United States: Higher Education

Higher Education

Overview

Information on key aspects of a country’s education system, including governance, instructional language, and other structural features defined by national or regional regulations.

Ministry Responsible

State and territorial governments, U.S. Department of Education (ED)

Language of Instruction

English

Academic Calendar

2 semesters (14 to 20 weeks each)

Fall semester: August to December

Spring semester: January to May

Quality Assurance and Accreditation

The principal quality assurance and accreditation bodies.

Higher education institutions are authorized to operate by their state or territorial government. Independent accreditation is provided for individual institutions and programs through a variety of independent bodies authorized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Accreditation is generally required for institutions to be able to receive federal student aid.

Admissions

No.	Institution Type	Entrance Examination	Administering Body
1	All public and private universities (undergraduate)	SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)	College Board
2	All public and private universities (undergraduate)	ACT (American College Test)	ACT, Inc.
3	Selective liberal arts and private universities (subset)	CLT (Classic Learning Test)	Classic Learning Initiatives
4	International applicants (universities)	TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)	Educational Testing Service (ETS)
5	International applicants (universities)	IELTS (International English Language Testing System)	British Council IDP: IELTS Australia Cambridge Assessment English
6	Medical colleges	MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)	Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
7	Law schools	LSAT (Law School Admission Test)	Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
8	Graduate schools (general)	GRE (Graduate Record Examination)	Educational Testing Service (ETS)
9	Business schools (MBA)	GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)	Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)

Institutions

Types and number of officially recognized institutions providing secondary education.

No.	Institution Type	Number of Institutions	Qualifications Offered	Quality Assurance and Accreditation
1	Public 4‑year institutions	782 (2022/23)	Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Doctoral degree	Accrediting agencies recognized by: the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
2	Private nonprofit 4‑year institutions	1,536 (2022/23)	Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Doctoral degree	Accrediting agencies recognized by: the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
3	Private for‑profit 4‑year institutions	310 (2022/23)	Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Doctoral degree	Accrediting agencies recognized by: the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
4	Public 2-year institutions	817 (2022/23)	Associate degree Certificate	Accrediting agencies recognized by: the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
5	Private nonprofit 2-year institutions	78 (2022/23)	Associate degree Certificate	Accrediting agencies recognized by: the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
6	Private for-profit 2-year instititutions	373 (2022/23)	Associate degree Certificate	Accrediting agencies recognized by: the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Academic Qualifications

Not all awards or study patterns are included.

No.	Degree Name	Admissions Requirements	Length of Program	Graduation Requirements	Post-graduation Pathways
1	Associate of Arts Associate of Science	High school diploma	2 years	60 to 64 credits	Access to: bachelor’s degree (transfer)
2	Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Commerce	High school diploma SAT or ACT sometimes required (varies by institution)	4 years	120 to 128 credits	Access to: postgraduate diploma master’s degree
3	Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Nursing Bachelor of Pharmacy	High school diploma Mathematics and science prerequisites SAT or ACT sometimes required (varies by institution)	4 to 5 years	120 to 160 credits Labs and clinical rotation	Access to: licensure examinations (NCLEX for nursing, Professional Engineer for engineering) graduate study
4	Doctor of Medicine	Bachelor’s degree with pre‑medical coursework (biology, chemistry, physics) Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)	4 years, and 3 to 7 years residency	Coursework Clinical rotations United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)	Access to: medical licensure specialization through residency/fellowship
5	Doctor of Veterinary Medicine	Bachelor’s degree with pre‑veterinary coursework Graduate Record Examination (GRE) often required	4 years	Coursework Clinical rotations North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)	Access to: veterinary licensure specialization
6	Doctor of Dental Surgery Doctor of Dental Medicine	Bachelor’s degree with pre‑dental coursework Dental Admission Test (DAT)	4 years	Coursework Clinical rotations National Board Dental Examinations	Access to: dental licensure specialization
7	Doctor of Pharmacy	2 years of undergraduate coursework (biology, chemistry, mathematics) Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) optional	4 years	Coursework Clinical rotations North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX)	Access to: pharmacist licensure specialization
8	Juris Doctor	Bachelor’s degree Law School Admission Test (LSAT)	3 years	Coursework in law Moot court Bar exam eligibility	Access to: legal practice upon passing state bar examination
9	Graduate Certificate Post‑Baccalaureate Diploma	Bachelor’s degree	1 year	12 to 24 credits	Access to: master’s degree professional advancement
10	Master of Arts Master of Science Master of Business Administration Master of Education	Bachelor’s degree Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)	1 to 2 years	30 to 60 credits Thesis or capstone (varies by program)	Access to: doctoral degree career advancement
11	Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Education Doctor of Psychology	Master’s degree or bachelor’s degree Graduate Record Examination (GRE) often required	3 to 7 years	Coursework Comprehensive exams Dissertation and oral defense	Access to: academic careers research advanced professional practice

Technical Qualifications

Not all awards or study patterns are included.

No.	Degree Name	Admissions Requirements	Length of Program	Graduation Requirements	Post-graduation Pathways
1	Technical Certificate / Diploma in: automotive technology culinary arts HVAC welding, etc.	High school diploma or GED Placement tests may also be required	6 months to 2 years	9 to 45 credits Hands‑on training	Access to: associate degree (stackable) employment
2	Associate of Applied Science	High school diploma Open admission at many community colleges	2 years	60 to 70 credits Applied labs	Access to: Bachelor of Applied Science (transfer) employment in healthcare, IT, business)
3	Associate of Applied Technology Associate of Occupational Studies	High school diploma Mathematics and science prerequisites (for technical fields)	2 years	60 to 72 credits Technical training	Access to: bachelor’s degree (transfer) employment in skilled trades, technology
4	Registered Nursing Diploma (hospital‑based programs)	High school diploma Biology and chemistry course prerequisites Entrance examination (for some programs)	2 to 3 years	Coursework Supervised clinical rotations NCLEX‑RN licensure examination	Access to: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Registered Nurse licensure employment in healthcare
5	Bachelor of Applied Science Bachelor of Applied Technology	Associate degree or equivalent technical credits	4 years (including transfer credits)	120 to 128 credits Capstone project	Access to: graduate study (limited) supervisory/management roles in technical fields
6	Postgraduate Professional Certificate / Diploma, such as: Advanced Technical Certificate Graduate Certificate in Applied Technology	Bachelor’s degree, or Higher Technical Diploma	1 to 1.5 years	12 to 24 credits Practicum	Access to: career specialization professional advancement

Grading System

Examples of the most commonly used grading scales.

No.	Letter Grades	Grade Points
1	A	4.00
2	A-	3.67
3	B+	3.33
4	B	3.00
5	B-	2.67
6	C+	2.33
7	C	2.00
8	C-	1.67
9	D+	1.33
10	D	1.00
11	D-	0.67
12	F	0.00

Enrollment

Total Enrollment

Total enrollment in a specific level of education, regardless of age.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Gross Enrollment Ratio

Total enrollment in a specific level of education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the eligible official school-age population corresponding to the same level of education in a given school year.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

International Benchmarks

Academic Ranking of World Universities

United States

183 institutions in the top 1,000

Global Rank

2 of 63

Source: ShanghaiRanking Consultancy

QS World University Rankings

United States

135 institutions in the top 1,000

Global Rank

1 of 90

Source: QS Quacquarelli Symonds

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

United States

149 institutions in the top 1,000

Global Rank

1 of 74

Source: Times Higher Education

Higher Education

Overview

State and territorial governments, U.S. Department of Education (ED)

English

2 semesters (14 to 20 weeks each) Fall semester: August to December Spring semester: January to May

Quality Assurance and Accreditation

Admissions

Institutions

Academic Qualifications

Technical Qualifications

Grading System

Enrollment

Total Enrollment

Gross Enrollment Ratio

International Benchmarks

Academic Ranking of World Universities

183 institutions in the top 1,000

2 of 63

QS World University Rankings

135 institutions in the top 1,000

1 of 90

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

149 institutions in the top 1,000

1 of 74

2 semesters (14 to 20 weeks each)

Fall semester: August to December

Spring semester: January to May