University Differences - UK VS. USA

Among the many differences in the UK vs the US is the education system, particularly universities. We’re going to delve into some of the things that set the two apart- applications, education, housing, costs, sports, and the party life. How different could university be?

APPLICATION

The first step in going to any University is to apply. In the UK you apply through a system called UCAS, which allows you to submit all of your grades, test scores, and personal essay to the same site. You can then apply to the top five schools of your choice. The UCAS application is 24 pounds and only takes about three weeks to hear offers back from the schools you’ve applied to.

In the US most people apply to various schools individually, going through the university’s application website. This means having to re-upload test scores and grades, as well as write new essays depending on the prompt the university has chosen. A study in 2018 showed that the most common application fee is $50 per school. Applicants apply in the fall and usually hear back by Spring.

EDUCATION

One of the biggest differences between universities in the UK and US is that in the UK a bachelor’s degree only takes three years, whereas in the US it takes four.

The same trend carries onto the master’s degree where in the UK it takes one year and in the US it takes two years to complete.

A big reason for this is that in the UK students have to choose what major they want to study at the start of their degree, and throughout their studies they only take classes pertaining to that.

In the US however you can start University with an undeclared major because you won’t start taking courses specific to your major until your third year in.

As far as grading systems go, both countries are quite different. For starters, in America a good percent of your final grade is factored in from regular homework and reading assignments, as well as an exam. The UK is more lecture based and has more occasional assignments, with a heavy weighting on exams.

Not only is the weight of assignments different, but so are the grades themselves. The grade conversion chart is below.

UK CLASSIFICATION UK PERCENTAGE US CLASSIFICATION US PERCENTAGE

Chart showing the differences in classification system between UK and US universities

HOUSING

In the UK, when it comes to student housing, it’s usually a hall of six to ten rooms, each with their own private bathroom, and a shared kitchen and living room. The halls are also co-ed.

In the US, halls are assigned to girls and guys by floor. Each room is shared by two people, usually randomly assigned roommates, with a communal bathroom and kitchen at the end of the hall.

Randomly assigned roommates either turn out to be a really good thing or a really bad thing. Paige Lindbak, a chiropractic student at Auburn University was one of the unlucky ones. After a simple discussion about her roommate not cleaning dishes, she began to lash out any way she could. Click below to hear her story.

COST

In the UK it costs 9,000 pounds ($11,700) a year in tuition costs, whereas in the US it costs 20,000 pounds ($26,000) a year on average at a public university and 27,000 pounds ($35,000) at a private university.

As far as housing and living costs go, both the US and UK are about the same depending on if you’re attending university in a city or somewhere less populated.

Most colleges in the US also require you to purchase a meal plan to eat at the dining hall and other restaurants around campus. The average cost of a meal plan per year is $3,200.

SPORTS

A big part of life at university in the US is sporting events. A lot of school pride goes along with going to football games or basketball games and tailgating beforehand. These games show on national television and sell tickets for stadiums that have a 100,000 person capacity.

University sports are not as common in the UK however. Although they play regularly scheduled games, they don’t pull as big of a crowd as they do in America. It’s also very rare to find scholarships for sports in the UK, whereas in the US, everyone on the teams are on some sort of scholarship.

PARTY LIFE

Perhaps the most notorious thing about college life in America are the fraternities and sororities. The first step in getting inducted into one is the recruitment process. This recruitment process is called “rushing”.

Rushing consists of potential new members going from house to house and talking to the existing members. The existing members of the group then list in order the rushees they like the most. They will then go onto the next round and so on until they have their new recruits.

Once in a fraternity or sorority, they hold charitable drives, community events, and what they’re most famous for- parties. A lot of young men in America join fraternities because if they don’t, it’s almost impossible to get into many college parties.

Fraternities and sororities cost on average $2,000 a year to be a part of.

In the UK there’s nothing that comes quite close to that of fraternities and sororities. However, since the drinking age is only 18, the partying seems to be nonstop in student halls.

Now that you know the ins and outs of University in America and the UK, where would you rather go?

- Haley Lindbak