Studying abroad is the dream for every individual nowadays, and they search for numerous colleges and universities worldwide to choose the best-suited one. guide to study Likewise, many individuals opted to study in the UK which can be a rewarding experience due to its world-class education system, rich cultural diversity and numerous academic opportunities. Here is a step-by-step guide to studying in the UK in 2023.
Choose a Course and Institution
A thorough research is essential to search for the desired course.
- Start researching the different courses offered by Colleges and Universities based on your budget, interest, future scope or career goals.
- You can use the college and university websites to do so.
- Compare and contrast with other institutions concerning fees and other related activities.
- Also, check the reviews and ranking about the institution on different social media platforms and ranking sites.
Entry Requirements
- After choosing a course you need to check for entry requirements like the grades and level of qualification required for the chosen program.
- Check for the English language requirements. Especially as an International student. Below is the link to guide you about the English proficiency requirement.
https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/knowledge-of-english
- If you are an international student, you must also look for the visa requirements and additional documents you need to apply for the admission and study visa. The visa is usually categorised as Tier-4 in the UK and all the requirements are available on the UK Government website. Below is the link.
- If you are an international student, you can also look for bursaries or any scholarships available within the institutions.
- All the students are required to apply through the UCAS for degree programs unless there is any alternate option available by the selected university to do it on student’s
- behalf. https://accounts.ucas.com/Account/Login
New immigration rules for Internationals
- The students are now not allowed to bring dependents from January 2024 onwards as per the new rule imposed by the government. However, the dependents are permitted for research-based PhD and Master Programs.
- The visa fee from outside of the UK will be £363, and from inside the UK, it will be £490. You can check the link below to confirm the fee structure.
- Along with the application fee, you are required to pay a health surcharge which could be approximately £800-£1000 per annum depending on the duration of your course and other circumstances. This is the fee for the individual. You can check the total amount for an individual or applying with dependents on the following link.
- As an international student you are allowed to work 20 hours per week during the term time and holidays or term break. You can work full-time, but for that, you need a letter from the college or university.
- The average national wage by the Government is £10.42
- Before starting to work anywhere, you are required to have the National insurance number to be able to register for PAYE (Pay as you earn) so that you can be taxed correctly. You can apply by following the instructions on the given link.
- Switching to any other visa without completing your enrolled course is restricted now. All the information of such can be found in the link below:
Home Student, or Settled/Pre-settled students
- Students who already have any settled, pre-settled or other permits to stay in the UK are not required to apply for any study visa. Hence, such students can only look for institution and other academic related requirements for the particular course. If your High school diplomas are in any other language except English, you must need to translate it.
- Students on any other settled/pre-settled status are not bound to work a max of 20 hours except if they are younger than 18 years old. At such age brackets, students have slight restrictions.
- The students on settled or pre-settled status can still be eligible for Student finance. You can have the information on the institution’s website and also seek assistance from the finance office of the institution, or you can check the link below for further information from the SLC.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/student-loans-company
https://mrcollege.ac.uk/student-finance-book-2023-24/
Perks of Students in the UK
- All the students in the UK are exempted from the council tax.
- The students can obtain the discount on public transport by either applying for the student oyster card online for Londoners or rail cards for students living outside of London to get reduced fares for trains, tubes and buses. The below links can help you to redirect to the correct site and find guidance on how you can obtain the travel cards.
For travel cards student-oyster-photocard Click here !
For Railcard Click here !
- The Institution can easily obtain the confirmation of status for such cards.
- Students can also be eligible for discounts at certain brands via the Unidays app. So, just create an account and enjoy the discounted deals. The application is easily available on Google Play Store and IOS. The following link also helps you to access the site.
https://www.myunidays.com/GB/en-GB
- Moreover, students are eligible for an Amazon Prime account at a very discounted rate. You need to create an account following the link and sign in with your institution email and ID to confirm your status and enjoy binge-shopping and watching with Prime!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GWMNXPTL3482JPHC
Things Students need to do
- The attendance at institution is now compulsory for all students so make sure to attend all the classes especially if you are an international student as failing to attend without any correspondence may lead to revocation of your sponsored visa as well.
- International students are required to have an offer letter, go through the interview process before the College/University issues the CAS (Certificate of Acceptance for Studies). The CAS will only be issued after the successful interview, and then the student can go through the visa process. The student must complete all the documents prior to application such as bank statements and TB test etc. as available on the link mentioned in the blog above.
- You must start searching for accommodation either in campus or off campus but do not pay anyone before your arrival other than the in-campus accommodation.
- To search for the accommodations, plenty of sites have verified users to advertise the property, such as Zoopla, Spare Room, Open Rent and On the Market. The following links will be beneficial for your new house search! Best of Luck with your search.
- It is advisable not to use the Facebook marketplace as it is usually scammed and be vigilant with the price of property if it’s cheaper than expected it could be the scam.
- You must have the information from your accommodation provider.
- Keep your institution in loop about your visa status and arrival dates.
- The average expense for students living off campus is around £1100 to £1300.
- All students are advised to attend the orientation or inductions for their course to familiarise themselves from the course structure, faculty, institution’s relevant staff and also the facilities provided for your convenience.
- Also, collect your IDs from the Institution on the day of induction or as per the Institution’s rule to confirm your identity either on campus or outside when needed.
- Keep yourselves updated from the Institution’s policies and always with the immigration rules if applicable.
- Utilise the academic support such as tutoring, extra engagement or any related classes provided by the institution to improve your performance.
- Explore the part-time work opportunities, internships or placements, especially as an International student.
- Utilise the Institution’s employment support for CV writings, Cover letters or other queries. Also, seek assistance for placements and internships or any part-time work to hand-on practical experience and to support your extra expenses if needed.
- Last but not the least, make the most of your time in the UK by exploring its culture, meeting new people, visiting many historical places and exploring other cities to get more of culture and history and also participating in extracurricular activities to broaden your spectrum and circle for a lifestyle in the UK.
Studying in the UK can be a life changing- experience and once in a life time opportunity, so make a best out of it by being proactive, organised and focused to make your educational journey thrilling. Welcome to new journey of your life. Good luck with your studies in the UK in 2023.
