Destinations / North America
United States
Research depth, assistantships and the widest employer market
The system
For research-intensive fields the United States is still without a real rival — the funding, the laboratories and the density of people working on the same problem are simply larger.
It is also the least predictable system we advise on. Funding is decided department by department, and the route from student status to long-term work status depends partly on a lottery. That unpredictability is manageable, but it has to be planned for honestly rather than hoped past.
Where the opportunity is
Computing and AI research, biotechnology, finance, and graduate assistantships that substantially offset tuition in research programmes.
Working there
Fast, direct and explicitly performance-measured. Ambition is stated openly and networking is a normal part of the job.
Living there
Enormous regional variation — a campus town in the Midwest and downtown San Francisco are barely the same country in cost or pace.
FAQ United States
Are assistantships realistic for a masters student?
In research-oriented programmes, often yes — teaching and research assistantships can cover a large share of tuition. In professional and course-based masters they are much rarer. The distinction matters enormously to the total cost.
How much does the work-visa lottery affect planning?
Enough that we plan around it rather than for it. Longer practical training in STEM fields gives more attempts, and we keep a second country in the roadmap for candidates who need certainty.
/ Also covered
Start with an assessment
An hour, your documents, and a straight answer about which routes are realistic. If we do not think we can help, we will say so and there is nothing to pay.