Bachelor's in the USA: Common App, the SAT, tuition fees and the F-1 visa

Apply with Common App, first deadlines in November

Most bachelor's applications are made through Common App. The platform has more than 1,100 member universities. You can apply to up to 20 schools in one application cycle. The new cycle opens on 1 August every year.

Deadlines differ by school. For example, in the 2026/27 cycle, Columbia closes Early Decision 1 on 1 November 2026 and Regular Decision on 1 January 2027. At the University of Pennsylvania, the Regular Decision deadline is 5 January 2027.

Early applications at Harvard, MIT and Yale close on 1 November. Early Decision is binding: if you are accepted, you withdraw your other applications. So we suggest choosing only your first-choice school for Early Decision.

A bachelor's degree usually takes four years. You can enter a university without choosing a major, and most students decide at the end of the second year. The academic year usually runs from August to May.

The SAT is not required at every school

Whether the SAT is required depends on the school, and some schools accept the ACT instead of the SAT. The SAT is digital, takes 2 hours 14 minutes and is scored from 400 to 1600. The international fee is $111 in total. This amount is valid until June 2027.

The next SAT dates are 7 November 2026, 5 December 2026, 6 March 2027, 1 May 2027 and 5 June 2027. When you build your school list, we suggest checking each school's test policy on its own page.

Examples from 2026/27 fees

In Boston University's 2026/27 estimate for the I-20, housing and food for 9 months are $20,969 and health insurance is $3,715. The MIT and Harvard pages do not list a separate tuition for international students. Housing and food are added on top of tuition. We suggest building your budget on the total cost of attendance that the school publishes.

F-1 visa: current fees and dates

• After acceptance, the school sends Form I-20.
• The SEVIS I-901 fee for F-1 is $350 and is paid before the interview. ICE recommends allowing at least three business days for the payment to be processed.
• The visa application fee is $185.
• An interview is required, except in limited cases. You book the appointment at the US mission in the country where you live.
• The visa can be issued at the earliest 365 days before the program starts.
• With this visa, you can enter the US at most 30 days before the program starts.

The US Department of State asks F, M and J visa applicants to make their social media accounts public. Because fees change often, we suggest checking the official page once more before your appointment.

Working during and after your studies

F-1 students can work on campus up to 20 hours a week during the term. Working off campus requires a separate permit.

After graduation, you can get up to 12 months of OPT (Optional Practical Training, a work permit for practical work in your field) at each level of education. Graduates in STEM fields can also apply for a 24-month STEM OPT extension. For details, see our USA page.