Hey guys,

I have applied to the following universities for PhD program in Civil Engineering almost six months ago, but haven't received their decision on my application yet:

Univ of Texas at Austin
Texas A&M Univ
State Univ of New York at Buffalo

Does anybody have the same conditions? Why haven't they made a decition?! Though it's not important for me anymore as I've chosen the CSU in order to persue my PhD Studies! :D But still want to know their decision. Thanks.

Thank you anyway for your assistance.

You're right ... There are many Iranian students in the U.S. However, there are so many other Iranian students who have been admitted but have never been able to travel to the U.S. due to the Visa rejection! For us, it's totally by chance and depends on several issues (your major, your research background, etc. and it's believed that among each ten Iranian students, 6 of them are rejected). Sometimes it's so difficult to understand the reason of denial! Some people say it completely depends on the officer who interviews you ... Who knows!

About the scholarship, unfortunately not yet. I'm waiting for the results of my application to other universities and hope I would win one! Two professors in the Univ. of Houston and the Univ. of Oklahoma have told me they would support my application, and I would hopefully have my tuition waived.

By the way, I'm going to apply to a European university having the same conditions with the universities in Netherlands, so as to guarantee my PhD starting at Fall 2015! However, I don't know what country has the same conditions and which one to choose.

Thanks a lot for the information. You're right, PhD is treated like a job in Switzerland as well. About the amount of tax, however, I really won't need to save money. Even if 20% of the money will help me to afford the total cost of attendance (including tuition and cost of living) that would still be OK. A friend of mine who's doing her PhD in Holland says that this net amount of money (after paying taxes indeed) is sufficient. I'm not sure about the Switzerland anyway.

Thanks for your reply. I'm from Iran and am a M.Sc. in Structural Engineering. I'm going to pursue my PhD in Structural Engineering. To be honest, I have several admissions from the U.S. (Colorado State Univ. and Univ. of Florida) but I'm not sure if the U.S. will consider my visa application, since I'm applying from Iran!! Unfortunately, students like me are currently suffering from terrible conditions in my country.

Anyways, that's the reason why I want to apply to a European country as well, but I would need to ensure that I won't encounter any financial difficulties during my education. The Netherlands, specially Delft Univ. of Tech. might be a perfect fit for me, however, it doesn't offer any vacancies at the moment for upcoming students in my major.

Hi there,

As an international student, I have a question regarding PhD programs in Europe. As far as I know, in most countries, international students are responsible for their tuition and cost of living. However, the students have the opportunity to win a scholarship or become a research or teaching assistant at the university and in this way they can afford the high expenses. However, if they are not eligible for scholarships, they have to pay the cost by their own. Countries such as England, Switzerland, etc. are among this group I think.

On the other hand, there are some countries that consider doing a PhD as a job, and they pay the students stipend. For instance, in Netherlands, the university makes a contract with the student and they pay for PhD students an amount between 3,000 to 6,000 Euro each month. Or, in Germany, PhD is free and students should be only responsible for cost of living and there is no tuitions. In this case, the student's funding is somehow guaranteed (Although you should first find vacancies and gain admission!).

I would be grateful if you could tell me what are the other European countries that can be placed in the second group (such as Netherlands). In what countries the PhD is free indeed, are there any?!

Hi there,

I want to apply for PhD in Civil Engineering for two Canadian universities. However, I really don't know which of these five universities are better to choose (although ranking is important, I need to be sure of gaining admission from at least one of these five!):

1) McGill University
2) McMaster University
3) University of Ottawa
4) Western University
5) Concordia University

I would be kindly obliged if you could find my CV here:

m-r-ameri.com/Media/uploads/2014/11/Mohammad-Reza-Ameri-CV.pdf

And tell me which two of the above-mentioned are better and logical to choose. I do appreciate your assistance.

P.S. TOEFL Score: 94 (R17, L26, S24, W27)

That would be terrible! By the way, thanks a lot for your reply.

Hi there, I hope you're doing well.

I'm a Masters student majoring in Structural Engineering. I'm going to apply for PhD programs, however, I've got into trouble! I would be grateful if you could help.

I've got a "94" in the TOEFL. Many universities in the USA want a total band score of "80" for PhD in Civil Engineering, while there's no minimum for individual components. Therefore, I think I'm qualified for applying to them. However, in Canada, almost all the universities require a total score of "86", with no section score less than "20"! Meanwhile, my score in reading is "17"! I'm really frustrated and don't know whether I should forget about applying to Canadian Universities or not. It should be noted that my resume is almost good as a M.Sc Student. I have several publications (ISI and Conference), and 2 years of professional work experience in an international company, as well as performing as a Teaching Assistant in my university. My score in TOEFL is this: R17, L26, S24, W27. I greatly appreciate any advice you could provide. Thanks a lot.

Hi there, I hope you're doing well.

I'm a Masters student majoring in Structural Engineering. I'm going to apply for PhD programs, however, I've got into trouble! I would be grateful if you could help.

I've got a "94" in the TOEFL. Many universities in the USA want a total band score of "80" for PhD in Civil Engineering, while there's no minimum for individual components. Therefore, I think I'm qualified for applying to them. However, in Canada, almost all the universities require a total score of "86", with no section score less than "20"! Meanwhile, my score in reading is "17"! I'm really frustrated and don't know whether I should forget about applying to Canadian Universities or not. It should be noted that my resume is almost good as a M.Sc Student. I have several publications (ISI and Conference), and 2 years of professional work experience in an international company, as well as performing as a Teaching Assistant in my university. My score in TOEFL is this: R17, L26, S24, W27. I greatly appreciate any advice you could provide. Thanks a lot.