Oxbridge, St Andrews/Edinburgh judge you on academics only which makes it difficult for those (like me) that don’t get like straight A**s in standardized tests and don’t necessarily love public exams. They’re also quite narrow in terms of course content which isn’t great as I want to have a broader range of content to learn and then decide my future path, plus also the US is 4 years whereas the UK is 3.
In terms of rankings QS or Times Higher Education Rankings is what employers around the world often go by
Employers in the US do not use rankings. They refer to what each individual has achieved - and ofc at some universities with more resources per student each individual is supported very well whereas at large universities that may have a higher QS rank it isn’t so. (QS isn’t really relevant for undergrads since a lot depends on faculty research output - more relevant for grad students). That being said I understand that ranking matters in some countries.
If you’re in the UK, with 3 A/A*, your odds of getting into the highest ranked British universities are very good (you need AAA for most programs+ passing a thorough knowledge-based exam). Scottish universities are 4 year long and allow some electives.
Anything with an acceptance rate 25% and under is a reach for everyone.
QS for the US assuming A*AA, full pay, and Humanities or Political Science major would make:
Penn State Liberal Arts is a safety (Schreyer possible/selection process well suited to your A Levels; Paterno Fellow guaranteed/look into Polisci with a SODA minor???)
UWisconsin Madison is a match (L&S Honors likely)
UC Davis is a match (UHP uncertain, not sure Regents is commonly offered to Internationals and it’s the main selection avenue for UHP)
tOSU, Ohio, is a safety, as is either the PSL or the IA Scholars program, Arts&Science Honors possible.
ASU Barrett is a safety (one of the best Honors Colleges in the US along with Schreyer, USC Columbia, and Plan II at UT)
However, to give American readers an idea of how bonkers the QS rankings are for undergrads, ASU (just ASU, not Barrett) ranks higher than Emory.
7 is an A (with 8 and 9 distinguishing the top 8-10% and top 2% in the country, roughly). 6 is a US A-/B+, 5 is a US B , 4 is a US C, 3 a D, 2 and 1 failing. Prep books are clearly labelled “aiming for a 5” or “aiming for an 8”. Universities use that as their estimation of broad general knowledge and, depending on the University, typically want a 4 or a 5 in English and Maths.
Then students take 3 (or 4) specialized subjects and study just these 3 for about 8 hours each a week for 2 years. Some subjects include some combinations (ie., Economics includes some math, although for Economics at University level one must have both A level Maths and A Level Economics; Media Studies include several subjects…) These are graded A* or A for the top marks (highest results) to E or F, where D is passing but rarely sufficient for a university, though their entrance requirements may be 4 in maths&English GCSE+ CC at A levels, ie., 2 out of 3 subjects passed with a C (a British C is similar to an American B) with the assumption the 3rd one was lower.
A string of 8s and 9s is remarkable.
Most of the schools I posted in #16 would probably be $77k or less, with the exceptions of most of the “Lowest Probability” schools.
Most of the schools I listed do have a certain degree of prestige to them, at least in the U.S. If you’re looking for something more internationally known, then perhaps a U. of Wisconsin or U. of Michigan or Penn State? The world rankings lists seem to have a fondness for big state schools in addition to private schools that will be in excess of $77k.
You can look up the cost of attendance on any college website. Do a search for “cost of attendance” on the college site. You will easily be able to see the costs. Since you are international, you will have to add in the cost of health insurance and your travel costs…neither of which will be included for most colleges.
Pittsburgh is within my range but a lot of the others on the list you gave me are like 80k or 90k for estimated cost which is a bit tricky. So I was just wondering whether you knew any other suitable schools
My short list only had a few schools. Look at the list @AustenNut provided…and also their response about the costs. And mine…about how easy it is to look up the cost of attendance on college websites.
Are you asking for additional colleges with a price point of $77,000 a year…or less?
Let’s assume 75k a year.
That amount would include most public universities outside de UCs including all flagships (University of Massachusetts Amherst, SUNY Binghamton, Penn State University Park, UMaryland, Indiana University, UMN twin cities, William&Mary, UWashington, UOregon…) often with Honors College.
UVA, UNC, UT (Austin) restrict how many Oos and international applicants can be admitted but you can look up “cost of attendance” and see if they’d be within budget, in case you are among the lucky few admitted from outside the State.
If you’re interested in California, while UCs wd be out of budget, SDSU Honors or Cal Poly SLO would work and you could hope for a merit scholarship at Santa Clara or Occidental.
You could apply to Fordham or American University but would need a merit scholarship - those would be very good for your interests and merit scholarships aren’t unlikely.