Number of Higher Education Institutions The United States | 2019-2022
The world admires Higher education in the USA for its quality and variety. The education system in the USA is one of the most diverse education systems around the world. Furthermore, it has public and private institutions fit for all types of students.
To sum up, it is a perfect fit for all kinds of students. The students aspiring to study in the U.S. have good reasons for choosing the USA over other countries for higher education.
As compared to other education systems, higher education in the USA is independent of the Federal government to a large extent. Moreover, it is highly decentralized.
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Back to School Expenditure in the U.S. from 2006 to 2020
Levels of Higher Education Institutions in the USA
There are three levels of higher education institutions in the United States. These are:
Undergraduate Level
Graduate Level
Post-Graduate Level
Undergraduate Level- Bachelor’s degree
A Bachelor’s degree typically takes four years to complete. One can pursue a bachelor’s degree by attending a 4-year college or starting from a community college.
Students are required to study a number of subjects in their first two years of their Bachelor’s degree. For instance, literature, science, art, history, etc.
The main focus is to attain general and basic knowledge about each subject. In addition, it is done before attaining specialization in a specific subject.
Graduate Level- Master’s Degree
A master’s degree is essential to attain higher-level positions in career fields. For example, in subjects like library science, engineering, business, and education. Also, the USA permits graduate-level international students to study in their country.
But only after completing the required credits in their home country.
Furthermore, there’s a requirement of entrance tests to enter a graduate program in the USA. For instance, GRE for master’s program, GMAT for MBA courses, etc. A Master’s degree usually takes 1-2 years to complete.
Whereas some master’s degrees take about a year only to complete, such as Master’s in Journalism. In addition, students in the master’s program are required to work on a research paper called a Master’s thesis.
Post Graduate Level- Research work
To acquire a Ph.D. degree in higher education institutions, one must have a graduate degree in some schools. However, some colleges permit pursuing a doctorate degree immediately after the Bachelor’s degree.
It takes 3-4 years to complete a Ph.D. degree. On the other hand, international students might need 5-6 six years to complete the same degree.
Types of Higher Education Institutions in the United States
The U.S. education system consists of three types of higher education institutions. They are broadly categorized on the basis of their funding, infrastructure, curriculum, etc.
Public Universities
Public universities are state universities operated by the state government in the United States. They are often grouped into “systems.”
In the United States, it is mandatory to have at least one public university. Some larger states may have more than one Higher education institution like public universities.
It is because public Universities provide discounted tuition for their state residents.
The two states that have the largest number of high-ranking public universities are California and New York.
The best 5 Public Universities in the United States are:
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Michigan University, Ann Harbor
- University of California, Berkeley
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of California, Davis
Private Universities
Higher education institutions, like private universities, are not for profit in the United States. In fact, students’ tuition fees are the primary source of finance for Private Universities in the U.S.
And it is generally higher than those of public universities.
Therefore, this kind of higher education institution has a better and more income for resources. Hence, they rank higher than the public universities in the country.
Private universities are all the universities in the prestigious Ivy League group. Ivy League group is an ‘Elite Eight’ group of Universities in the North-Eastern Part of the U.S.
These higher education institutions are known for their high admission standards and academics. These ‘Eight Elite’ Institutions are:
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth University
- Harvard University
- Penn University
- Princeton University
- Yale University
Community Colleges
Community colleges offer an Associate’s degree, and the duration is two years. This kind of higher education institution offers Associate’s degrees which are of many types.
However, the important distinctions between the degrees are whether the degree is transferable or not.
Mostly, there are two types of degrees offered. One helps out for academic transfer. Whereas the other allows students to enter the workforce straightaway. Moreover, certificates of completion are usually not transferable.
Number of Higher Education Institutions in the United States | 2019-2020
The higher education institutions have increased in the year 2020 in the United States. In 2020, California had the highest number of higher education institutions which is 416. Out of which 262 were four-year institutions, and 154 were two-year institutions. The statistics of the following are given below.
