Approximately 30% of all international students choose to study in the USA. A combination of world-class institutions, state-of-the-art facilities, an excellent academic reputation and a diverse mix of cultures from all over the world makes it the number one destination for international students. Plus, due to its size, there's plenty of choice.
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The higher education system in the USA is vast and varied, and there is much choice when it comes to courses, institutions and locations. Educational institutions in the USA come under many names; most commonly colleges, universities and institutes. As a general rule, colleges tend to be smaller and usually only offer undergraduate degrees, whereas universities also offer postgraduate degrees. Institutes usually offer courses specialising in one particular subject area, for example fashion, hospitality or engineering.
Institutions are generally divided into types, each with their own advantages:
State, or public, universities
State universities are founded and part-funded by US state governments and usually offer the same types of degree options as private universities. However, due to their funding, they have much lower tuition fees but also have a much larger intake, resulting in larger class sizes.
Private universities
Private universities are funded through a combination of tuition fees, research grants and private donations. This means tuition fees tend to be higher than at state universities, but students may benefit from much smaller class sizes and better-funded facilities. Institutions with a religious affiliation or those that are single-sex will be private.
Community, or two-year, colleges
Community colleges, also called junior colleges, provide two-year associate degree programmes. They usually offer technical and vocational courses and are often community-based, with close links to local schools and employers. They can be public or private. They tend to have lower tuition costs than universities and may also have lower entry requirements. Community colleges are often used to bridge the gap between high school and university and can be a good option for international students to acclimatise to US life before attending a larger institution. Many have agreements to allow students to transfer easily into the third year of a bachelor's degree at the local state university.
Technical or vocational colleges
These institutions, which can be public or private, offer technical or vocational courses designed to prepare students for work in a particular industry. They offer certificate and short-term programmes, usually lasting two years or less.
English language schools
There are many English language schools in the USA, offering various types of English language courses. These range from basic to more advanced English, to more specialised courses such as Medical English.
Studying for a degree
Studying for an ordinary 'bachelor' degree will take four years. Students are usually required to study a range of different foundation subjects, such as science, maths, English and social sciences. They then choose to ‘major’ in a certain field for their last two years. Degrees will either be Bachelor of Arts degrees, which will be based on humanities, social sciences and the arts, or Bachelor of Science degrees, which focus on subjects such as maths and the physical sciences.
To graduate, students must ensure they attend a certain number of classes to earn ‘credits’. Academic years generally run from late August/early September to May/June.
Postgraduate courses
Postgraduate courses include master degrees, which last one to three years and doctoral degrees, which take four to eight years. To obtain a doctoral degree, the graduate will have to undertake original research at a superior level.
Useful links
EducationUSA
www.educationusa.info
CollegeBoard
www.collegeboard.com
Last updated: 15 December 2011
