Study In UK

Introduction

Education System

Admission Requirements

Cost of Education

List of Colleges & Universities In UK

Introduction

The United Kingdom has a long and glorious tradition of imparting high quality education to international students. India has greatly benefited especially, due to historical reasons, from the high standards of the British education system. The elite class of yesteryears, including some of our leaders who led the political movement against British to free India, had a background of British Education. Degrees from Oxford, Cambridge and Glasgow Universities were the hallmark of quality education and set benchmarks for others to follow. 

Most importantly the government as well as the institutions themselves closely monitor the higher education system in UK so to ensure high quality besides developing maturity and all-round range of capabilities in students. Some of the other benefits of studying in UK include:

• Professional degrees at undergraduate level

• Many one year Masters’ degree.

• Access to the National Health Service; which is free for students registered on courses of six months or longer

• Free school education for registered dependent children.

Education System       ^ TOP

Due the stringent checks on the quality of its higher education, UK has an international reputation for first-rate research, academic excellence and high quality higher education. There are various types of institutions offering higher education and each is distinct from the other e.g. Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Higher Education (CIHE), and Private  (Accredited) Colleges etc.  The private colleges are accredited by one of the several accredition organizations, like the British Council for Independent Further and Higher Education or British Council English Language Schools Recognition Scheme. Professional courses are accredited by professional bodies that review the course contents and methodology of training from time to time and also conduct professional qualifying examinations.

Under Graduate Courses

The Bachelors Degree (B.Sc., B.A., etc) is of three years duration and is generally awarded with honors. Honors can be single or joint. In the first year (level-1) of joint honors course students study three subjects of the degree together with a third subject which is ‘elective’ and chosen from a range of subjects. The joint honors program generally offers a considerable measure of flexibility to the students in the sense that at the end of first level it allows them to drop one of the original subjects in favor of the ‘elective’ or to apply to change for single honors or a major-minor program (here more emphasis is laid on one subject and the other is subsidiary) in one of the three areas studied. The professional undergraduate courses are of 4-year duration.

Entry to a degree course requires completion of GCE A-level (General Certificate of Education) or Scottish Higher Courses or a BTEC National Diploma (Business and Technology Education Council), in the subject to be pursued. If education acquired by an Indian student is not considered enough for admission in undergraduate course then for such students bridging courses, of one academic year are offered by universities, further education colleges and independent colleges.  The average tuition fee for these courses, also known as university access or foundation courses is £5,206.

Vocational Courses  

Those who wish to pursue studies for gaining higher academic qualifications can endeavor for a university degree but those wishing for vocational qualification, for example in the area of Travel and Tourism or Business and Finance, could study for BTEC Higher National Diplomas (HND) in a relevant subject. The National Diploma is equivalent to A-Level and of two years duration. HND is generally of 3 years duration and includes training in the industry. These diplomas can be studied at ‘further education colleges’. After completing HND sutudent can either take up a job or enter a degree course in its second year.

Post Graduate Courses

Postgraduate diplomas courses are offered in vocational subjects and are generally of 9 months duration. Postgraduate degrees are of two kinds –‘Taught Masters’ and ‘Research Masters’. Taught Masters Degree usually takes 1 year to complete and `Research Masters’ takes 2 years and culminates in dissertation by the student.   Post Doctoral programs can also be pursued and take around 3years. Admission for masters’ degree or postdoctoral program would depend on the academic track record as well the research proposal in case of research programs as well as the score in IELTS or TOEFL.

Admission Requirements        ^ TOP

The most important thing to check while seeking admission in UK is the validity of ones’ academic qualification in relation to the institute and the course that he or she aspires to join and pursue. The Universities and other institutes are not bound by any regulation in UK and are independent to recognize and accept a particular international qualification for admission into a specific course. The best guide for such information is the prospectus of the chosen institute /university which would carry entry requirements for all the programs that it has to offer. A student must satisfy the particular requirements of the program, which may include specific grades in named subjects at A-Level examination or GCSE examination for admission in undergraduate and A-Level courses or at graduate level for admission in postgraduate courses.

Broadly class Xth of CBSE with 75% marks is considered equivalent to GCSE and such students can seek admission for A-level courses. Similarly those with outstanding grades in class XII of CBSE or equivalent are eligible for admission in undergraduate degree courses, and those with lesser marks may get admission in vocational and foundation/bridging courses. However universities like Oxford, Cambridge and London School of Economics do not give credence to any of our class XII qualification for admission in undergraduate courses.

All international students, whose mother tongue is not English, must have or gain English Language qualification, which is acceptable to the university or the institute to which he or she is seeking admission. Among many qualifications acceptable for this purpose are a score of 550 or more in the paper based test and 220 or more on the computer based tests of TOEFL[1] an overall score of 5.5 in IELTS[2].

Another distinctive feature of the education system in UK is the “Mature Student’ scheme under which the age of the student is no bar for seeking admission and for many programs their experience is even accepted as an alternative to academic qualification. Under the same scheme many universities also offer the facility of part-time study, which may particularly those with family and job commitments.

Overseas applicants for full-time degree and diploma courses as well as HND courses are required to apply for admission through UCAS (University and Colleges Admission Service). UCAS forms may be obtained from the offices of British Council at various cities. The forms are available from 1^st September onwards and the closing date is 30^th June of the following year. Deadlines for submission of forms is 15^th October for Oxford and Cambridge and 15^th December for all the other member universities/institutes of UCAS   However for high demand courses in subjects like business and finance, medicine etc it is advisable to submit forms earlier, by November/December.

A candidate can choose and apply for a maximum of six institutions at a time. UCAS sends copies of the form to all the institutions mentioned in the form by the candidate. An institution may offer or reject admission straightaway or offer a conditional admission subject to the result of the qualifying examination. Some universities, before making an offer, may like to __invite the candidate for an interview. The candidate is communicated the result through UCAS and in case he has a clear offer and accepts it, he has to send the acceptance through UCAS. Students have further opportunity for admission through UCAS Clearing Scheme. This scheme enables universities to offer vacant places to suitable applicants outstanding in the UCAS files.

In case of postgraduate courses and doctorate programs a candidate has to apply directly to the university and not through UCAS. The application is assessed mainly on the basis of academic track record, score in IELTS/TOEFL and research proposal in case of research programs.  The references given by the candidate also matter. Since postgraduate courses are more sought after, it is advisable to begin the process early. Generally the applications for such courses are accepted between November and March.

Once a candidate has a confirmed offer from an university/institute it should be ensured that all necessary documents like the evidence of required qualification to enter the desired course, the offer of the university/institute etc are available for fulfilling the immigration rules. These would also be required for applying an entry clearance, on the basis of which the Visa is issued.

Cost Of Education        ^ TOP

In addition to the tuition fees, an average 5000 pounds is required as living cost, which includes accommodation, food, energy bills etc., per academic year (9 months). Scholarships are mostly for students pursuing post graduation and research.  However some universities/institutes do provide and grant and aids to student at the undergraduate level and for more information on this one may contact the British Council or even the Ministry of Human Resources and Development. A student can partially support himself by working part-time provided the entry condition does not prohibit taking up of such jobs.