Within four years, a quarter of sixth formers at a leading UK independent school will be heading for universities in the US, the BBC reported.

Anthony Seldon, head of Wellington College in Berkshire, said 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 said.

At a recent talk with pupils, he said that about 40 per cent 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, said 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.

Anthony Seldon Anthony Seldon says that young people are looking at wider horizons for university

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 per cent 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 is 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 are offering in terms of contact hours, subject options and pastoral care. The competition is now global.

He said 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 said.