British boarding schools have long been a popular destination for international students to pursue their secondary education, but recent developments in university admissions now add a further reason why students aspiring to an elite English-speaking university in the UK, USA, Canada or beyond should consider an English boarding school for their secondary or sixth form education.
Data from UCAS, the UK university admissions system, reveals that international students already in the UK are now the top source of international applicants applying to British universities, with boarding students in a very strong position to make excellent UK university applications. As well as having excellent academic credentials in either A Levels or the IB Diploma, these students have been given the additional academic guidance needed to make a success of their university applications. Being part of a system geared to preparing students not only to enter, but also to succeed at, the top British universities gives international students an edge in their applications when they are already studying in the British system.
Increasingly, universities in North America are also looking to the UK as a source of international applicants. The UK now sends more students to study in the United States than any other European country and the annual US University Fair held in London each year is one of the busiest held anywhere outside the US. Recent scandals concerning fraudulent applications to US universities from students educated in Asia, as well as regular concerns about cheating on the SAT, give further cause for concern to universities when assessing applications from students from these countries. As a result, non-British students graduating from schools in the UK with A Levels and the IB are in high demand. Unlike a US High School Diploma, A Levels and IB also give students college level credit at even the most selective US universities, testifying to the rigour of these qualifications.
Importantly, students educated at British boarding schools have more than just excellent academic credentials, they have also already transitioned to the style of learning and interaction required to be successful in an English-speaking education. British boarding schools, through their wide range of extracurricular activities as well as a focus on personal and character skills, also give students the soft skills which universities in the Ivy League and beyond are looking for on top of strong academic results.
It is clear therefore that students who aspire to an elite English-speaking university education will be well served by attending boarding school in the UK, adding another reason to the many others why British boarding schools are an excellent choice for the international student.