Applications for Study USA Now Open

How would you fancy spending a year studying at a college or university in the USA on a generously funded scholarship worth £50,000?   If your answer is ‘Yes please!’, then you might want to give serious consideration to applying to the Study USA programme.

Each year between 50-60 students from Northern Ireland colleges and universities participate in the Study USA programme, which has been running since 1994. The British Council works in partnership with over 140 institutions across the United States of America, spread across many states - giving students the chance to experience the huge cultural and geographical diversity of the USA.

Higher Education students studying at Further Education colleges across Northern Ireland, including students studying at SERC, are being encouraged to take advantage of this life-changing opportunity by applying for Study USA. The closing date for applicants from FE Colleges: 23:59 on Sunday 4 January 2026.  

SERC students studying a full-time HND or Foundation Degree course at SERC should apply in their first year and students studying a full-time undergraduate degree programme should apply in their second year.  

Students can choose what they study during the year including a combination of subjects related to their home discipline, as well as classes in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Communications, Marketing and Modern Languages.  You can find further details at Study USA - SERC.

Main picture above left: Kacper Szewczyk (19), a SERC student on the Foundation Degree in Cloud Computing Technologies (Validated by The Open University) at Downpatrick Campus, was selected for the Study USA scholarship programme this year. Kacper, from Ballynahinch, will spend the next year studying at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania as part of an opportunity of a lifetime. The generous scholarship package includes accommodation on campus, a full meal plan, tuition fees, book allowance, flights and a £1,000 bursary.