University Life

The United States provides higher education to as many people as possible, and as a result, a large proportion of Americans demonstrating a wide range of abilities pursue higher education. Institutions of higher education include community colleges, which offer two-year degrees at the undergraduate level, colleges, which offer a full four-year undergraduate degree program, and universities, which offer both undergraduate and graduate education. There are also institutions for vocational and technical training. Approximately 26 percent of the U.S. adult population over 25 years of age has a college degree. As students advance through the higher educational system, the academic program becomes increasingly specialized.

The U.S. higher education system may be quite different from that of your home country. There is no central ministry of education; institutions exercise considerable autonomy in determining their academic procedures and policies. In fact, the way different professors conduct their classes varies considerably within a given university. There are, however, characteristics common to most colleges and universities in the United States, including NYU.

Learn more
Back