TOEFL® Test and TOEIC® Test Approved By U.K. Border Agency to Demonstrate English Proficiency for Visas in the United Kingdom

Princeton, N.J. (April 8, 2011) —The U.K. Border Agency announced today that persons from around the world wishing to work, study, or settle in the United Kingdom may use the TOEFL® test and the TOEIC® test to demonstrate their English proficiency for all visas under the United Kingdom's points-based system. The agency accredited both assessments as secure U.K. Border Agency-approved English-language tests.
The announcement issued by the Home Office of the U.K. Border Agency allows students, migrants and spouses or partners from around the world to submit their TOEFL and TOEIC scores as evidence of having passed a U.K. Border Agency-approved English-language test.

The TOEFL and TOEIC tests are the most widely accepted English-language assessments in academic and workplace environments worldwide. The TOEFL test is recognized by more than 7,500 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries. With more than six million tests administered in 2010, the TOEIC test is used by more than 10,000 businesses and organizations in 120 countries.

"ETS is delighted to have both the TOEFL test and the TOEIC test reaccredited by the U.K. Border Agency," said Ian Lucas, Executive Director, ETS Global, U.K. "The tests were first accredited in 2008, and the continued acceptance by the U.K. Border Agency after this review is evidence of the high quality of the tests. This decision permits U.K. visa applicants around the world greater access in fulfilling the English-language requirement as the TOEFL test and the TOEIC test are the most accepted and most accessible English-language assessments worldwide with testing locations in more than 165 countries."

About the TOEFL Test

The TOEFL test is the most widely accepted English-language assessment in the world, recognized by more than 7,500 colleges, universities, and agencies in more than 130 countries. For more than 45 years, the TOEFL test has been recognized by the most prestigious institutions around the world to evaluate the ability of non-native speakers to use and understand English and measure how an individual combines reading, listening, writing and speaking skills. Globally, the TOEFL test is available at more than 4,500 testing sites in more than 165 countries. To date, more than 25 million individuals have taken the TOEFL test. More information regarding the TOEFL test, including registration, is available at www.TOEFLGoAnywhere.org.

About the TOEIC Test

For more than 30 years the TOEIC test has been the global standard for measuring workplace English language communication skills. The TOEIC tests, including the TOEIC® Listening and Reading test and the TOEIC® Speaking and Writing tests are used by more than 10,000 businesses, organizations and government agencies in 120 countries. In 2010, more than six million TOEIC tests were administered worldwide, establishing the TOEIC Program as the largest and most widely used English-language assessment for the workplace. For more information on the TOEIC test and other services provided by the TOEIC Program visit www.ets.org/toeic.

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ETS Announces Upcoming 2011 TOEFL® Test Dates for Australia

Princeton, N.J. (February 22, 2011) —

Educational Testing Service (ETS), the creator of the TOEFL® test has announced the 2011 TOEFL test dates for March, April, May and June for students in Australia who wish to take the TOEFL test.
The TOEFL test, the most widely accepted English language assessment worldwide, evaluates a student's ability to use and understand English at the university level and measures how a student combines reading, listening, writing and speaking skills needed to succeed in an academic setting. Currently, 8000 institutions around the world, including nearly every university in Australia, accept the TOEFL test to demonstrate English language proficiency.

Available to students in 165 countries, including 16 testing sites in Australia, the TOEFL test is the most accessible English language assessment. Students have the opportunity to register for the TOEFL test up to three months in advance. Upcoming test administrations in Australia at a variety of testing sites include:

Adelaide:	March 12; April 9; May 14; June 11, 25
Archerfield (Brisbane):	March 12, 26; April 9; May 14, 28; June 25
Brisbane:	March 12, 26; April 9; May 14, 28; June 11, 25
Canning Vale (Perth):	March 26; April 9; May 14, 28; June 25
Highett (Melbourne):	April 9; May 14, 28; June 25
Lismore:	March 12, 20, 26; May 29; June 25
Maroochydore:	March 13, 20, 26; April 9; May 14, 28; June 25
Melbourne:	March 12; April 9; May 14, 28, 29; June 11, 19, 25
Parafield (Adelaide):	March 12, 26; April 9; May 14, 28; June 25
Perth:	March 12, 13, 20; April 9; May 14, 28; June 11, 25
Sydney:	March 26; April 9; May 14, 28, 29; June 11, 25

"For any student who is required to demonstrate English language proficiency around the world, the TOEFL test stands heads and shoulders above the pack in terms of its ability to provide an accurate indication of a student's ability to communicate effectively in English," commented Liz Pryzibilla, Director of Professional and Continuing Education and English Language Centre at the University of Adelaide. "The numerous test administrations and testing sites make it convenient for students to take the TOEFL test in Australia."
A regularly updated list of international TOEFL test administrations is available at http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/tclists/IBT_a.html. More information regarding the TOEFL test, including access to registration, sample questions and study tips, is available at www.TOEFLGoAnywhere.org.

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GRE® General Test Now Accepted by More than 500 MBA Programs Worldwide

Princeton, N.J. (April 28, 2011) —Educational Testing Service (ETS) announced today that the GRE® General Test, the world’s most widely accepted graduate admissions test, is now accepted by more than 500 business schools worldwide for their MBA programs. In the last four years, the number of business schools accepting the GRE General Test for MBA admissions has quadrupled.

"For business schools around the world, accepting GRE scores means expanding their pool of applicants and gaining more diversity in their programs," said David Payne, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ETS’s Higher Education Division. "It makes good business sense for business schools to accept the GRE General Test, and we expect the numbers of those doing so to continue to grow at a swift pace."

Since 2009, ETS has seen 57 percent growth in the number of business schools accepting the GRE General Test for admissions. With the recent addition of the University of Missouri, Temple University, Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Oklahoma, the GRE General Test is now accepted by 52 percent of the U.S. News & World Report top 100 U.S. programs. International additions include INSEAD, Central European University Business School and Caucasus University.

Mel Horwitch, Dean of Central European University (CEU) Business School commented, "At CEU, our MBA students are increasingly diverse in terms of background and professional goals. Consequently, accepting GRE scores enhances our ability to assess this quite varied pool of outstanding applicants. We are now better able to maintain excellence in our MBA Program."

In 2010, the GRE General Test was taken by about 675,000 candidates representing more diverse backgrounds than ever before. Of the 2010 GRE test takers, 48 percent have earned undergraduate degrees in a quantitatively demanding field, and more than 300,000 are women. In addition, test volume outside the United States increased 13 percent in 2010, and the number of test takers from underrepresented groups in the United States has increased 20 percent since 2007.

The growing number of business schools worldwide accepting GRE scores comes at a time of increasing excitement for the introduction of the GRE® revised General Test. Launching August 2011, the GRE revised General Test represents the largest change to the test in the program's 60-year history, and offers many benefits to test takers and institutions. A friendlier test-taking experience, new questions that emphasize real-world scenarios and new test design features are just some of the changes test takers can expect. For institutions, the GRE revised General Test will provide an even better measure of the skills needed for success in today's demanding graduate and business school programs.

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Recognition of the TOEFL® Test Exceeds 8,000 Institutions Globally

Princeton, N.J. (May 18, 2011) —Educational Testing Service (ETS) announced today that the number of institutions accepting the TOEFL® test to evaluate English language proficiency for non-native speakers has surpassed 8,000 worldwide (PDF).

The TOEFL test is the most widely recognized English language assessment worldwide used for admissions purposes, and the number of institutions accepting the test continues to expand. More than 500 new colleges, universities and agencies have signed on to use the TOEFL test to evaluate English language abilities for student applicants.

"Newcastle University admits many students whose English language proficiency has been evidenced by the TOEFL test," commented Katherine Hind, Senior Undergraduate Admissions Manager, Newcastle University. "We are confident that TOEFL scores provide us with a measure of language ability that we can rely upon, and accepting TOEFL scores enables us to reach a wider market."
For more than 45 years, the TOEFL test has been recognized by the most prestigious institutions around the world, including those in the U.K., Canada, Australia and the U.S., to evaluate the ability of non-native speakers to use and understand English and measure how an individual combines reading, listening, writing and speaking skills.

"The TOEFL test provides a comprehensive snapshot of a student’s ability to succeed in an academic environment," said Dr. Mark McKnew, Professor and Interim Director, Office of International Programs, College of Business and Behavioral Sciences at Clemson University. "Clemson University relies on the TOEFL test as a critical tool for evaluating applicants from around the world."

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USAID awards $3 million to Georgia State for joint master's program with Indonesian university

Georgia State University has received a $3 million grant from  the USAID-Indonesia to train Indonesia's next generation of fiscal policy experts.   Up to 30 staff members of the Fiscal Policy Office at the Ministry of Finance will earn dual master's degrees in applied economics at Georgia State University and Gadjah Mada University in the province of Yogyakarta on Java Island.

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Indonesia's next generation of fiscal policy experts will earn dual master's degrees in applied economics at Georgia State University and Gadjah Mada University in the province of Yogyakarta on Java Island.

Georgia State was awarded $3 million by the United States Agency for International Development-Indonesia toward the program, which will begin this year.

"As many as 30 staff members of the Fiscal Policy Office at the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia - the country's fiscal policy think tank - will earn dual masters of science degrees under the cost-sharing agreement in a program developed by Georgia State's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies' International Studies program," Georgia State University informed.

Prior to their arrival in Atlanta, Indonesian students will attend a rigorous one-year English language-intensive master's program at Gadjah Mada designed by the Andrew Young School in conjunction with one of its alumna, Artidiatun Adji. Adji directs the graduate program in economics and business at Gadjah Mada and she will lead the new program.

"Our school has been involved in Indonesia since its 1999 transition to democracy, and involved in its fiscal reforms since it decentralized its government in 2001," says Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, International Studies program director and a Regents Professor in the Andrew Young School at Georgia State.

Andrew Young School Dean W. Bartley Hildreth said, "This program highlights the global reach of the Andrew Young School and the draw of its world-class faculty. Our experience confirms that these partnerships advance a new group of leaders into roles that help build the policy infrastructure in their own country."

In 2002, the Andrew Young School started its first USAID-funded Indonesian masters program, awarding degrees in applied economics to 55 Indonesian students, including civil servants. They returned to work in Indonesia, building the country's fiscal capacity and enhancing its economic performance.

Seven remained at Georgia State to earn doctoral degrees in economics, including Adji. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Indonesia's Minister of Finance, was an Andrew Young School visiting scholar in 2002.

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Read the complete article at The Financial.

The Business School Application Process: Applying for financial aid

Let’s be realistic: business school ain’t cheap.

Now that you’ve completed the applications for admission at each of your schools and programs, you’re almost done. You’ll still need to pay for school, and in order to obtain scholarships and loans, schools require you to submit financial aid applications.

Apply for financial aid and scholarships.
In order to apply for financial aid, you’ll need a massive stack of information. Perhaps most crucial in that stack of information: your taxes.

The Business School Application Process: Making it official: the applications.

You’ve researched. You’ve planned. You’ve taken your tests. Sent your transcripts. Gathered your letters of recommendation. Written your application essays and personal statements. Now it’s time to make it official.

Complete and submit your applications.
Good news: you’re just moments away from becoming an official business school applicant. The hard parts are finished, and by now, you should have a stellar application packet almost ready to go… it just needs an official application form to introduce you to the admissions committees who will soon be reviewing your file.
And more good news: there’s not much you can do to screw this part up, but there are a few pitfalls you must absolutely avoid at all costs.

The Business School Application Process: Essays and Personal Statements

You know yourself.

Adcoms, however, don’t know you. All they have to go on is your GPA, some test scores, some letters from some people who know you, and these: your application essays and/or personal statement. With that said, your essays and personal statements are, well, personal. So I can’t (or won’t) tell you what you should write.
What I can–and will–tell you is what characteristics your essays should and should not have. There are reasons adcoms ask specific questions: 1) to figure out how well you can follow directions, 2) to learn more about your writing and communication skills, and 3) to find out more about your specific qualifications for their programs.

Here’s a good starter list of dos and don’ts:

The Business School Application Process: Recommendations

People dig you.
Well, let’s hope they do, at least, because once you’ve requested that your transcripts and documentations be sent to schools, it’s time to find a few people who are willing to vouch for your aptitude for graduate business studies:

Solicit and obtain letters of recommendation.
Adcoms (admissions committee members) don’t know you. Some MBA programs don’t even offer interviews, though most of the top ones do. In most cases, all they’ll see of you is a short stack of paper, and they’ll probably have hundreds or thousands more very much like yours from other applicants who want to get into their program just as much as you do. Standing out from the pile can be difficult, but it’s absolutely crucial to gaining acceptance (and, perhaps, scholarship offers) to your desired program(s).

The Business School Application Process: Transcripts and Paperwork

The proof is in the paper.
Wait, that’s not how the saying goes? Well, in relation to business school applications, that’s how it should go. Once you have your test prep study plan in full-swing, you’re ready to start the next phase:

Get your transcripts and other academic documents sent.
For some of you, the process of sending your transcript(s) to the MBA programs you’re applying to may be an easy process. If you only attended one undergraduate institution, didn’t dual enroll during high school, don’t have any blemishes on your single transcript, and are only applying to one program, then your process will probably be relatively painless. And if so, I envy you. The rest of you, be forewarned: this can be the slowest and least controllable element of your application.

The Business School Application Process: Test preparation

You’ve decided you want to go to business school. You’ve done your research. You’ve created your own system to manage your application process. Next, it’s time to get the biggest hurdle out of the way:

Prepare for and take the appropriate tests (GMAT/GRE and or TOEFL).
I could write about test prep all day, but the goal for this entry is to help you setup a study-and-execution plan for tackling the GMAT.

The Business School Application Process: Managing the application process

If you’ve completed your research, you should be ready to move on to the next step and begin some real work. But before you start plugging away, it’s smart to organize your application process.

Manage the application process.
Managing the process– much like you might manage a project at work– will help ensure you meet all deadlines and obligations while maintaining high quality standards in your applications. Here are the most important elements you’ll want to be sure to work into your routine:

The Business School Application Process

Okay, so you’ve decided you want to go to business school. Now what? This blog entry and the following seven will build and flesh out a “To Do” list for you, helping you find answers to questions from “What should I study?” to “How can I get financial aid?” Each entry will focus on one step of the process so that you know where to start and what to do next.

I strongly recommend starting this list a year before you plan to start business school, but this can definitely be done in six months or less; you’ll just need to be more resourceful in some steps. Here’s a good ordered list of things to do to get yourself started (we’ll fill in notes on each step in this and subsequent entries):

Harvard Business School to Accept Either GRE® or GMAT® Scores

BOSTON - MBA hopefuls applying to the Harvard Business School MBA Program may now choose to submit test scores from either the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test®) or the GRE (Graduate Record Examination®). The change, which takes effect with those applying for admission to the MBA Class of 2012, makes the application process accessible to candidates from a broad array of academic backgrounds and interests as they consider their postgraduate options.

Top Universities in U.K. Accept TOEFL® Scores

More than 135 top educational institutions in the U.K. — including the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and the London School of Economics — accept TOEFL test scores, according to Educational Testing Service. The TOEFL® test is the world's most popular English language exam.
According to the United Kingdom's Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), China and India send the greatest number of students each year to study in the U.K. For these and many other countries, the TOEFL test is an essential part of the admission process.

How Test Prep Can Help You Beat Test Stress

Anda sedang ditengah test. Jantung anda berdebar kencang, napas terasa pendek dan cepat. Anda pun mulai panik. Gejala ini adalah bagian nyata dari teknik mekanisme penyelamatan primitif atas suatu kondisi yang dikenal dengan "fight-or-flight response". Sayangnya, anda tidak bisa meninggalkan test begitu saja dengan berteriak, dan cara berpikir inilah yang semakin meningkatkan stress anda. Anda tidak terlalu bereaksi pada test yang ada di depan anda, tapi anda bereaksi pada persepsi-persepsi pribadi tentang test tersebut - dan hal itu adalah bagus. Kenapa? Karena ternyata anda sedang menkontorol pikiran anda.

Lakukan test preparation untuk membantu anda mengkontrol pemikiran negatif

Find the Right Approach to Test Prep

Satu-satunya jalan yang buruk dalam persiapan menghadapi sebuah test adalah dengan TIDAK bersiap sama sekali. Berikut adalah tips nya:

Reading adalah langkah paling penting
Cara termudah, dan paling kuat untuk mempersiapkan diri mengahadapi test TOEFL, SAT, dan lainnya adalah dengan BANYAK MEMBACA! Dengan sering membuka kamus, anda bisa meningkatkan vocabulary anda. Tapi jika anda tidak suka membaca, dan benar-benar menghindari membaca, maka anda harus mencari strategi lain yang lebih tepat secepatnya untuk meningkatkan skill dan siap untuk mengahadapi test yang lebih banyak menitikberatkan pada verbal skills.

College Admission Requirements to USA for International Applicants

Untuk bisa diterima di institusi pendidikan (sekolah/universitas) di USA memerlukan lebih dari sekedar paperwork dan biaya pendidikan. Anda harus bisa mem-presentasikan diri anda sebagai calon terkuat dan menunjukkan berbagai kelebihan yang membuat anda tampak sebagai kandidat yang tepat diinginkan oleh jurusan/institusi tersebut. Sebagai bagian dari penilaian tersebut termasuk juga ranking dan hasil test anda.

College Acceptance and How the Admission Decision is Made

Bagaimana sebuah keputusan dibuat?

Siapkan paperwork! Segala hal yang anda dan sekolah anda kirim ke suatu Universitas di kumpulkan dalam sebuah folder dengan menyertakan nama anda di depan folder tersebut. Setiap lembar kertas atau dokumen yang terdapat nama anda, mulai dari supplemental essays sampai dengan kertas pesan ucapan terima kasih akan berakhir dan terkumpul di folder ini. Setiap folder akan dibaca dengan sangat hati-hati sebelum membuat sebuah keputusan dan biasanya perlu waktu yang lama. Jika folder anda tidak memenuhi syarat, maka folder tersebut akan masuk lemari berdebu. Dan anda hanya bisa bertanya-tanya, kenapa tidak ada surat balasan dari Universitas tersebut.
Lalu siapa yang akan melukan re-evaluasi terhadap folder-folder berdebu tersebut? Pada sebuah lembaga pendidikan kecil, seluruh petugas admin akan mengevaluasi secara utuh dan luas; pada lembaga pendidikan yang lebih besar, hanya seorang petugas yang memiliki keputusan mutlak atas masa depan anda, dan kemungkinan juga dengan bantuan data dari komputer. Di kebanyakan lembaga pendidikan, keputusan dibuat oleh lebih dari satu orang, termasuk petugas pendaftaran, pihak fakultas/jurusan, dan petugas admin lainnya. 

WORLD UNIV RANKINGS 2010

Times Higher Education (THE) mengeluarkan TopUniversity ranking pada tahun 2010. Berikut ini adalah 20 Top World Universities:

1. Harvard University - USA
2. California Institute of Technology - USA
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - USA
4. Stanford University - USA
5. Princeton University - USA
6. University of Oxford - UK