Almost 130 US institutions – including many top Ivy League universities – are preparing to market themselves in the UK amid rising demand for places during the economic downturn.

Experts said thousands of students were considering courses in the US following concerns that the intense competition for British undergraduate courses this summer will be repeated in 2011.

In some cases, students are being tempted by generous bursaries and scholarships worth more than £20,000 that are not available in this country.

According to figures, some 8,700 students took courses on the other side of the Atlantic last year and it is believed numbers could swell further next summer.

The disclosure came ahead of a major US college recruitment fair in London this weekend.

Some 127 American universities, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, John Hopkins University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will attempt to recruit British students as part of the biggest event of its kind in Europe.

The US-UK Fulbright Commission, which stages the event, reported a sharp increase in students seeking courses at American universities, with more than 3,100 people registering for the event so far.

Lauren Welch, director of Fulbright’s advisory service, said: “With places at British universities in short supply this year and concern that they will be again next year, more and more students are considering studying in the USA.

“Website traffic doubled after clearing and we have a record number of visitors registered for our college day fair.”

This year, record numbers of students were rejected from British universities following a huge rise in applications combined with an effective freeze on new places.

Up to 180,000 may have missed out on courses and it is feared that competition will be more fierce next year as university budgets are slashed due to public sector spending cuts.

Norman Renshaw, managing director of InTuition Scholarships, a consultancy specialising in American university courses, said growing numbers of students were considering studying in the US.

Since mid-August the organisation has received 374 inquiries, he said, compared with 250 in the same period last year.

Almost a third were seeking sports scholarships, although there was also “strong growth in straight academic course applicants looking to take a liberal arts degree in the US”, he said.

Some top independent schools have also reported a rise in the number of students being attracted to American universities.

Andrew Halls, headmaster of King’s College School, Wimbledon, said six students had taken up places at institutions including Duke University, Princeton and Harvard this year.

“Our numbers have been growing and I think they will increase further as tuition fees in this country rise in the next few years,” he said. “Some of our students who have gone to American universities have been amazed with the facilities and the interest shown in them by academics, which I don’t think they would have got at a European university.”

Other schools including St Paul’s, west London, Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Wellington College, Berkshire, are sending more students to US universities, it has been reported.
--By Graeme Paton,21 Sep 2010