Below are a few of the most essential Web sites for Iranian students and scholars considering U.S. study. See other sections of this site for additional useful links.

• CHEA (Council on Higher Education Accreditation). Database of all institutions accredited by CHEA or U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting bodies. Please note that not all fields of study require or even have professional accreditation—however, accreditation of the college or university as a whole by a CHEA or U.S. Department of Education recognized accreditor is essential for degree recognition!
  
  
• College Board. The site of the developer of the SAT standardized admissions test and CLEP examination for credit programs also includes an excellent search engine for finding undergraduate programs on its site.
  
  
• CollegeSource Online. Thousands of U.S. college and university catalogs, with ability to search by major, tuition cost, and other areas.
  
  
• EducationUSA. A great place for international students to start exploring U.S. study, with detailed information on the application process as well as preparing for U.S. life and study available to download. Also provides contact information for EducationUSA centers worldwide.
  
  
• Educational Testing Service. Developer and major source of information on standardized tests: TOEFL, GRE, and others.
  
  
• Edupass. Specifically for international students considering U.S. study, this site discusses admissions, financing, English language study, visas, cultural differences, U.S. life, and more. It also includes a list of the U.S. colleges that give the most funding to international undergraduates.
  
  
• Funding for U.S. Study. Excellent source for locating the hundreds of grants specifically for international students awarded by governments, foundations, and international organizations. Searchable by country/region or field of study. Institute of International Education.
  
  
• GradSchools.com. Browse for program descriptions by field.
  
  
• Intensive English USA. Database of English language training programs, searchable by institution and by type of program.
  
  
• Peterson’s. This educational publisher’s Web site allows searching not only for collegiate and graduate programs, but also for English language programs, summer opportunities, distance education, private secondary schools, and much more.
  
  
• Web Sites for U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions. This U.S. Department of State Web page provides links to sites U.S. visa application worldwide. The following consular posts have designated, Persian-speaking consular officers familiar with the Iranian educational system and documents: the United States Mission in Ankara, Turkey; the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi; and the U.S. Consulate in Dubai.