3. Post-secondary (higher) education in the usa

The U.S. higher education system is characterized by accessibility, diversity, and autonomy and is known for both its size and quality. The federal government has no jurisdiction or authority over the recognition of educational institutions, members of the academic professions, programmes or curricula, or degrees or other qualifications. Nearly all U.S. postsecondary institutions are licensed, or chartered, by a state or municipal government to operate under the ownership of either a government (if public) or a private corporation (if independent), and may be for-profit or not-for-profit enterprises. Religious institutions are considered independent, or private.  Quality assurance is achieved via the system of  voluntary accreditation by specific accrediting agencies that are recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and meet the standards for membership in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Accreditation is a self-regulating process of quality control engaged in by the U.S. postsecondary education community to ensure minimum standards of academic capability, administrative competence, and to promote mutual recognition of qualifications within the system.

3.1. Types of USA colleges and universities^*

The “Ivy League” universities

TheIvy Leagueis a specific group ofeight academic institutions. These schools are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale.

The league was formed in the 1940s by the presidents of the eight schools to foster intercollegiate football competition “in such a way as to maintain the values of the game, while keeping it in fitting proportion to the main purposes of academic life”.

The characteristics of Ivy League schools include relativelysmall undergraduate populations,large endowments, prestigious academic reputations, and consistent ranking among the top 15 U.S. universities with the highest tuition fees in the country.

Public universities

Large public universities in the United States, also referred to as state universities, are closely identified with and supported by the states in which they are located.

Typically, universities of this type enroll tens of thousands of students. They produce the majority of graduate and professional degrees in the country, as well as a significant number of undergraduate degrees.

Public universities play a critical role in regional economic, cultural, and civic development, and many, such as the University of Minnesota, are deeply involved in advancing knowledge and technology through research. These universities are among the major research universities in the United States and frequently have major involvement in international programs around the world.

The level of research intensity varies greatly among state universities. Competitive research grants and contracts awarded to the most prestigious public universities typically amount to hundreds of millions of dollars each year. There is also great variation in the level of support from the states. State universities with large research budgets typically receive 10 to 30 percent of their budgets from the state in which they are located. The remaining portion of their budget comes from tuition and fees, grants/contracts, and gifts.

Some traditions of public universities in the United States are quite different from those in other countries. Even at these state-supported institutions, students have traditionally paid for part of their education through tuition and fees, and these costs to students are increasing. Today the average student takes out loans in order to help pay for his or her education. Private fundraising plays an increasingly important role in funding projects, scholarships, and positions at public universities. Finally, intercollegiate athletics attract intense interest from students, alumni, and members of the general public, and athletic events generate additional revenue.

Small Liberal Arts Colleges

Small Liberal Arts Colleges are undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. Generally, a full-time, four-year course of study at a liberal arts college leads students to a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.

They are known for being residentialand for havingsmaller enrollment,class size, andteacher-student ratiosthanuniversities. The colleges are eithercoeducational,women’s colleges, ormen’s colleges. Some arehistorically black colleges. Some are alsosecular (or not affiliated with a particular religion)while others are involved inreligious education. Many areprivate. The focus is on the student, not the faculty; he/sheis heavily involved in his/herown education. There are no passive ears; students and faculty work so closely together, they even coauthor publications. Teaching is an act of love. There is not only a mentor relationship in class but professors become hiking companions, intramural teammates, dinner companions, and friends. Learning is collaborative rather than competitive; values are central; there is a strong sense of community. They are places of great synergy, where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. Aspirations are raised, young people are empowered.

Technical institutes

These are schools specializing mainly in engineering and sciences and particularly noted for research and graduate programs.

The undergraduate colleges of these schools also offer a variety of liberal arts courses along with their technical subjects.

Among the USA technical instututions are the Massachussets Institute of Technology, California Polytechnic Institute, Georgea Institute of Tecnology, Worcester Polytechnic Istitute and others.

Denominatinal or religiously-affiliated schools

These are the higher educational establishments formed and administered by religious groups and organizations. They are not limited in admission, however, to memebers of the religious group concerned. Among the schools in category are Notre Dame and Georgetown (Catholic), Brandeeis and Yeshiva (Jewish), Brigham Young (Mormon), Southern Metodist University (Methodist), Earlham (Quaker).

Community colleges

Community colleges are two year, Associate Degree-granting collegesthat offer a wide range of undergraduate courses. Ifonewishes, after two years,onecan transfer to an American university to complete an additional two years and achieve a Bachelor’s Degree. Community colleges combinegood academic credentialswithexcellent facilities. Academic instruction takes place in classes which average around 25 students, with teaching provided by professors who are dedicated to student success.

A number of important factors help account for the success of community colleges. The first is cost. Community colleges are less expensive to build, maintain and operate. Generally community college campuses are spartan and functional. Few have student residences or athletic teams and stadia; a cafeteria and bookstore housed in a portion of an academic building often substitute for the multi-storied student union buildings that are common on four-year and university campuses.

With reduced infrastructure and personnel costs, community colleges charge substantially less tuition. On average in 1995-96, community college in-state tuition was 44 percent of that at four-year public institutions ($1,245 compared to $2,848).

In addition to low tuition, a second factor fostering the growth of enrollment at community colleges is geographic access. Many community college systems were designed to bring higher education within reach of commuter students who work part-time.