Study In the UK: How to go About Studying in the United Kingdom

Each year, thousands of international students apply to study in the UK. Out of these vast number, only a fraction get opportunities of actually studying in the United Kingdom when they get admitted into UK universities.

If you are one of those who are interested in gaining scholarship to study in the UK for free, then you need to read this article in order to find out how to go about your application process to study in the UK.

What You need to do in order to Study in the UK

Below are six guided steps on how can apply to study any course of your choice in the UK and succeed in your application.

Read also: The Ultimate Guide to Getting an Accredited Online Degree

1. Choose A University And The Study Program

This is perhaps the most important step of the application process and one you need to take seriously. The UK boasts of over 200 higher institutions of learning to choose from, so you have a wide berth of choices. Also, there scores upon scores of courses to choose from depending on your interest and secondary school qualifications.

Some of the universities in the UK, from Oxford to Cambridge, Manchester University, Leeds University, and others are renowned global leaders in the fields of international education, drawing in thousands of overseas applications yearly.

That is why you need to have a clear goal about your study choices in order not to be befuddled by the wide area of universities to choose from.

To make things easy for you, make a list of all the universities and colleges in the UK that offer degree programs in your field of interest, taking time to review their course structure and modules. That way, it will be easy for you to narrow things down and choose the one that best suits your interest.

Starting early is always the key, at least one month before the close of application. That way, you have ample time to conduct your research and choose the university that best suit you.

2. Meet Application Requirements

Another important factor to consider when choosing a course of study in any UK university is to determine if you meet the application requirements for that particular course or program.

To do this, you will have to visit the university website and check out what the requirements are for that particular program you chose to study.

One thing you should be aware of is that UK college application requirements differ from one university to another, so it would be wise if you are applying for more than one university, you conduct your due diligence across board.

Timing is also of the essence in filing your application, as there may be unexpected delays in some instances.

For example, id your course of study demands you take a language proficiency test, then you need to apply early, as most often it might take up to 2 months for the result to be out. Meanwhile, you have to complete the rest of the application while waiting for it.

3. Submit Your Application

Now that you have found a university in the UK and have meet the requirements for application to study, it is time to go ahead and submit your application.

Before doing that, however, take a second critical look at your application paperwork and ensure everything is in place. Once that is done, you can go ahead and submit your application.

Most of the time, application processes are usually carried out through the UCAS online application portal. What you have to do is to create a personal account on the platform and then go ahead with course selection and application.  

Please note that there are other universities in which you have to apply on their own online application platform or jointly with UCAS, so you have to make your findings about how the procedure works for each university.

4. Wait For Your Admission Letter

This is perhaps the most anxiety-filled part of the whole process, when you have to wait for your admission to go through. But, in reality, it shouldn’t be that much of a nail-biting experience.

Once you filed in the application currently and are eligible for admission, you have nothing to worry about. As soon as the university receives your application, you will receive a confirmation mail. Then, the waiting begins.

There is no fixed time for your application status to be revealed, most of the universities receive thousands of applications yearly and have to sift through scores of applications.

Thus, it will take time to process your request. This usually takes a couple of weeks. The good news is that you can track the progress of your application online through the UCAS platform at all times.

5. Prepare Your Finances

Since you are a non-EU and non-EEA student, you have to ensure you have the financial means to take on a university education abroad. This is because you will have to pay tuition fees, except you are under some sort of scholarship or study grant. The amount of money expected to be domiciled in your bank account varies according to your personal circumstances.

So many factors come into play when calculating the amount of money you need to have in your bank account; this include the location if the university (If it is located in London, you must have around £1,200 every month at the minimum. In total, you must have at least £1,000 every month for living expenses in UK). Other factors include the length of your course of study (is it a 3, 4 or 5 year program?).

Based on the above, it is advisable you take time in between waiting to hear word about your application status to prepare your finances and put your bank account in order. Get the full backing of sponsors and also ensure if you have a scholarship in place, that you have the complete documentation for submission.

6. Apply For A Student Visa

For non-EU and non-EEA students, it’s mandatory that you will require a student visa before you are allowed to study anywhere in the UK. The student visa is labelled as TIER 4 (General), and application is made at any British High Commission In your home country. For further information, it is advisable you visit their website to gain more information on this.

Before you apply for a visa, though, you must have been sent an admission letter from the university you applied to in the UK. Attached to that admission letter will be a reference number known as the confirmation of acceptance of studies (CAS).

You are going to need this number at the British High Commission in order to prove that you have indeed been offered a place in a UK university and are therefore eligible for a study visa.

To save time since it often involves delays while applying for the visa, it is advisable you know all that is required of you in terms of document right before you even receive your admission letter.

That way, it is much easier for your to file your visa application documents with less hassle. Do not forget to learn how to write a standard UK personal statement too.

Read also: Taking Online Classes: What you Stand to Benefit

Conclusion

In this article, we have been able to provide a detailed guide on how you can apply to study in the uk as an international student. We sincerely hope you find this guide highly informative and helpful as you go about making that application. We wish you all the best as you begin this journey.

In case you are interested in Studying in the United States, you may want to consider our comprehensive guide on how to study in the US.

You may want to consider what other top sites have to say about this:

• Studyin-UK
• British Council

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