Beyond the Campus Gates

Jess Harris, Head of Quintessentially Education

Across the US, many families are currently rethinking the traditional college route and looking overseas for additional options. The UK and Europe are emerging as top choices, offering highly focused degrees, diverse cultural experiences, and new opportunities.
Quintessentially Education has seen an increase in enquiries from US parents in recent months, from those looking to expand their horizons. Many are already in the process of relocating, while others are weighing up transatlantic study options as part of a broader global outlook.

Why the Shift?

There are both push and pull factors behind this change; the most prominent push factor has been widely reported on as Trump’s public battles with some of America’s elite education institutions continues to prompt a significant number of families to look further afield. Applications from US citizens to UK universities via UCAS increased by 14% for the 2025-26 admissions cycle – the largest spike in two decades – and in the last three months of 2024, applications for UK citizenship from Americans rose 40% year on year.Many students are concerned about changes on US campuses, from policy shifts around diversity to concerns over student support. And the ‘Trump effect’ has lit the touch paper on wider generational changes that means some students are re-evaluating what a US college experience entails. This includes both questioning the cost of a US university degree which can exceed $50,000 a year and asking if such a degree is worth it in an era of technological disruption and job uncertainty where employers are increasingly hiring on a skills basis.

…Read the rest of this article here on our sister website Relocate Global