Within four years, a quarter of sixth formers at a leading UK independent school will be heading for universities in the United States.
That's the prediction of Anthony Seldon, head of Wellington College in Berkshire.
Dr Seldon, one of the UK's most prominent head teachers, says that ambitious teenagers are looking further afield than ever before in their university choices.
The lure of well-funded US universities, with more broad-based course options, is proving increasingly attractive to youngsters in the UK, he says.
At a recent talk with pupils, he said that about 40% claimed to want to go to US universities, with the expectation that many of these will actually go on to enrol.
This surge in academic wanderlust reflects the experience of the Fulbright Commission, which promotes educational links between the US and UK.
The level of interest is "rising sharply" this year, says commission director Lauren Welch.
They were taken aback when 4,000 students turned up for a US university recruitment fair in London last month - double previous years.
When admissions figures are known in the new year, she expects a spike in applications.
The most recent figures, from this autumn's intake, saw big increases in applications from students in the UK to universities such as Harvard, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.
Students wanting to apply to US universities can take the SAT common entrance test in the UK - and the College Board which runs the test reported a 30% increase in such UK candidates.
The introduction of higher tuition fees at UK universities, up to £9,000 per year, is pushing students to think much harder about their options. It's also changing the balance of what is affordable.
Dr Seldon says that universities in the UK are going to have to take more care about what they're offering in terms of contact hours, subject options and pastoral care. The competition is now global.
He says that for the price of UK fees, students are being offered courses in Hong Kong, with change for the air fares home. There are also pupils looking at universities in Canada, Australia, China, South Africa and in continental Europe, he says.
Budget Harvard
The headline price of US universities can be dauntingly high - the top bracket are above $50,000 (£32,000) per year - but this is often offset by high levels of means-tested financial support.
Harvard spokesman Jeff Neal says the university has seen growing numbers of students from the UK and that families with "low and middle incomes will likely pay no more to send their students to Harvard than to a UK university".
From next year, students at Harvard from families earning below $65,000 (£41,000) per year will not have to pay any tuition fees.
The most competitive US universities, hungry for the most talented students, recruit from around the world, with means-tested support available.
So what's it like to go from a school in England to an Ivy League institution?
Jason Parisi, from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, has started this term at Yale and talks enthusiastically about his experiences.
He says he was drawn by the quality of the course on offer, and the belief that the international experience would give him an advantage in the jobs market when he returned, marking him out from the rest of the graduates.
That's the prediction of Anthony Seldon, head of Wellington College in Berkshire.
Dr Seldon, one of the UK's most prominent head teachers, says that ambitious teenagers are looking further afield than ever before in their university choices.
The lure of well-funded US universities, with more broad-based course options, is proving increasingly attractive to youngsters in the UK, he says.
At a recent talk with pupils, he said that about 40% claimed to want to go to US universities, with the expectation that many of these will actually go on to enrol.
This surge in academic wanderlust reflects the experience of the Fulbright Commission, which promotes educational links between the US and UK.
The level of interest is "rising sharply" this year, says commission director Lauren Welch.
They were taken aback when 4,000 students turned up for a US university recruitment fair in London last month - double previous years.
When admissions figures are known in the new year, she expects a spike in applications.
The most recent figures, from this autumn's intake, saw big increases in applications from students in the UK to universities such as Harvard, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.
Students wanting to apply to US universities can take the SAT common entrance test in the UK - and the College Board which runs the test reported a 30% increase in such UK candidates.
The introduction of higher tuition fees at UK universities, up to £9,000 per year, is pushing students to think much harder about their options. It's also changing the balance of what is affordable.
Dr Seldon says that universities in the UK are going to have to take more care about what they're offering in terms of contact hours, subject options and pastoral care. The competition is now global.
He says that for the price of UK fees, students are being offered courses in Hong Kong, with change for the air fares home. There are also pupils looking at universities in Canada, Australia, China, South Africa and in continental Europe, he says.
Budget Harvard
The headline price of US universities can be dauntingly high - the top bracket are above $50,000 (£32,000) per year - but this is often offset by high levels of means-tested financial support.
Harvard spokesman Jeff Neal says the university has seen growing numbers of students from the UK and that families with "low and middle incomes will likely pay no more to send their students to Harvard than to a UK university".
From next year, students at Harvard from families earning below $65,000 (£41,000) per year will not have to pay any tuition fees.
The most competitive US universities, hungry for the most talented students, recruit from around the world, with means-tested support available.
So what's it like to go from a school in England to an Ivy League institution?
Jason Parisi, from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, has started this term at Yale and talks enthusiastically about his experiences.
He says he was drawn by the quality of the course on offer, and the belief that the international experience would give him an advantage in the jobs market when he returned, marking him out from the rest of the graduates.
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