Higher education in the United States

Higher education in the United States

     Higher education in the United States refers to a variety of institutions of higher education. Strong research and funding have helped make American colleges and universities among the world's most prestigious, which is particularly attractive to international students, professors and researchers in the pursuit of academic excellence. Public universities, private universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges all have a significant role in higher education in the United States. There are 103 US universities in the World Top 200.

     According to UNESCO the US has the second largest number of higher education institutions in the world, and the highest number of higher education students in the world.

     The American university system, like the primary and secondary education system, is largely decentralized, in large part because the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution reserves all powers not granted to the federal government or explicitly denied to the U.S. states "for the States respectively, or to the people." Such a degree of autonomy in higher education is rare.

     American universities have developed independent accreditation organizations to vouch for the quality of the degrees they offer. The accreditation agencies rate universities and colleges on criteria such as academic quality—the quality of their libraries, the publishing records of their faculties, and the degrees which their faculties hold.

     Colleges and universities in the U.S. vary in terms of goals: some may emphasize a vocational, business, engineering, or technical curriculum while others may emphasize a liberal arts curriculum. Many combine some or all of the above.

     Two-year colleges (often but not always community colleges) usually offer the associate's degree such as an Associate of Arts (A.A.). Community colleges are often open admissions, with low tuition. Four-year colleges (which usually have a larger number of students and offer a greater range of studies than two-year colleges) offer the bachelor's degree, such as the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.). These are usually primarily undergraduate institutions, although some might have limited programs at the graduate level. Many students earn an associate's degree at a two-year institution before transferring to a four-year institution for another two years to earn a bachelor's degree.

     Four-year institutions in the U.S. are liberal arts colleges. These colleges traditionally emphasize interactive instruction (although research is still a component of these institutions). Most are private, although there are public liberal arts colleges. In addition, some offer experimental curricula, such as Hampshire College, Sarah Lawrence College, Grinnell College, Bennington College, New College of Florida, and Reed College.

     Universities are research-oriented institutions which provide both undergraduate and graduate education. For historical reasons, some universities—such as Boston College, Dartmouth College, and the College of William & Mary—have retained the term "college," while some institutions granting few graduate degrees use the term "university." Graduate programs grant a variety of master's degrees—such as the Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), or Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)—in addition to doctorates such as the Ph.D.

     A common practice is to refer to different units within universities as colleges or schools (what is referred to in other countries as faculties). Some colleges may be divided into departments within a larger university.

     The federal government does not directly regulate universities, although it can give federal grants to them. The majority of public universities are operated by the states and territories, usually as part of a state university system. Each state supports at least one state university and several support many more. Tribal colleges operated on Indian reservations by some federally recognized tribes are also public institutions. There are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), both private (such as Morehouse College) and public (such as Florida A&M).

     Many private universities also exist. Some of them are involved in religious education.

     Tuition is charged at almost all American universities. Public universities often have much lower tuition than private universities because funds are provided by state governments and residents of the state that supports the university typically pay lower tuition than non-residents. Students often use scholarships, student loans, or grants, rather than paying all tuition out-of-pocket. Several states offer scholarships that allow students to attend free of tuition or at lesser cost.

     Students can apply to some colleges using the Common Application. There is no limit to the number of colleges or universities to which a student may apply, though an application must be submitted for each.

     The most famous US Universities are Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and Stanford University.   

Questions for discussion:

1. Do American children finish school with or without exams?

2. What opportunities for higher education do the American school leavers have?

3. Do the University students have to pay very much for their education?

4. What are the shortcomings of the US system of education?

5. Are the most talented students from poor families given grants in the USA?