Sixty-one state school students from around the UK will be starting their degrees at universities across the Atlantic this autumn including three at Harvard, three at Yale and five at Princeton. This is close to a three-fold increase on the success of last year’s pilot Sutton Trust programme, which resulted in 21 students accepting places at US universities.

Details of all 61 students were released as they met US Ambassador Matthew Barzun at a reception at Winfield House, his London residence on Wednesday 4th June. The reception celebrated the students’ achievements and the success of the US Programme run by the Sutton Trust and US-UK Fulbright Commission.

The majority of students going to the US (60%), come from households with an income of less than £25,000 per annum. In total they have secured over £8.2 million ($14m) in financial aid from US universities and scholarship programmes.  The average student will receive about £138,500 ($234,000) in financial aid over the course of their four years at university. These generous financial aid packages will meet the students’ need for tuition and living costs.

The students will be enrolling at 37 different US colleges. Over a quarter (28%) will be going to Ivy league universities  and nearly a third (32%) will be attending one of the top ten US universities or liberal arts colleges. The US institutions range from Williams College in New England to Pomona College on the west coast and Emory University in the south.

In 2013, 150 students participated in the second year of the US Programme. They spent a week living on campus at either the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or Yale University and visited other US institutions. The students also received extensive support from the US-UK Fulbright Commission before and after the summer school, including help with the application process.

This summer, 175 students will attend Sutton Trust summer schools during August at Harvard, Yale and MIT.

Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: “The success of the US programme has significantly exceeded our expectations and really struck a chord with UK students and schools, as well as American Universities.  These new results are a sign that more young people from low and middle income homes are‎ making informed choices about their futures – considering top US universities alongside their UK counterparts, just as those from affluent backgrounds have been doing. It is great to see that our US programme has enabled so many more state school students to access top American universities. “

J Jeffry Louis, Chairman of the US-UK Fulbright Commission, said: “To have the number of students heading to the US nearly triple in one year is a testament both to the quality of this programme in supporting them through the application process and also to the desire of US universities to have bright, state educated UK students on their campuses. We hope their success will inspire other British young people to study in the US and demonstrate that American higher education is within their reach.”

Gemma Collins, a student at The Blackpool Sixth Form College and the first person in her family to attend university, will be going to Harvard University this autumn. She said:

 “The Sutton Trust programme was the catalyst that gave me the confidence and resources to accomplish something that was just a dream this time last year.  The programme has been invaluable, providing me with support, knowledge, experience, advice and encouragement. The friendships and memories I have made will undoubtedly last me a lifetime, and I know that thanks to this amazing programme there will be many more to come!”

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. View the biographies of all the Sutton Trust US Programme 2013-14 participants who have accepted places at US universities.

2. The Sutton Trust is a foundation set up in 1997, dedicated to improving social mobility through education. It has published over 140 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. For more information, visit www.suttontrust.com.

3. 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, as well as an Advisory Service and is the government recognised source of information on US higher education in the UK. For more information, visit www.fulbright.org.uk.

4. The Sutton Trust has run summer schools in the UK since 1997. Summer schools 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.

5. The eight Ivy league universities are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University. The national and liberal arts rankings can be found here:http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings