More about university study in Europe

Attitudes and expectations of Americans versus Europeans

Royal Dublin Society exam hall for University College Dublin students (photo credit: UCD Estates)

Consider this brief reflection a follow-up to my draft essay of 19 February 2025, directed to an American audience, “University study in Europe.” That post pitched European universities as an alternative to American university study given the ongoing upheaval in federal support for higher education in the US. This note is about some of the differing expectations of American versus European students, based on my observations working at a major Irish university, and from participating in several European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs) that engage most countries in the European Union, the European Research Area, and the European Economic Area.

In Ireland, and in other European countries, most institutions of higher education are state-sponsored. There are significant differences in how the universities function and how they relate to the broader public educational system across the many countries of Europe. But in general there is a clearer sense of continuum between school education and higher education than in the US, where public education in the US is less integrated across the school and university spectrum; where many US students elect to attend university outside of their state jurisdiction; and where a level of prestige is lent to private universities that is seldom attained by private universities in Europe.

In Ireland, for example, one speaks of first, second, third and fourth level education—corresponding generally to primary and secondary school, high school, undergraduate college/university, and graduate or professional school. The Irish nomenclature implies a continuum, a logical progression in education from mandatory public schooling through optional next levels of education at universities and other higher education entities. As a result, Irish students tend to see qualified students’ advancement to university study as a citizen’s right, just as attending public schools are a right of the population. Indeed, as of 2022 a very high percentage—some 63 percent—of Irish students completing their school studies went on to gain an undergraduate degree at an Irish university.¹ (By comparison, as of 2018, 37.7 percent of American high school graduates went on to complete baccalaureate degrees within six years of graduation.² )

Fees for Irish students are very low by American standards, while cost of living is high. The four urban universities in Dublin are only able to offer housing to a relatively small percentage of admitted students, and the housing market is difficult otherwise. Hence many students live at home or in rental accommodations and commute to classes; or, if home is a considerable distance from their university, they may simply choose not to attend most classes and find other means of gaining access to educational amenities and class information (including online courseware and virtual attendance of classes). Assessments are based primarily on examinations, particularly at the end of each academic term (prior years’ exams always seem to be available for consultation).

My observation is that American students are acculturated to view higher education differently. They tend to see attendance at university as a privilege, rather than a citizen’s right. And they tend to see the costs of higher education—apart from living expenses—as a personal rather than a state responsibility. One indicator of this to me, working in Irish higher education, was the number of Americans who sought campus jobs, whereas Irish students seemed to seldom compete for such positions. Yes, the Americans paid higher fees so there might have been some additional incentive to mitigate expense through campus work. But the notion of “work-study” and taking campus jobs is also part of the American culture of higher education, at least for those not privileged financially.

Anecdotally my university colleagues reported that American students were more likely to attend classes and participate than their Irish counterparts. One colleague complained to me that they did not like having American students in their classes as they “dominated” discussions with their eagerness to contribute and to demonstrate engagement. In my own conversations with American students, some stated that they found aspects of the undergraduate experience in Ireland strange—the requirement of declaring one’s academic concentration at the start of one’s course of study (perhaps a necessity where a bachelor’s degree requires only three years of study); they were also perplexed that the concept of a “minor” concentration in a second subject is unknown.

There is also the unfamiliar and intensive focus on end-of-term examinations in the assessment of their academic performance. (University College Dublin, for example, contracts with the Royal Dublin Society for space to conduct final exams, accommodating 2,700 students at a single seating; see photo above.) For Irish students the focus on examinations is familiar after sitting for the “Junior Certificate” and “Leaving Certificate” tests in primary and secondary school; the latter also serves as the university matriculation exam.

The post-graduate experience of graduates from Irish or other European universities is also different. Campus experiences that build loyalty through sporting events, school colours, merchandise and mascots, etc., are generally not prioritised, and alumni programmes that inspire networking and fund-raising are effectively non-existent or much less robust than in North America, depending on jurisdiction, the nature of university funding, and regulatory concerns.

To sum up: American culture forms certain expectations of university study that relate to an individual’s right to education and their responsibility for its costs. Americans may also hold differing expectations with regard to selection of their academic focus—the “major” or “concentration”—and expect the opportunity to explore different possibilities in their first year or two of higher education. And they might be surprised by the emphasis on examinations in assessment of academic performance, given their prior experience and knowledge of how colleges and universities in the US function. Americans contemplating study abroad should at least be aware of these differences when formulating their plans, and choose with awareness of them.

1. Central Statistics Office [Ireland], “Educational Attainment Thematic Report 2022: Key Findings” (28 November 2022) https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-eda/educationalattainmentthematicreport2022/keyfindings (consulted 20 February 2025)

2. “Higher education bubble in the United States,” Wikipedia (updated 19 February 2025) https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Higher_education_bubble_in_the_United_States&action=history (consulted 20 February 2025)