What should your Application Strategy be? A table snapshot comparing UK & US university admissions

The way you approach your applications would depend on what universities you are applying to. In general, students looking to apply to UK universities would focus on academics and building subject-specific knowledge; students applying to US universities would focus on crafting unique application profiles.

	UK	US
Holistic admission vs. Grades	​Admissions are based on grades, although in recent years, Oxford and Cambridge have been focusing more on holistic admissions	​Holistic admissions. Admissions are based on academic performance, standardized testing, Extra-circular activities, personal experience/ motivation
Conditional offers vs. Unconditional offers	Common for UK universities to issue conditional offers based upon students' A-level/ IB results	US colleges evaluate 4-years of academic record at the time of admission. For A-level/ IB candidates, colleges only look at expected A-level/ IB grades Admission offers are usually unconditional
UCAS vs. Common Application	Personal statement articulating why you'd like to study a particular course or subject Do not discuss individual institutions	Essays are very personal. It's about your identity, your values, your life experience Supplement Essays to discuss why you want to attend the university you're applying to
Admission Tests / Standardized Tests	​Most UK universities (except Oxbridge) and courses don't require admissions tests Most courses at Oxford or Cambridge require an admission test UCAT or BMAT for Medicine	Either SAT or ACT (but some colleges are test-optional/ test-blind)

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