Gap Year
For students wanting to take
time out before going to university in the UK, it
is possible to spend a semester, a year or a summer
studying at a US university. If you wish to study
for a whole academic year, you need to start planning
about 12 months ahead, using the procedures outlined
in the EAS Guide to Undergraduate Study in the US,
available from EAS. .
You may find that there are more possibilities for
gap year study in small, private, liberal arts institutions
than in larger state-funded colleges and universities.
A liberal arts institution offers courses in a wide
variety of disciplines in order to give students a
well-rounded education. When you have found universities
you are interested in, contact the admissions office
for each university, making it clear that you will
be applying to spend a year in the US before going
on to university in the UK. Therefore, you will be
applying for 'special' or 'non-degree' student status.
It is also possible that you will have to fulfil the
same requirements as those applying for full degrees.
Studying in the US can be expensive. Tuition ranges
between $3,000 - $25,000 for nine months. Cost of
living can range between $6,000 - $15,000, depending
on the region and your lifestyle. There are few scholarships
available and universities cannot offer you a place
unless you can prove you have the resources to fund
your studies.
The academic year generally begins in late August
or early September with the Fall semester. It is also
possible to enrol for the Spring/Winter semester that
normally begins in January.
To find suitable universities, use the guidelines
for Choosing a US University in the EAS Guide to Undergraduate Study in the US.
Another good source of information is the Internet
since most universities now have their own websites.
Start with Links
for US Study.
You should also visit the council on standards for
international educational travel which has a list
of 80 exchange organizations.
Another alternative is to apply via a placement programme,
which may be able to find a place for you and make
all the general arrangements. Organisations offering
this type of assistance are:
EIL (Experiment for International Living)
"Ostega", 287 Worcester Road, Malvern, Worcestershire
WR14 1AB.
Tel:01684 562577. Fax: 01684 562212 Email: outbound@eiluk.org
University placement service which assists in choosing
and applying to a US university. Entry can be for
one month, one semester or one academic year.
IEOP
(International Educational Opportunities Programme)
60-61 Biggin Street, Dover, Kent CT16 1DD.
Tel: 01304 211044 Fax:01304 211130
Placement service for higher education which places
you in participating schools or universities and assists
with the entire application procedure. Entry can be
for one semester, one academic year or in a summer
programme.
For information on summer programmes, please see
our Summer Study Programmes
web page and the sample
list of summer programmes. Summer programmes can
also be found on the Internet through the home page
of the corresponding university.
Undergraduate
Exchange
There are two main ways to
study for a short time in the US as part of your UK
undergraduate degree: participate in an established
study abroad programme through your UK university
or apply directly to the US universities themselves.
Generally, programmes run for a summer, semester or
entire academic year. It is easier to go with an established
exchange programme organised by your UK university
than to apply to US universities directly. Exchanges
are normally run by the International Office or possibly
the American Studies department.
IIf your UK institution does not have any exchange
links with any US universities, it is possible to
contact US universities directly and apply as a non-degree
student. However, applying as a non-degree student
can be complex and time-consuming. You will need to
check with your UK institution to see if they will
recognise the courses you wish to take at the US institution.
If you decide to apply as a non-degree student then
you should read the above section on Gap Year study
as many of the criteria there will apply to you in
the undergraduate situation. For guidelines on choosing
a university, please see our EAS
Guide to Undergraduate Study in the US.
Many Local
Educational Authorities (LEAs) will provide funding
for study abroad if it is a mandatory requirement
for the student's degree course. Check with your LEA
regarding this situation.
Funding for international students to pursue one
year of undergraduate study in the US is very limited.
You may wish to see if a local public library has
a copy of UNESCO's guide Study Abroad listing sources
of funding for US study. You are also welcome to consult
the funding directories in our resource centre although
they are aimed at people who wish to study for a full
US degree.
The council on standards
for international educational travel which has
a list of 80 exchange organizations.
AFS
is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit
organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities
to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding
needed to create a more just and peaceful world.
If you find that you are not eligible for financial
assistance from your UK university, the US university
you will be attending, or your LEA, consider approaching
multinational companies, local businesses or a Rotary
group. The Fulbright Commission does not provide undergraduate
funding.
The Fulbright Commission itself does not provide
funding for undergraduates.
Postgraduate
Special Student
Many US graduate schools allow
students who have already completed an undergraduate
degree to study at their institution without enrolling
for a full postgraduate degree. Students can take
classes from a department or the whole graduate school
or possibly from several universities in a local area.
Universities often specify a time limit for special
students in terms of the number of semesters for which
the student can be registered..
The first step in choosing a university is identifying
which universities offer programmes in your field
of study. Lists of universities according to field
of study can be obtained from the EAS upon receipt
of a stamped addressed envelope with a covering letter.
Prospective students should also talk to their tutors
for suggestions and use the Internet and academic
journals to find experts in the field. For more information,
please see our EAS
Guide to Postgraduate Study in the US.
General information for special students can be found
in a university's prospectus. For more specific information
and application procedures, prospective students should
contact the universities' admissions offices directly
as well as the individual departments at those universities.
Special students are usually ineligible to receive
university-sponsored financial assistance such as
teaching assistantships. However, details of independent
foundations, like The Fulbright Commission, which
award scholarships for postgraduate study can be found
in our list of Awards
for Postgraduate Study and Research in the US
and in publications such as Funding for Study or
Research in the US and The Grants Register.
Both of these guides and many other funding directories
are available for reference in the EAS library.
Certificate
Programmes
Certificate programmes are
non-degree programmes that are comprised of a group
of courses in a specialised area. The majority of
these programmes are professionally-oriented and offered
to those who wish to prepare for a certain career,
qualify for a promotion, stay current in their field
or acquire new skills and knowledge. These programmes
may also cover new specific areas of knowledge that
are not covered in degree programmes. Other programmes
may be intended for international students and professionals
as an introduction to the field in the US.
Certificate programmes are often run by a university's
Extension School or School of Continuing Education.
These include a number of set courses and some electives
(you choose your desired courses). Courses taken in
a certificate programme may also be applicable to
degree programmes. .
Admissions procedures will vary between programmes
and some may even require the same procedure as that
for degree students, including an entrance exam, transcripts,
letters of recommendation and an interview.
Certain degree programmes are structured for working
adults and may have only a few hours of instruction
per week. Prospective international students must
ensure that the number of instructional hours meets
the minimum requirement to obtain a student visa.
Prospective exchange students should check with programme
administrators as to student visa requirements.
Information on certificate programmes can be found
through the University
Continuing Education Association.
You
should also visit the council
on standards for international educational travel
which has a list of 80 exchange organizations.
Summer Study
For opportunities to study
during the summer, please see our Summer
Programmes web page, our sample
list of American summer programmes and the list
of related websites.
You
should also visit the council
on standards for international educational travel
which has a list of 80 exchange organizations.
Visiting
Fellows & Scholars
Opportunities exist at many
US universities for those who holding a PhD degree
wanting to pursue further research. Universities allow
visiting fellows to audit postgraduate level courses,
i.e. take courses without receiving a grade or any
credit and have use of academic facilities for personal
research. Prospective fellows should read the US Information
Agency's guide If You Want to Study in the US...Scholars
and Professionals, available from EAS. Our reference
library holds Peterson's Guides and other directories
to identify suitable universities or research centres.
General requirements for visiting fellows can be
found in university prospectuses or from websites.
For specific information and application procedures,
contact the university departments directly.
Visiting fellows are expected either to be self-financed
or to have received financial assistance from an outside
source. Please visit our Funding
for Postdoctoral Research and Postdoctoral Awards web pages for a brief
listing of available awards. Details of other independent
organisations which sponsor awards and fellowships
can be found in publications such as Funding for
US Study and The Grants Register. Both
of these guides and many other funding directories
are available for reference in the EAS library.
Visas for
Short-Term Study
International students must
be aware that any type of short term study will require
a student visa, regardless of the length of study.
The most common visa for international students is
the J-1 student visa, for participation in an established
educational exchange programme. Before applying for
any student visa, students must have received a Certificate
of Eligibility from the US institution they will be
attending. For an F-1 visa application, this is the
form I-20 whilst a J-1 visa application requires the
form DS-2019..
Students must provide evidence that they have sufficient
funds to cover all expenses for the duration of the
course or programme, either through their own funds
or from a sponsoring individual or organisation, in
order to obtain a visa.
For more visa details call:
09055 444546 - Operator Assisted £1.50/min,
8am - 8pm.
09068 200290 - 24 hour recorded information line,
60p/min.
Fax - 020 7495 5012 (response usually within 24 hours).
Or visit: www.unitedstatesvisas.gov
Off-Line Resources
The US Educational Advisory Service's reference
library contains resources for short term study, including
US university prospectuses, subject directories, guides
to undergraduate and postgraduate study and financial
aid directories. You are welcome to use these materials
during our opening
hours.
