average Pell Grant per recipient were lower in 2005-06 than they had been in 2004-05.
Tax benefits favor middle- and upper-income families over lower-income families. About 46 percent of the benefit of the federal education tax credits goes to taxpayers with incomes below $50,000 and 54 percent goes to higher-income taxpayers. Only 22 percent of the benefit of the tuition tax deduction goes to taxpayers with incomes below $50,000; 41 percent goes to those with incomes between $100,000 and $160,000.

Grants from colleges and universities accounted for 41 percent of the grants students received from all federal, state, and private sources in 2005-06. In 2003-04, public two-year colleges and high-priced private colleges distributed more of their grant aid on the basis of need than did public four-year colleges and lower-priced private colleges. In addition to the student aid they received, both undergraduate and graduate students borrowed more from banks and other private lenders than ever before, about $17.3 billion in 2005-06.

Education Pays

The data reported in Education Pays 2006 document increases over time in the earnings gap between high school graduates and college graduates. In 2005, women ages 25-34 with bachelor's degrees earned 70 percent more than those with high school diplomas, and for men the difference was 63 percent. For all full-time workers in this age group, the average earnings premium for a four-year college degree is almost $14,000.

Degree Completion

Forgone earnings for students who are devoting their time to their studies constitute a significant portion of the cost of attending college. These costs are higher the longer it takes students to earn their degrees. Among bachelor's degree recipients in 1999-2000, those who began their studies in four-year public colleges and universities took an average of 6.2 years to earn their degrees, and those who began in four-year private institutions took an average of 5.3 years to earn their degrees.

Remedial courses can add to the time it takes students to obtain degrees because they do not generally count toward college credit. Over one-third of first- and second-year college students have taken remedial courses since high school graduation. Among those who took remedial courses in 2003-04, first- and second-year students took more remedial math (77 percent) and remedial writing (35 percent) than other remedial courses.
"Both affordability and rigorous academic preparation are critical to improving access to college," Caperton said.

What follows is a set of additional brief releases on five principal topics included in the reports.

2006 Trends in Higher Education Series:

Pell Grants (.pdf/82.7K)

Student Debt (.pdf/89K)

Net Price (.pdf/107K)

Community Colleges (.pdf/52.7K)

Education Pays (.pdf/86.2K)

Trends Reports

Trends in College Pricing 2006 (.pdf/1.8MB)

Trends in Student Aid 2006 (.pdf/1.2MB)

Education Pays 2004 (.pdf/1.36MB)

Education Pays Update 2006 (.pdf/462K)

PowerPoint Presentations
Requires Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer (Windows/Macintosh)

Trends in College Pricing 2006 (.ppt/15.2MB)

Trends in Student Aid 2006 (.ppt/13.6MB)

Education Pays 2005 (.ppt/5.4MB)

Education Pays 2006 Update (.ppt/12.3MB)

Additional Data Tables & Charts

Student Aid Tables & Charts (.xls/120K)

College Pricing Tables & Charts (.xls/119K)

Requires Excel Viewer (latest version recommended).

Supporting Materials

Informed Sources on College Pricing and Student Aid

National Education Associations Comment

More Information

Tuition Discounting, Not Just a Private College Practice (.pdf/52K)


http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/150634.html

Gruss
Michael