American higher education: among the best in the world

The United States has one of the best educational systems in the world. We took a look at three world universities rankings (QS, Economist and THE) and found out that 63% of the top 10 universities in the world are American institutions.

American higher education is not run by one national ministry; au contraire, each school and university decides upon its own curriculum and the best approach on how to teach their students.

So, how is the USA taking the lead in higher education? They are forming open-minded young professionals who move onto become CEOs of great companies, award-winning alumni and published scientists, writers, film producers, and more.

This could mean that the American education system has an edge over European, Asian and other American educational systems. Their success could also be linked to their strengths.

Diversity

There are over 5,000 higher education institutions (colleges and universities) spread across the United States. This basically means that there are over 5,000 options for students to choose what they want to study, where they want to study and the way in which they prefer to learn. This doesn’t just offer diversity to students, but to the institutions themselves.

With 20.2 million students having started higher education in 2015, and millions starting every semester, colleges and universities allow themselves to adapt curriculum and study programmes to the newer generations and new ways of learning.

Flexibility

Due to the freedom that professors are given to mould curriculums, they can create new departments and fields of study from different disciplines. That is how psycholinguistics or bioethics were born. This has resulted in a wider understanding of one subject, having been approached from different fields creating cutting-edge professions for the younger generations.

Internationalisation

The two previous strengths of the American higher educational system consolidate into the biggest strength any system can ask for: internationalisation. American higher education is sought after by students from around the world. In 2015, the US Immigration and Enforcement reported 1.05 million students enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States.

If you can’t go to the university, make the university come to you

Online courses and degrees have grown in popularity, with millions of students worldwide accessing the quality education offered in the US without having to leave their country. With so many international students desperate to receive an American education, it would seem logical that Americans living abroad would also seek an American education, despite not residing in their homeland.

We want to find out: how many American expats are taking advantage of this world-class education system?

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