Applying for university in a foreign country can be very difficult. Luckily, we’ve got some tips that might just help you with everything that you need to do to apply for courses abroad. Everything you need is right here!
Find the right course for you:
Each course and university will have different entry requirements, make sure you’re aware of the entry requirements for the course you’re doing. Check out your country’s equivalent too. If you are unsure if your qualifications will be accepted by a London university, contact the university’s international office to see if they will accept your qualifications. Another thing you can do is compare your country’s qualifications to UK qualifications at NARIC (The National Academic Recognition Information Centre), which will provide you with officially recognised documents, but beware that this isn’t a free service, you should check out the fees first. The process for applying to a university in London all depends on whether you want to do an undergraduate degree or postgraduate degree and there is a big difference between the two. Undergraduate courses are best known as bachelor degrees. Postgraduate courses can be split into two categories, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research. People refer to postgraduate taught courses as master’s degrees and include MA (Master of Arts), MSc (Master of Science), MBA (Master of Business Administration), MRes (Master of Research) and LLM (Master of Laws) amongst others. Postgraduate research programmes usually refer to PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) courses.
What do I need to study a bachelor degree?
Entry requirements are different for every university you apply for and for the different courses that you apply for too. In order to apply for an undergraduate degree in the UK, you have to have completed “high-school”, most if not all universities will also require A-Levels (Or your country’s equivalent). UK universities accept a number of different high school qualifications as well, such as International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placements. However, a high school certificate from some countries are not accepted for direct entry into a bachelor degree in the UK. In this case, you will need to complete an international foundation course (also known as pathway course) first.
How do I apply for a bachelor degree in the UK?
If you want to apply for a bachelor degree in the UK, you will need to register and complete an application form on the UCAS website. UCAS (The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service), is the official UK government approved application service and it is used by all UK universities. A few universities allow international students to apply directly to the university, but, the majority of universities will only accept applications through the UCAS system.
How does UCAS work?
On the UCAS website, you can register and create your UCAS application. There a number of different sections that you will need to complete such as, your personal details, educational qualifications, financial information and a personal statement. The personal statement is one of the most important parts of the application. It is your chance to tell the university why you would like to study the course and what makes you suitable. You can save your application and return to it as many times as you like before submitting it. There are a lot of different examples of a personal statements available, so you should check them out before you write your own.
How many courses can I apply to on UCAS?
Most of the time students apply to five different courses. You can apply to more than one course at the same university, or up to five courses at five different universities, it’s entirely up to you! However, if you wish to apply for courses such as medicine, veterinary medicine or dentistry you can only apply to four courses. You can, however, choose a different fifth subject like biomedical sciences.
Is there an application deadline?
Yes, there are important deadlines for you to consider:
- 15 October – for all medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine courses
- 15 January – for most other courses
Many universities, especially the high ranking universities, will not accept applications after the UCAS application deadlines, so make sure these are all done by then. However, some universities do allow international students to apply after the deadlines, but don’t take the risk! Make sure you contact your chosen university if you wish to apply after the UCAS application deadline to find out if your application will still be considered.
If you do end up missing the deadlines, there is another option for you in something called UCAS Clearing. The UCAS Clearing process takes place every August. This is the time that universities open up all their remaining places.
Do I need to take an admissions tests?
A few universities require you take a test for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. If you’re taking law at university then a lot of them may ask you to sit something called an LNAT (Law National Aptitude Test). You need to make sure that you understand the entry requirements set by the universities you’re applying for. If an admissions test is required, you will have to take this before you submit your application to UCAS.
Is there an application fee for UCAS?
The UCAS application fee is £12 for one course application or £23 for multiple courses.
What are the funding options for undergraduate courses?
There are three main funding options for students looking to take on bachelor degrees:
- Fund yourself: Most students pay their own tuition fees to complete a bachelor course.
- University scholarship: A lot of universities in London offer part scholarships for international undergraduate students.
- Other sources of funding: A lot of countries operate student loan and government funding options. You should contact your local higher education authority to find out about the funding options available for your country.
For more on applying for university then check out University Compare, a university comparison website that compares over 36,000 courses across a minimum of 425 institutes.
Thanks for reading and good luck!
