How to apply to US Universities from the UK

A Guide for UK Students Applying to US Universities

The first thing to say on this topic is that it is vast! This article can only hope to give the smallest of introductions to the subject.  

Like any apparently immense matter, though, it can be tackled, small piece by small piece.  

A second point to note is that many British students have successfully studied at American universities.

So, the path is well-trodden. 

The actor, Emma Watson, who studied English Literature at Brown, is but one notable example. 

American universities value the academic rigour of British education, so British students are attractive to them.  The International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBDP) programme, which many independent schools offer, is widely recognised in the USA.  Leading American universities offer ‘course credit’ (exemption from having to complete certain parts of the degree) for IBDP subjects and A levels completed with high grades.  There is even a small number of high schools in the USA which offer GCSEs.  

Where to start?

A better question might be ‘when to start’?

And the answer to that question is ‘start early’, because there is a mountain of information to research. 

The range of higher education choices in the USA is huge.  There are nearly 4,000 college-level institutions in the USA, as opposed to the 164 in the UK.

Also vast is the range of factors you should bear in mind if you want to study at an American university.  Do you want a ‘campus’ or ‘city’ university? Location? Size of institution etc.? 

You may also be interested in universities which provide reduced fee admission for students who will play sports for them.  Such ‘athletics scholarships’, made famous here by the ending of the film, Bend It Like Beckham, do exist but there is some need for caution: there may be less money around for such grants than before and, except in the cases of really exceptional (probably international level) talent, the funding available tends, understandably, to go to US, rather than international applicants.

There are also the tests that most (but not all) US universities require you to take. 

The most popular of these is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning.  This is not like any test used in the UK and needs some practice to acquire familiarity.  Again, best to start early.  But the good news is that SATs can be taken as many times as you like. American universities will accept the best score you achieve before you make your application, which is very different, of course, from the way that A Levels operate.  

All this requires a lot of research, which is why the early start to the process is advisable!

Another interesting and important difference between our two countries is that, whereas all but two of the UK’s universities are publicly funded, just over half of those in the USA are private.  Most of these are not for profit institutions like mighty Harvard (by a very long way, the wealthiest university in the world), but a few (around 700) are for-profit. The private funding of American universities has enabled them to grow and develop huge research budgets and so attract the finest academics in the world.

A further key point is that there is no centralised admissions system, such as UCAS, in the USA.  The disadvantage of this is that you must make individual applications to each college you are interested in (and pay their application fees).  An advantage is that, unlike with UCAS, you can apply to as many institutions as you like.  Be careful, though: with application fees at around $70 (Princeton University, at time of writing), the process can get expensive!

To return, then, to the question asked – where to start, the first place to start looking at universities is the excellent CollegeBoard website www.collegeboard.org.  This is far more extensive than UCAS and takes you through every step of the process, including how to choose a university.  The CollegeBoard site will guide you through all the questions about the universities you are interested in and present other factors you might want to consider, such as ranking, reputation etc.  

Next steps

If you are interested in US universities, it is not only important to start early but to communicate proactively.

Every university is interested in recruiting high quality students so each one will have an extensive admissions office.  Staff are invariably approachable, friendly and helpful – a pleasure to deal with.

Although the staff on the other end of the phone or online are not the final decision-makers, it does no harm (and can even do a little good) to build up relationships with universities you are interested in as early as possible. They can also keep you in touch with events and summer schools held by your targeted university, attendance at which can help your being selected.

Simultaneously, you should become familiar with the SATs mentioned above.  Ideally, and if you are reading this early enough, preparation for the SAT should start with the Preliminary SAT (PSAT). 

This is, essentially, a less challenging version of the full SAT and is normally taken by students in Grade 9 or 10 (equivalent to Year 10 and 11) of high school.  These examinations can be taken at many centres around the UK, including the American School of London and several independent schools.  

This can only be the briefest of introductions to an immense but fascinating subject.  The USA’s reputation for excellence in higher education is well-deserved. 

The pre-eminence of American universities in any list of the world’s top establishments continues.  The fact that so many of these universities are privately funded has allowed them to build up immense resources. These are put to use in providing some of the best scholarship and learning opportunities for students in the world.  

Useful links

www.collegeboard.org The ‘one-stop’ shop for a wealth of information about application to US colleges, the SAT and much more

www.fulbright.org.uk The Fulbright Commission exists to promote educational collaboration between the USA and UK.  The (free) USA College Day organised in London in September each year is a great first port of call to start investigating study options.