One subtle difference between UK and USA higher education is in the name. In the UK, it’s ‘university’ while they say ‘college’ in the US. This little difference may throw off international students, especially those not part of the commonwealth. When a person from the UK talks about college, they think of it in terms of an institution where you earn a diploma, which is equivalent to a community college or vocational institution in the US.

Despite the differences, both countries have commonalities in their educational systems. For example, they are known to attract huge numbers of international learners who are highly welcome since private institutions count on the higher college tuition fee they get from this stream of revenue. But let’s take a closer look at how both countries have dealt with the pandemics to continue attracting large numbers of foreign students.

The Application Process

As per the UK education system, you fill out one application that you can send to five of your top universities through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service – UCAS. The application fee is £20 for one course and £25 for multiple or late applications.  

For universities in the US, students have to send unique applications to each school they want. They have a system similar to UCAS – the Common Application, but it is noted that only about 17% of colleges in the US accept this platform. You will be charged separately for each application, but you can apply for a fee waiver with Common App.

Decisions for admission are made based on secondary school results in the UK as most of the universities do not require applicants to take SAT or the ACT. These are necessary in the US, and they matter a lot when making most admission decisions. Extracurricular activities also matter for UK colleges and students faring well in these areas are likely to be favored even if their academic scores are a little low. To achieve better results, students can use a platform providing cheap essay writing service in the UK. With higher grades in individual subjects UK students have better chances of getting into the university of their choice. In the UK, performance in individual subjects aligned to one’s area of the application carries more weight. 

Time Taken

Degree courses in UK universities are deep into the subject, which is why emphasis is paid when admitting students. For instance, you would have to have performed exceptionally well in math to study engineering in the UK, since you get deeper into the subject matter right from the get-go. This is not always the case with US institutions where students spend their first one- or two-years studying areas that may be considered general. Because of this, US students study a year longer than their UK counterparts.

Academic Terms

Terms for most schools in the UK run from September to mid-June and are semester-based. Students break from December to January then a longer summer break in June through September. There may be assignments during this time, depending on the school. Most schools are semester-based in the US, but some run trimester terms and a few quarterly options. August to mid-May is the typical school year in the US.

Grades

Because the universities in the UK take a deeper approach to the subject of study, there are fewer lessons and classes as compared to their US counterparts. School grades in the UK are determined by a final exam at the end of the semester and lots of reading in between.

In the US, undergrad students undertake an array of subjects to cover soft skills they will need at the workplace, and so they can count on writing lots of papers and assignments that will make up the final grade.

In the UK, a 70% or higher score gives a student first-class honours. 60-69% is second-upper while 50-59% in the lower second class, and 40-49%, third class. Students can opt for an honours track or take the ordinary degree route. In the US, a 4.0 scale is A, 3.0 B, 2.0 C, and 1.0 D.

The Pandemic and New Changes

The pandemic has brought about the idea of online learning since there are travel restrictions among countries, and so international learners may not have to be at the physical classes for now. This removes the need for student visas, but the quality of education remains the same.

Some schools have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing their fees, but more is yet to be seen from top institutions in the UK and the US. International students from countries with travel restrictions are automatically registered in online platforms as they cannot travel.

Bottom-line

The world’s top 200 universities are found in the UK and the US. These countries share a tradition of high-quality education, great research facilities, and the promotion of intellectualism and academic freedom. They may have subtle differences, but the quality of degrees earned from these schools is almost always regarded the same.