1. Overview of US Qualifications 9 September 2008 by Anne-Marie Bruner Senior International Officer/ Study Abroad Co-ordinator

2. Presentation outline Secondary schools Universities and Colleges Grading/marks systems Standardised tests Other factors

3. Secondary Schools Public schools ( state-funded ) Private schools Parochial Preparatory (or College Preparatory) Independent

4. Universities and Colleges PUBLICLY FUNDED Community Colleges, or Junior Colleges ( Associates degrees, certificates ) Public universities ( Bachelor, Masters and PhD ) PRIVATELY FUNDED Private colleges ( Bachelor, some Masters ) Private universities ( Bachelor, Masters and PhD )

5. US News & World Report – Best Colleges rankings National Universities e.g., Yale and UCLA – offer full range of undergraduate majors, master's, and doctoral degrees. Also committed to producing groundbreaking research. Masters Universities e.g., Providence and Villanova – offer full range of undergrad programs and some master's programs but few doctoral programs. Four regions: North, South, Midwest, and West. Liberal Arts Colleges e.g., Oberlin, Dickinson and Middlebury – emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in liberal arts fields of study Baccalaureate Colleges including Cooper Union and Daniel Webster, focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. Four regions: North, South, Midwest, and West.

6. Insert USNWR (screen shot)

9. Grading/marks systems GENERAL 4.0 scale SPECIAL Magnet schools Private schools IB schools NOTE: AP/IB module offerings not all high schools offer AP modules. Students are able to pay, register and take the AP test independently, but there is a reduced chance that they will pass. Some schools offer Honors or Advanced modules instead.

10. Recalculating GPA LETTER grades A = 4 B = 3 C = 2 D = 1 F = 0 NUMERIC grades ( usually ) 90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 65-69 = D <65 = F

11. School profile 1 Grading scale Scores Accreditation Graduation requirements

12. School profile 2 Grade points score means

13. School Profiles 3 & 4

15. British School of Washington equivalencies GCSENorth America A*A+ AA BA- CB+ DB EC FD/F

17. Sample transcript from vocational college

19. Standardised Tests UNDERGRADUATE Entry ACT – American College Test SAT – Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT I/ SAT II) POSTGRADUATE Entry GRE – Graduate Record Examination LSAT – Law School Admissions Test MCAT – Medical College Admissions Test GMAT – Graduate Management Admissions Test

22. 2007 Percent of Graduates Taking ACT/SAT More than 50% of graduates taking SAT More than 50% of graduates taking the ACT 8/28/2007 Source: WICHE data for number of H. S. Graduates per state, ACT Annual State Reports, College Board Annual State Summary CT 16/81 DC 31/91 DE 9/70 MA 15/81 MD 14/68 NH 15/80 NJ 11/79 RI 9/66 VT 22/64 16/53 18/53 15/48 29/41 27/48 18/32 20/61 60/12 30/52 71/6 76/8 100/23 77/6 76/3 82/4 59/28 59/19 78/8 70/6 70/9 66/4 74/6 75/5 79/6 96/4 80/9 97/13 100/8 70/6 70/9 21/61 68/27 11/74 21/86 11/98 18/72 77/8 16/70 43/61 34/67 54/64 66/20

23. Score concordance

24. Other admission factors… ACADEMIC AWARDS National Merit Scholarship Valedictorian Salutatorian GRADE TRENDS Private schools IB schools EXTRA-CURRICULAR leadership memberships ESSAY

25. North America recruitment activities 2005-062006-072007-082008-09 Study Abroad fairs2728821 Study Abroad visits29102113 UG recruitment fairs551310 UG secondary school visits0137748 PG recruitment fairs51210 PG recruitment visits**** Conference attendances1184 Alumni events*10* 6759129106

26. Anne-Marie Bruner Senior International Officer/ Study Abroad Co-ordinator a.bruner@uea.ac.uk