Students off to Cheap US

Students off to cheap US

Sian Griffiths, Education Editor Published: 10 November 2013

 

Lucinda Denney picked Yale instead of Cambridge (Paul Cooper)

BRITAIN’S brightest students are being lured to America in greater numbers than before as degrees at top US universities become more affordable than those offered in the UK, according to new research.
The so-called brain drain will be illustrated this week by figures from the Fulbright Commission, which promotes educational exchanges between America and Britain, showing that the record number of UK undergraduates who went to US universities in 2011-12 — 4,330 — was exceeded in 2012-13.
Although many of those crossing the Atlantic to study are from fee-paying schools, a significant number — including almost a dozen who rejected Oxbridge places for scholarships at Harvard and Yale — are from state schools.
This year 150 students attended summer schools at Yale and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with more than half now intending to apply for degrees at Ivy League institutions. In an effort to attract applications from the UK, Harvard will host 50 British sixth-formers at its first summer school next year.
Research by John Jerrim, a lecturer in economics and social statistics at the Institute of Education in London, will this week show that some Ivy League universities are now more affordable than those in Britain.
According to Jerrim’s calculations, a student with a full bursary at Oxford from a family with an annual household income of £27,500 would be left with a bill for fees and living costs of £11,300 a year.
By contrast, he says, a British student with a full scholarship to Harvard would need to find only £2,000 a year to cover fees and living expenses.
For a student from a family with an annual income of £65,000 Harvard’s fee would be £8,243 a year — less than half of the £16,600 at Oxford.
Jerrim’s paper will be presented at a conference attended by Vince Cable, the business secretary, David Willetts, the higher education minister, and admissions officers from top British and US universities.
They will use the event to discuss if universities such as Oxford and Cambridge should follow the model of some US institutions by arranging part-time jobs for undergraduates to help them to deal with the cost of higher education.
Nick Bonstow began an interdisciplinary social studies degree at Harvard in September. One of triplets, the 18-year-old, who secured three A*s and one A grade at A-level from his grammar school in Torbay, Devon, said he expected to be financially better off than his siblings when he graduates.
“At Harvard, the university offered me a selection of jobs to help pay my way. I work in the finance office and earn £144 a week for 12 hours. I think British universities should bring this kind of system in.”
Lucinda Denney, from Blackpool, who has five As at A level, turned down Cambridge to go to Yale when it said it would cover almost her entire annual costs of $65,000 (£41,000).
Lauren Welch, director of advising and marketing at the Fulbright Commission, said: “The cost of completing an undergraduate degree in America has traditionally been higher than studying in the UK, but this gap has closed with the increase of tuition and fees at UK universities.
“In fact, over 900 US universities offer funding to international students. While full funding opportunities are competitive, a significant amount of funding is up for grabs.”
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust think tank, said: “The broader study and generous aid packages at leading US universities makes them a hugely attractive option for British students.”