One reason behind the consistently-high quality of US research is universities’ rich tradition of welcoming international talent, traditions that go back centuries at some institutions. With more than 100 universities featuring world-class facilities, the US offers an enormous range of subjects, from the highly academic to the purely practical and everything in between. Get in touch for the lowdown.

The United States of America is home to some of the world’s most prestigious universities, a reputation that is regularly reinforced by world-class research. The United States has fostered a deliberately-multicultural higher-education system and its universities have a reputation for quality right across the sector. The world reputation of US universities is emphasized in the Times University World Ranking where the top 200 is dominated by universities from the United States.

In America, undergraduate degree courses normally last four years, but in some cases such as engineering or architecture, five years. At some universities it is possible, for the more ambitious, hardworking student, to complete in just three years with the inclusion of an extra summer semester each year. 

The academic year traditionally runs from September until June. In addition to the summer vacation there is usually a Spring break in April and a Christmas holiday. US universities work on the two semester system as opposed to the UK three terms per year.
Some universities have spring start dates in January or February so if you are keen to start before the regular intake contact GetSet about this option.

The more common bachelor degrees include the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in languages, arts and social sciences, the Bachelor of Science (BSc.) in scientific-based subjects and the Bachelor of Engineering (BEng.) for technical and engineering related fields. There is an amazing number of bachelor’s degrees on offer at US universities. Get in touch and we’ll run your preferences through our database of courses.

The minimum entry requirements vary because each institution sets its own admission criteria and because the requirements are different depending upon which programme and subject major you want to enrollin. General requirements are specified in terms of SATs and high school diploma GPA. Senior high school graduates from outside the United States can take a one year Pathway Programme that, upon completion, leads to year two entry at a US university. There are also pre-university courses that provide some but not all first year credit. University Transfer Programs offered by community colleges enable transfer to third year of a US university on successful completion.

You must have either iBT TOEFL 80-100 or IELTS 6.0/6.5.

Still confused? Don’t worry, just contact your local GetSet center and we will walk you through all your options.