With higher education becoming a global commodity, more Americans are heading overseas, not just for a semester but for their full degree program, The New York Times reported Monday.

The newspaper says for American students, a university like St. Andrews offers international experience and prestige at a cost well below the tuition at a top private school in the United States.

For St. Andrews and other British universities, foreigners are literally cash cows because they pay a much higher tuition than students from Britain and the European Union.

Stephen Magee, St. Andrews vice principal, said the government caps the number of local students it will pay for and encourages universities to accept international students.

The Times says some Americans report disappointment with the U.K. system saying they get few assignments and almost no help from professors.