University of Groningen

The University of Groningen is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands, founded in 1614 the university ranks amongst the top 100 universities in the world. We are a research intensive institution offering a wide range of highly regarded bachelor, master and PhD programmes in all fields, completely in English. Currently we have a student body of 30,000 - almost 5,000 of which are international. We are proud to have won the prestigious International Student Satisfaction Excellent Award for the last two years running.

Many international students are attracted to Groningen predominantly for the world class education offered at the university however, our location is second to none. Groningen is the Netherland’s best kept secret, based in Northeast of the country, approximately 2 hours by train from Schiphol Airport, the city is home to almost 200,000 people with one in four being a student and 50% of the population being under the age of 35! Groningen is a buzzing student city and a very safe place to live, as soon as you arrive at you’ll notice the youthful, safe, fun vibe of the city.

Our bachelor graduates  continue their studies by studying a master degree with us in Groningen or at another university around the world. Some individuals will decide to go further still and earn a PhD in their field of expertise. Notable alumni include the first-ever female graduate in the Netherlands and the first Dutch space traveller Wubbo Ockels.

Whatever your journey, by studying at the University of Groningen you’ll be in a strong position to take any path you wish.

National University of Singapore

A leading global university centred in Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore's flagship university, which offers a global approach to education and research with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise.

Its 16 faculties and schools across three campus locations in Singapore – Kent Ridge, Bukit Timah and Outram – provide a broad-based curriculum underscored by multi-disciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. NUS’ transformative education includes programmes such as student exchange, entrepreneurial internships at NUS Overseas Colleges, and double degree and joint degree programmes with some of the world’s top universities, offering students opportunities and challenges to realise their potential. The learning experience is complemented by a vibrant residential life with avenues for artistic, cultural and sporting pursuits. Over 37,000 students from 100 countries further enrich the community with their diverse social and cultural perspectives.

NUS has three Research Centres of Excellence (RCE) and 23 university-level research institutes and centres. It is also a partner for Singapore’s fifth RCE. The University shares a close affiliation with 16 national-level research institutes and centres. Research activities are strategic and robust, and NUS is well-known for its research strengths in engineering, life sciences and biomedicine, social sciences and natural sciences. Major research thrusts have been made recently in several fields such as quantum technology; cancer and translational medicine; interactive and digital media; and the environment and water. The University also strives to create a supportive and innovative environment to promote creative enterprise within its community.

NUS is actively involved in international academic and research networks such as the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU).

University of Washington

The University of Washington is one of the largest and most prestigious higher education institutions on the west coast of the US.

Founded in 1861 as the Territorial University of Washington, the institution expanded with the city of Seattle during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, moving to its current site in 1895.

The 700-acre park-like campus, which borders two lakes in Seattle, is now home to 16 schools and colleges offering courses ranging from undergraduate to doctoral level. The university also has campuses in Bothell and Tacoma which offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

It has a highly respected medical school, offering training in dentistry, medicine and public health, serving medical centres across the Pacific North West and Alaska.

It has traditionally educated students for public service in the region, offering courses in topics such as education, engineering, public affairs and social work.

With an emphasis on outreach and widening opportunities, the university also offers courses through distance learning, and evening classes.

The university is known informally as U-Dub, and its students, sports teams and alumni are often called “Huskies”.

Washington has produced several Nobel laureates, counting four among its alumni and another seven among its faculty. The most recent recipient is alumna Linda Buck, also an affiliate professor at Washington, who won the 2004 medicine prize.

There are eight Pulitzer Prize winners among its alumni, most notably the novelist Marilynne Robinson.

Other notable Washington alumni include MySpace founder Chris DeWolfe, actor Jim Caviezel and martial artist Bruce Lee.

Seattle itself is a city of more than 650,000 people about 100 miles south of the Canadian border, located between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. It is a major centre for technology companies, with headquarters of firms such as Amazon and Microsoft located in the region.

Heidelberg University

Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, is Germany’s oldest university and one of the strongest research universities in Europe. Its successes in both rounds of the Excellence Initiative, a competition to promote top-level research, and in international rankings prove Heidelberg’s excellent reputation and leading role in the scientific community. In terms of educating students and promoting promising young academics, Heidelberg relies on research-based teaching and an outstanding, well-structured training for doctoral candidates. Heidelberg University is a comprehensive university, offering the full spectrum of disciplines in the humanities, law and the social sciences alongside the natural and life sciences, including medicine. It aims to strengthen the individual disciplines and to further interdisciplinary cooperation as well as to carry research results over into society and industry. Research at the university is focused on four major interdisciplinary fields, the molecular and cellular basis of life, structure and pattern formation in the material world, cultural dynamics in globalised worlds and self-regulation and regulation: individuals and organisations. Heidelberg also draws its strength from its cooperation with numerous local non-university research institutions. Heidelberg University is tied into a worldwide network of research and teaching collaborations. Exchange programmes have been established with more than 400 universities worldwide. Heidelberg’s marked global interconnectedness is also evidenced by its 19 university partnerships and several international research training groups.

The ancient university was founded by Rupert I, one of the Holy Roman Empire's Prince-Electors, and it is associated with 11 German and foreign heads of state. In 1890, a natural sciences faculty was added. Today, it has 12 faculties, with more than 13,300 employees, and offers degree programmes in 100 disciplines to around 31,000 students.

McGill University

McGill is the oldest university in Montreal and one of just three English-language universities in Quebec. It is a public research institution that takes its name from Glaswegian merchant, James McGill, whose bequest in 1813 led to the formation of McGill College. In 1829 it was established as the nation’s first faculty of medicine.

The university is made up of 11 faculties, with 11 schools, all housed in 300 buildings. It caters for roughly 40,000 students, 24% of whom come from over 150 countries.  This makes it the most internationally diverse medical-doctoral university in Canada. It offers degrees and diplomas in over 300 areas of study.

McGill has an alumni network of roughly 250,000 living in over 180 countries. These include singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, actor William Shatner and astronaut Dave Williams. It also boasts 12 Nobel Prize winners and 140 Rhodes Scholars, more than any other university in the country.

Eureka moments associated with McGill include the discovery that atoms can be divided, the first map of the brain’s motor cortex, and the invention of Plexiglas.

McGill also lays claim to the invention of modern American football, hockey and basketball.

The main campus of the university is in downtown Montreal at the foot of Mount Royal. Next to the main campus is Milton Parc, an urban area that is home to many of the university’s students. The second campus is 18 miles west of the university in a more rural environment.

McGill has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1926, an organisation comprising the top North American research universities. It is also a founding member of Universitas 21, which is an international network of leading research-intensive institutions that work collaboratively to enhance global reach and encourage international scope.

The university library is made up of 13 smaller branches and holds over six million items in total.

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University is a top-tier global research university and has been a birthplace of innovation since its founding in 1900. Our award-winning faculty is renowned for working closely with students to solve major scientific, technological and societal challenges. Our students are recruited by some of the world’s most successful and innovative companies, from Broadway to Bangalore. Carnegie Mellon puts a strong emphasis on making things, from art to robots. Carnegie Mellon alumni, students, faculty and staff are also encouraged to advance their novel ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. The university ranked first among US institutions in the number of start-up companies created per research dollar spent between 2008 and 2012, according to the Association of University Technology Managers. In addition to US locations in Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley, Carnegie Mellon has a campus in Doha, Qatar, and offers degree programmes in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America. Carnegie Mellon is one of only 25 universities that were invited to be a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global University Leaders Forum. More than 98,000 Carnegie Mellon alumni around the world embody founder Andrew Carnegie’s famous words, “My heart is in the work.”

University of Michigan

A public university founded in 1817, the University of Michigan had a rustic beginning. At its campus in Ann Arbor, west of Detroit, cows owned by the faculty once grazed, and as late as 1845, wheat was grown on site as part of a janitor’s remuneration.

By 1866, the university had become the largest in the country. Now, the University of Michigan is one of the biggest research universities in the United States. It boasts alumni including Gerald Ford, former US president; Larry Page, co-founder of Google; and actor James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader. 

The university’s sporting tradition began in 1865, and its sports teams, collectively known as the Michigan Wolverines, have won more than 50 national championships in 12 sports. Why the wolverine became the university’s mascot is a mystery, as although the nickname caught on in the middle of the 19th century, the first verified sighting of the animal in Michigan state did not occur until 2004.

Michigan’s mission is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through “preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future”. It offers 250 undergraduate majors, 100 doctoral and 200 master’s programmes, as well as more than 1,400 student clubs.

The university has no shortage of bizarre traditions. On campus sits “The Cube”, a huge black object so finely balanced on one corner that students can spin it around despite its great weight. One myth is that the president gives it a push each morning in order to keep the campus running smoothly.

When students first arrive at Michigan they walk through a campus fountain to make them an “official wolverine”. After graduation, they walk the other way through the water, signifying their departure to join the professional world. And don’t step on the brass “M” at the centre of the campus, or exam failure awaits.