More British Students Going to the USA

Yesterday the US based Institute for International Education published its annual survey in to the number of international students studying at US universities. Open Doors 2009 shows that there has been an increase of 4% in the number of Brits in US higher education to 8,701. This includes students at all levels from diploma courses up to and including postgraduate study. The UK remains the 15th most important market for US Higher Education Institutions.

From our own research we can tell that the United States is still the most interesting destination for British students but many cannot take advantage of the opportunity to study there for their full undergraduate degree, primarily for financial reasons. This is unlikely to change in the midst of the current recession. The forthcoming increase in English tuition fees, however, could very easily narrow the gap in cost between British and US higher education, particularly at institutions where academic scholarships are available.

According to the Fulbright Commission's analysis of the Open Doors 2009 survey, there has been a moderate, 3% rise in students enrolled on full undergraduate courses in the USA but a 21% rise in non-degree programmes, including short term programmes such as summer schools and university exchanges.

The five most popular US institutions for British students are Harvard University, University of Central Florida, New York University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. As three of these universities are Ivy League schools it is clear that British students are mostly attracted to elite American higher education. The University of Central Florida and NYU are also highly respected universities in geographic locations likely to appeal to British students.

There is potential for a wider range of US universities to attract British students at undergraduate level; US efforts to recruit British students are only just scratching the surface at the moment. Because of the sheer number of US study abroad students who want to come to the UK (33,353 in 2007-08), US universities can benefit twice over from raising their profile in this country: firstly, through an increase in direct enrollments; and, secondly, by increasing demand amongst potential exchange students leading to an increase in the British-based partners they are able to offer their own students.

British students and their advisors currently have little awareness of the vast majority of US universities. While many are interested to attend events such as the recent USA College Day in London, very few arrive at such events with any knowledge of the institutions they will meet. We believe that a concerted approach throughout the year works better than a short term visit to these shores and that is the reason we developed the A Star Future promotional campaign. You are welcome to contact us if you would like to learn more about our initiatives.