Sutton Trust students get places at US unis

42 British state school students from low and moderate-income backgrounds have won places to study at top US universities through the Sutton Trust US Programme, run in conjunction with the US-UK Fulbright Commission, it was announced today. They will join over 250 Sutton Trust alumni already studying in the States.

Georgia-Leigh Hewitt, 18, from the College Merthyr Tydfil, has been offered a place at NYU Abu Dhabi. She is among the first in her family to go to university and the first from her school to apply to a US university.

The 42 students, who come from across the country, have won places at 31 different institutions, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia. 76% of the students will be the first in their family to go to university and 62% are from households that earn less than £25,000 a year. Between them, they have already been offered a total of approximately $11m of financial aid from the universities over the next four years.

The students have applied via the early admissions deadline. More will be applying through the regular January deadline and will find out if they have been successful later this spring.

Last year 150 students were selected for the programme, which included a summer school in the US at either Yale University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They competed with over 1,000 applicants to win a place on the programme and spent a week living on campus and visiting many other US universities.

The students benefited from residential activities and received an intensive programme of support, delivered by the US-UK Fulbright Commission over several months before and after their US visit, which covered admission tests, college choices and the application process.

The aim of the Sutton Trust US Programme is to encourage academically talented British students from low and moderate-income homes to consider studying at American universities.

The biographies for all admitted students and scholarship finalist admitted in the early round can be found online.

Support for the US Programme was provided in part by a grant from the Robertson Foundation.

The programme is also made possible through support from its founding corporate partner, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, as well as Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing who have generously supported the programme since its launch. The programme is also supported by Jerry del Missier, Martin and Antoinette Sullivan, The Neuberger Berman Foundation and EducationUSA.

Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust and chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“America’s leading universities are bastions of progressive values and outstanding education. Their campuses are welcoming places for international students, whatever country or social background they come from.

“I’m delighted that 42 state school students have won places to study in the States. They will benefit from a broad and varied curriculum as well as in-depth study and generous funding for both tuition and living costs.

“I hope more young people will look to their success and realise that a university education in the States is well within their grasp.”

Penny Egan CBE, Executive Director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission, said:

“These results echo the wider continuing upward trend of British students choosing US universities for their undergraduate studies. American universities offer an experience that is very different to that of a UK university and are actively looking for students from diverse backgrounds from across the UK to join their next intake. We are proud that this programme is successfully tapping into this demographic and giving these young people the chance of a lifetime.”

Applications for this year’s programme close on 14 January and can be completed online (http://us.suttontrust.com)

The US Programme is based on the Sutton Trust’s successful flagship programme in the UK which now runs at 11 leading British universities and has benefited over ten thousand state school students.  Applications for the UK programme are also open now until March 2018 at www.suttontrust.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

• The Sutton Trust is a foundation set up in 1997, dedicated to improving social mobility through education. It has published over 200 research studies and funded and evaluated programmes that have helped hundreds of thousands of young people of all ages, from early years through to access to the professions.
• The US-UK Fulbright Commission is a not-for-profit organisation funded by both governments to promote educational exchange between the US and the UK. The Commission offers prestigious awards for postgraduate study and research in the US, and is part of the EducationUSA network, offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at accredited higher education institutions in the USA.
• The Sutton Trust has run UK summer schools since 1997. They offer young people from low and moderate income backgrounds in year 12 – mostly 17 year-olds – a chance to get a taste of student life at a research-led university. The programme balances busy academic days with social activities and has been successful in encouraging bright state school students from low and middle income families to study at the most selective universities in Britain.
• Results from the first five cohorts include over 250 students enrolled at 57 different universities across 18 states and an American university abroad, accessing approximately $68 million in financial aid.
• At Bank of America Merrill Lynch, employees are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. The firm delivers on this through responsible growth with a focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across the business and reflects how the firm helps fuel the global economy, builds trust and credibility, and represents a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace created for its employees, the responsible products and services offered to clients, and the impact the firm makes around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with not-for-profits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organisations, to bring together collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect on Twitter @BofAML.
• The biographies for all admitted students and scholarship finalists can be found online at: http://bit.ly/EarlyAdmissionBios2018)