Syracuse University

Syracuse is a large private research university whose reputation rests on professional schools rather than the arts and sciences core: Newhouse for public communications, Whitman for management, Maxwell for public affairs, and the School of Architecture. Each sets its own admission requirements and, for international applicants, its own English threshold — Newhouse asks for a TOEFL a full 17 points above the rest of the university. Two things make it unusual for a Kazakh applicant. Financial documentation is required at application stage rather than after admission: a Visa/Financial Support Information Form plus a bank statement showing liquid funds covering the full cost of attendance, which for 2025/26 was USD 96,747. And institutional aid to international undergraduates is merit-based only, with no need-based route, so the money question is settled before an applicant applies rather than after. Syracuse also asks for only one academic recommendation, fewer than most US private universities, and has committed to test-optional admission through Spring 2028.