<p>I don’t know if this should be here or on the Graduate School forums.</p>
<p>I have completed a 3-year bachelor’s of science degree in Israel Institute of Technology (Technion). I majored in physics, and my grades were good (around 90- we don’t work in GPA, and I have no idea what mine is).</p>
<p>I was shocked to learn that many Universities in the U.S require as a rule 4-years of undergraduate studies. I first saw it on the Stanford University website, and then on some others (but information is never specific for Israel).
Science degrees in Israel are always 3-year degrees (unless they are multidisciplinary). 4-year degrees are in engineering.</p>
<p>The Technion is a well known and respected institution (In physics they appear on many rankings in the top 100 world universities), and I find it hard to believe that my degree wouldn’t suffice for Graduate School in the U.S.</p>
<p>How do I know for sure if my degree is sufficient? Do I need to contact a credential evaluation service? If so, which one? And how do I interprent their results?</p>
<p>You have to check the admission requirements of the graduate program(s) you are interested in. Some universities accept foreign 3-year Bachelor’s degrees, while others insist on that 4th year (or a foreign Master’s degree).</p>
<p>Thank you, the link was very helpful, and I will contact them next week for counseling.</p>
<p>b@r!um,</p>
<p>I know that some universities do accept 3-year degrees. I am just afraid those will be the less attractive ones, academically.
Also, some say on their website that they require “the equivalent of U.S bachelor’s degree”, and I have no idea what would that be. Should I contact them and ask for information my specific degree?</p>
<p>Go ahead and ask them. Graduate admission websites typically state who to contact with questions about the admission process.</p>
<p>I have made the same observation you have made: a few programs explicitly state that they accept foreign 3-year Bachelor’s degrees, a few programs explicitly state that they do not accept these degrees, and most programs don’t state their policy at all. I have no idea what the norm is.</p>
<p>Well I emailed one university, and got this:</p>
<p>“Applicants who wish to pursue a degree at the Graduate School must hold the equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) from an institution of recognized standing. The following guidelines apply to undergraduate programs outside the US:<br>
Middle East: university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study<br>
Students who are unsure of the US equivalency of their degree(s) should consult a reputable credential evaluation service.”</p>
<p>I don’t understand how a credential evaluation service can help me at all. The university has its own evaluation service, and they may disagree with my own evaluation. Then, if I send them my result and spend a lot of my money on it, they may still end up rejecting me. Why do they insist on keeping this a secret?</p>
<p>I’m an undergraduate applicant, but I know people from my country who go to the US after their three-year bachelor degree. There are various ways to show a fourth year (e.g. take a part-time course for two years, etc). Each system seems to have a way of doing this (you can’t be the only person in Israel to apply to the top universities). Find out what you can do from friends who’ve done the same and your local EducationUSA advising center.</p>