The Student Room Group

Mature Students - USA Ivy League universities?

Are there any Mature Students in their late 20s to mid 30s at Ivy League universities in the USA, doing Undergraduate degrees?

Or is it better to stay in the UK? :smile:
Reply 1
Regardless of where you go or to what country, you will find students of all ages. I once had a friend who started their undergrad at 28.
Original post by thegeek888
Are there any Mature Students in their late 20s to mid 30s at Ivy League universities in the USA, doing Undergraduate degrees?

Or is it better to stay in the UK? :smile:


you will find some, but it is rare. there’s often special programs for mature students. i’d guess it’s much more socially acceptable/ common the UK, at top unis here it’s not much of a thing.
Original post by thegeek888
Are there any Mature Students in their late 20s to mid 30s at Ivy League universities in the USA, doing Undergraduate degrees?

Or is it better to stay in the UK? :smile:


Plenty of older students studying postgraduate degrees in the US, but not really undergraduate degrees, especially not international students. Their system has only recently discovered gap years, so it's much rarer to be a mature student, although it does happen at lower tier universities.
I know Yale has the Eli Whitney scholarship service specifically for mature students, so there is certainly mature students there - though probably not many. If I were you I'd have a go at applying in the UK and the US, though you'd have to wait for the next application cycle it means you have plenty of time to research and prepare.
Reply 5
I've decided to apply as a Mature student in my 30s to Cambridge University and London University: LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS for Law. :smile:

I will consider doing an MBA and LLM at Harvard, Stanford, Pennsylvania Wharton, Dartmouth, Columbia, MIT, NYU and Yale. :wink:
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by thegeek888
I've decided to apply as a Mature student in my 30s to Cambridge University and London University: LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS for Law. :smile:
I will consider doing an MBA and LLM at Harvard, Stanford, Pennsylvania Wharton, Dartmouth, Columbia, MIT, NYU and Yale. :wink:

You got in?
Reply 7
Original post by thegeek888
I've decided to apply as a Mature student in my 30s to Cambridge University and London University: LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS for Law. :smile:
I will consider doing an MBA and LLM at Harvard, Stanford, Pennsylvania Wharton, Dartmouth, Columbia, MIT, NYU and Yale. :wink:

Any updates on the outcome if you don't mind sharing?
Reply 8
I have not applied yet. Because I need to do my A-Levels and for that, I have to save up for the exam entries and some academic resources for French, German and Spanish.

I will be starting the A-Levels in September 2025 and sit Maths in June 2026 and Further Maths, French, Spanish and German in 2026. So I will not apply to St. John's College, Oxford and London: LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS until October 2027. Because I will apply post A-Level with my certificates and stand a much higher chance of being accepted.

St. John's College, Oxford has just about 10 applicants per place, but I am mature and have different kinds of other interests which I can put on the UCAS form.

SOAS is AAA and so is Oxford AAA, so I am hopeful of securing Oxford and SOAS offers but LSE, UCL and KCL are complete lotteries but there is a chance.

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