Although more than half of the worlds top 200 universities are located in the US and UK, the university education systems are quite different. The main differences I would say are:

Costs- In both countries, university simply isn’t cheap and in the US is even higher than the UK. However it's important to note that the system is different between England and Scotland. In the UK universitiy tuition fees in England can cost upto around £9000, while in the north of the country in Scotland tuition fees are free, and can be covered by a student bursary via SAAS. Students in England can also apply to SAAS, however only for student loans, which don’t automatically cover the tuition fee as it does in Scotland. In the US, state university fees are around $9,600. Ofcourse, if the university is private, one can pay anything up to $22,000 or more.

University Organization In the UK, students enrol into a degree programe and it is very focused on that subject, ie Business will be all business related modules taken. In the US, the students enrol to the larger university and are to take courses from a variety of fields and subjects known as ‘electives’. There is more of an emphasis therefore on the breadth of education in the US, while in the UK it is very focused on depth, and getting a full understanding of the chosen study programe.

Length of time In the US it generally takes longer to complete courses than it does in the UK. For example:

• BA degree – 4 years
• MA degree – 2 years
• PhD – 5-7 years or more

In the UK however:

• BA – 3 years
• MA – 1 year
• PhD – 3 years

One seems to be targeted at providing a leaning towards a liberal society, the other towards producing an economic powerhouse.

One seems to be more direct in its promotion of nationalism...scenes of American classrooms always seem to include a sight of the US flag and I believe that there is an oath of allegiance stated by school children every morning?

Some of the elite education in the UK is based around morals and teachings that the classics teach...so scripts and literary teachings of the Greek and Latin ancient classic scholars...

There is a strong leaning within the US collegiate system towards a sports stream for those not particular academic or those that prefare such a path. The US college Basketball and American Football matches have tens of thousands in the stadium watching/supporting a hugh TV audiences too

The Times Higher Education report says that more than half of the world’s top international universities are situated either in The UK or in the USA. However, it could be very difficult to weight the educational system up between these two continents. Both of the continents have rich tradition and multiple cultural aspects that influence its higher education systems. Also, they have highly skilled professional faculties and flexible administrative system, but thin lines are there between the American and British system of education.