Transferring from Jordan to a us university

International Students
1

Hello,
i have finished two years of my undergraduate studies at Amman Arab University at Amman, Jordan and i am planning on transferring to a Us or Canadian university. My major is architecture and my gpa is 3.3/4.
my questions are:

  1. Would the university require my high school grades? cause it is not very good my percentage score is 76%
  2. i have had the new SAT two years ago and my score is 1070/1600 (630 on math- 440 on reading and writing- essay 6-4-4) so should i provide this with my applications or would it harm it considering some universities doesn’t require SAT from transfer students?
  3. In my case what universities should i consider that i would get a chance to be accepted?
  4. What other things that universities consider such as volunteering work and these stuff? what else could be helpful to add to my application that would give a better view?

Thank You,

2

In the U.S., each school’s requirements will be different. Some will require high school transcripts, others won’t, only your university ones. Same with SATs: some will want them, others not. Many if not all may require a TOEFL exam to verify your level of English.

I would explore schools based on your budget (there is very little financial aid for international transfer students, so count on paying the full amount) and part of the country you would like to live/study in. Then read carefully each school’s transfer procedures. When in doubt, send an email to the school or to the department, most will answer your questions fairly quickly.

Also, be prepared to have to repeat many classes, since many of the ones you took in Jordan will not count toward an American degree.

3

@rafahash, You should be aware that there are two types of undergraduate degrees in architecture in the US. A professional degree is a 5.0 year Bachelor of Architecture (BArch). In the US this degree allows you to become a licensed architect without a further degree. I believe the same is true in Canada, but I’m not that familiar with the process. Outside of North American, the requirements will vary.

The other route is get an undergraduate bachelor of arts or bachelor of science (BA/BS) in architecture, architectural studies, environmental design, art etc. then go to graduate school for a Master of Architecture (MArch).

Another option would be to complete your undergraduate degree in Jordan, then get an MArch in the US or Canada. This is commonly done.

So the first question that you need to address is which degree you are aiming toward. Generally, transfer students in BArch programs are required to submit an art portfolio. This is true of some, but not all, BA/BS architecture programs as well. At design driven schools of architecture, the portfolio is a critical factor in admissions, more so in some cases than grades or scores. So that’s the second question: do you have a strong portfolio?

BArch programs are intensive and strictly programmed, so whether your existing classes will be transferrable depends on the curriculum at your current university.

As mentioned, financial aid for international transfers is scarce in the US. I don’t know the situation in Canada. 3rd question: do you require financial aid?