72 British state school pupils will enrol at top US universities this summer after being admitted to top US universities with generous financial aid packages. They were supported through the application process by the Sutton Trust US Programme, run in partnership with the US-UK Fulbright Commission.

The 72 students were part of 150 students selected for the programme, which brings together some of the brightest and most talented UK state school pupils for an 18-month-long journey exploring US higher education and which supports students to apply to US universities. The programme includes a week-long trip to the United States to visit a number of universities and meet admissions officers from colleges across the US.

The students benefited from residential activities and received an intensive programme of support, delivered by the US-UK Fulbright Commission, covering admission tests, college choices and the application process. More than 1,000 people applied for the 150 places on the programme.

The aim of the Sutton Trust US Programme is to encourage academically talented, low and middle income British students to consider studying at American universities. Of the 72 students enrolling this summer, more than three quarters (76%) will be among the first in their family to go to university and more than two thirds (65%) are from households with an income of less than £25,000. They will access around $19.9m in financial aid over the four years of their degrees, or an average of $276,500 per student.

The students have been accepted 47 top universities across the USA including: Barnard College, Middlebury College, University of Chicago, Harvey Mudd College, University of Notre Dame, Denison University, Georgetown University, Bryn Mawr College, University of Richmond, Harvard College, Princeton University, and NYU Abu Dhabi.

The students’ achievements were celebrated at a reception for the 72 students at the US Embassy in London on Thursday 21st June.

“Being on the programme taught me that I didn’t have to choose a single route through my education and into my future. As well as being introduced to a new style of academics, I’ve also begun to appreciate more the value of soft skills and adaptability, all of which I’ll need in my later life. The programme provided me with all the support I needed, and more, to apply for places and funding at top US universities. Without it, I could never have even begun the process.”

Masi Nagdee from Manchester will be going to Princeton University, New Jersey

“The Sutton Trust US Programme has provided me with the closest support network of both students and staff that I could have asked for, and this community has been an invaluable part of my journey. The staff have been overwhelmingly supportive with the guidance and knowledge that they have provided at every step of the way, and I would never have been able to achieve my goal of attending a US institution without their patience, personal advice and expertise. It has meant that an entirely new, and initially very confusing, admissions and education system was essentially ‘unlocked’ for me in a way that could not have been made more accessible.”

Amy Drake from Somerset will be going to Northwestern University, Illinois

Meet all the students going to the US this summer.

Speaking of the students’ success, Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust, said:

“Every year, the Sutton Trust US Programme gives talented teenagers the opportunity to change their lives. The achievements of this cohort, the majority of whom are from backgrounds with family income of less that £40,000, are truly remarkable. 72 out of 150 young people from across the UK have won places at leading American universities and colleges. They’ll take up places at Harvard, MIT, Stanford and Yale, as well as at selective smaller colleges like Barnard and Middlebury. They will benefit from the breadth and depth that these universities offer as well as the invaluable experience gained from living in the States.”

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

“As we mark the US-UK Fulbright Commission’s 70th anniversary year, we are delighted to celebrate in partnership with the Sutton Trust the efforts and achievements of the young people headed to the US later this year. US universities appreciate the diverse skills, ambitions and academic potential of this group of students and their education will continue to build on the special relationship between the US and the UK.”

Applications for next year’s programme will open in November. Students can register their interest now. (http://us.suttontrust.com)

The Sutton Trust US Programme was inspired by 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.

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

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 the official source of information about US study for the UK. It was founded by diplomatic treaty in 1948, to foster intercultural understanding between the USA and the UK through educational exchange. It continues to support Senator Fulbright’s vision through scholarship and summer programmes, enabling British and American citizens to study, research or teach at universities on either side of the Atlantic. As part of the EducationUSA network, the Commissions also offer British students free, accurate, and comprehensive information about opportunities to study at accredited universities in the USA. They organise USA College Day, the largest US university fair in Europe.
  • The Sutton Trust has run UK summer schools since 1997. They offer young people from low and middle 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 260 students enrolled at 57 different universities across 18 states and an American university abroad, accessing approximately $67 million in financial aid.
  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch Environmental, Social and Governance – At Bank of America Merrill Lynch, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make 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 our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter @BofAML. For more company news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom. Click here to register for news email alerts. www.bankofamerica.com
  • In the last 5 years, the number of British students studying for undergraduate degrees has increased by 27%, with 5,779 UK citizens pursuing undergraduate study there in 2016-17 and 11,500 studying at all levels.
  • The biographies for all admitted students and scholarship finalists can be found online at: http://bit.ly/cohort6-biographies
  • The 72 students are:
Name University
Tito Adesanya Columbia University, C. Prescott Davis Scholar
Nikolas Aguilar Princeton University
Ali Ahmed Claremont McKenna College
Aquib Akhtar Connecticut College
Stuart Aldred University of Rochester
Rachael Arkell Grinnell College
Harriet Bailes Georgetown University
Valentine Bailey-Beckett Pomona College
Rebecca Banks Princeton University
Joshua Bissett Franklin & Marshall College
Samuel Blackman Harvard College
Caitlin Burns Smith College
Sam Burton-King Northwestern University
Emma Cairns Duke University
Benjamin Coles Princeton University
L Culling Davidson College
Jordana Deighton Claremont McKenna College
Amy Drake Northwestern University
Francisca Teixeira Middlebury College
Rebecca Gibbons Emory University, Woodruff Scholar
Florence Gill Bennington College
William Gilroy Harvey Mudd College
George Goodfellow Georgia Institute of Technology, Stamps President’s Scholar
Tilly Griffiths Stanford University
Lee Harding Brown University
Jamie Harkin University of Notre Dame, Stamps and Glynn Scholar
Ryan Harper Vanderbilt University
Georgia-Leigh Hewitt New York University Abu Dhabi
Lydia Hewitt Denison University
Jake Horsfall Northwestern University
Andrew Jackson University of Richmond, Bonner Scholar
Holly James Connecticut College
Aleks Jenner St. Olaf College
Oscar Jopp Layafette College
Adam Khan Connecticut College
Hana Khan University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Morehead-Cain Scholar
Syimyk Kyshtoobaev Yale University
Annalise Langdon New York University Abu Dhabi
Naomi-Louise Liesching-Schroder Skidmore College
Bethan Lodge Bryn Mawr College
Hafsah Manzur Bryn Mawr College
John McCambridge Dartmouth College
Darren McCarroll University of Richmond, Presidential Scholar
Catriona McCrory Vanderbilt University
Emmet McGeown Emory University
Aaron Miller Colgate University
Ansar Mirza New York University Abu Dhabi
Keiran  Mitchell Yale University
Mohamed Mohamed Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dayna Mooneegan University of Rochester
Tess Moran Barnard College
Kelly Mwaamba Layafette College
Masi Nagdee Princeton University
Nataly Ojeda Mosquera New York University Abu Dhabi
Oliver Osei-Asibey University of Pennsylvania
Hemal Patel Williams College
Max Pearson Davidson College
Abigail Peters Columbia University, John Jay Scholar
Dolapo Prince Sewanee: The University of the South
Rahim Raja University of Chicago
Elizabeta Ranxburgaj Bryn Mawr College
Otis Skitch Bucknell University
Aisling Smith Denison University
Edward Tranter Swarthmore College
Adam Watson University of Pennsylvania
Cameron Watts Minerva Schools at KGI
Geraint Webb Whitman College
Helen Webley-Brown Washington University in St. Louis, Danforth Scholar
Lola Wheeler Princeton University
Daniel Wilcox Union College
Meredith Winter Minerva Schools at KGI