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Hi! I am Swati. I did my B.Com from DU. I want to pursue an MBA from a reputed college in the US. Am I eligible to apply?

At our study centres all over India, we often get such enquiries from callers. Study-abroad aspirants are concerned about their eligibility to apply to masters programs in the US. The reason? Undergraduate degree in the US is typically 4-years long and as such universities in the US have a 12+4 requirement for applying to masters. They do not consider a 3-year bachelor as a complete degree.

For example, according to the Graduate Admissions International Applicants at Stanford::

A three-year bachelor’s degree in any subject is not considered sufficient for graduate study at Stanford. The two-year master’s degree following the three-year bachelor’s degree from India is required.

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Harvard University is slightly more accommodating in this regard. It strongly encourages international students to get their transcripts evaluated by the World Education Services (WES). WES carries out a credential evaluation of a student’s Indian degree and converts Indian university credits into US university credits. It conditionally recognizes some three-year bachelor’s degrees from India as equivalent to bachelor’s degree from the U.S. – if the degree has been earned in Division I and the awarding institution has been accredited by India’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a grade of “A” or better.

An international applicant is required to hold a college or university degree equivalent to a four-year American baccalaureate degree. Equivalent degrees include international three-year bachelor degree programs.

But there’s good news! Of late, many top universities have been showing exceptional flexibility in this regard and have begun to accept the 3-year bachelor’s degree from India. (Read more here)

The admissions committee can also verify the applicant’s degree to conclude whether their academic level is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree or not. Given below is the list of U.S. universities which already accept three-year Indian Degrees upon evaluation:

List of Universities in the USA Accepting 3-Year Bachelor’s Degree

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  • Columbia University
  • Princeton University
  • Yale University
  • Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • University of North Carolina
  • California State University
  • University of Nevada
  • Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
  • Northwestern University
  • Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth
  • University of North Carolina, Charlotte
  • Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • University of California, San Diego
  • John Hopkins University
  • University of Maryland, College Park
  • New York University (NYU)
  • University of Texas, Dallas
  • University of Texas, Arlington
  • Georgia State University

So, do US universities accept 3-year bachelor’s degree? The answer is: many do, while some do not. In case of any confusion, connect with our expert admissions counselors for a free session. They will help you with profile evaluation and draw your personalized admissions roadmap. All the best!

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