Why many students choose to study undergraduate in USA?

18 comments

1. Because they live here? I’m guessing.

2. If you’re talking about international students:

   The ones who I’ve spoken with have said that they wanted to experience a new culture and improve their english skills.

3. Why do international students choose to study in America? I assume that’s what you meant.

   They want to experience American college life (something they see a lot on TV), American college education is regarded highly around the world, it’s a nice vacation for a year or more away from your parents.

4. Some of the best universities in the world are in the USA.

5. This is a small fraction of international students, but lots of foreign athletes come to the US to study so they can compete at the university level because there isn’t an equivalent competitive structure in their country. Particularly true of track and field, and swimming.

6. I mean why are you asking us about the preferences of international students. I guess because you get a quality education that’s internationally recognized and provides more opportunity for both undergraduate degrees and higher level degrees via how much the US dumps money into such programs. Also I assume some kids just have the wander lust.

7. The United States is home to many prestigious universities and colleges known for their high academic standards and quality education. American institutions consistently rank among the top universities in the world, offering a wide range of academic programs and disciplines.

   These universities also offer a broader range of study areas.

   Our universities have a strong emphasis on research and innovation. Many universities offer excellent research facilities and opportunities for students to engage in cutting-edge research projects alongside renowned professors and researchers.

   American degrees are widely recognized and respected around the world. Holding a degree from an American college can enhance career prospects. I know several Indian friends who attended American universities because it placed them near the top for jobs back in India.

   We also have a very diverse student population, which is very unique. Students can interact with other students from various countries, learn about different cultures, and broaden their global perspectives.

   And lastly, many students want to land jobs with American firms after graduation. It helps to graduate from an American school.

8. We have some of the best undergraduate university programs in the world.

   U.S. News may be biased, and I’m a little suspicious of college rankings in general–but looking at [global university rankings,](https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings) and you have to go down to 5th to find one not in the United States (University of Oxford)–behind the University of California, Berkeley. You have to go down to 18th to find one not in the US or UK (University of Toronto in Canada), and 23rd to find one not in an English-speaking Country. (Tsinghua University in China). You’re at the 29th slot to find one in Continental Europe (ETH Zurich), and the next highest ranked Continental European University is University of Amsterdam, at 39th.

9. Some think it’s a way to get into the path for immigration to the US (it’s mostly not).

   Some who major in STEM CAN work a few years in the US and that USD may be a lot more in their country’s money.

   They come from an economically and politically failing country and just need to get the F out.

   The schools in their home country suck ASS.

   They are able to get international student scholarships and aid from a U.S. college, something that’s not necessarily common worldwide.

10. We have some of the best universities in the world. It also is a great foot-in-the-door if you want to live and work here.

    A lot of them are recruited by our universities, particularly our public state universities. They see international students as basically big bags of money who will pay full tuition, which helps subsidize the university.

    For private universities, many of them have endowments that make the cost of tuition pretty competitive with whatever system the student is coming from. Almost no one at Harvard, for example, pays the full tuition. Obviously not all private universities have the financial base Harvard has, but a lot of them do make it easier to afford than many think.

11. Because they can go back to their country and say that they studied in America and everyone assumes that they’re a genius.

12. One thing we might have that a few countries might lack: capacity to accept students.

    I think China, India, and South Korea have more bright young kids than they have seats for university.

13. If I could afford it, I would have, but only because it would have made it somewhat less difficult to settle permanently in the US.

    Plenty of really good universities are in Europe, tuition in Germany and many other countries is free and they do really well on the QS ranking.

14. – A lot of people abroad want to just see the country and experience American culture

    – We have some really good schools

    – Forced to improve their English. Being bi- or trilingual is an amazing skill and there is no better way to improve than by just forcing yourself to use it.

15. If you can afford it our schools are ridiculously well equipped compared to the international standard. Both for practical things like the number and level of equipment in the labs and for luxury/student amenities. Not just the famous ones like Harvard or MIT or whatever, either. Any of the big state school campuses are like that compared to most international ones. There’s a reason we talk about college years as a separate lifestyle.

    Public schools in particular actively compete for international students in such amenities because they pay much more to attend than in-state students. There was a minor budgetary crisis during covid due to that international money drying up.

16. I was surprised by how many came for my class alone at my college. I think people like the opportunities in America. Particularly, there’s a wider variety of things you can study and a wider range of schools to choose from.

17. In tech, it’s because the F-1 visa gives you up to 3 years of work experience in the US before needing to be sponsored for an H1-B. Getting sponsored for an H1-B is difficult because there is a cap in the number of new ones issued every year.

18. Had some friends from China (noting that they came from wealth). They all said US college was an option because if you don’t do well on the gaokao, you would still be able to get a prestigious job if you attended a US university.