International Student Application Guide

Application Process for International Students in UK Universities The UK is one of the most preferred locations for international students from all over the world due to the country’s high standard universities and quality of education. Although many students aspire to get into the right UK university, some might lose track due to improper guidance and resources. While getting an admission in a UK university might sound easy initially, the entire application journey is time-consuming and a bit tricky. Our step-by-step guide will help international students understand the complete application process for getting into a UK university and will make sure your application process is much simpler than imagined. Visit the UCAS Website Before initiating the entire process, students are advised to take a look at the UCAS (The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) website. The website offers a lot of information on the lists of universities, courses offered, application deadlines, etc. Consider UCAS as an entry permit for your application in UK Universities. Application Requirements The most important part before starting an application is to get know the important admission dates and deadlines. Students failing to submit their application as per the deadline might have to wait for another year to start the entire application process. Before starting, make sure you have all the below required documents in place: Passport – it must be up-to-date English language proficiency qualification – IELTS Test or its equivalent Proof of managing funds for your studies – If you wish to study in a London based university, you will need to provide a proof that you can afford the minimum monthly expenses of  £1,020 tuition fees and living costs. This cost might drop to  £820 per month if you plan to study outside London. Tuberculosis test report (certain countries) – before applying for a UK visa, it is essential for people of some countries to undergo a Tuberculosis test, so be sure to check whether you need to get tested. Choose your Course and Select your Universities Before selecting a university, it is necessary for a student to know whether the desired course is available at the university. While university plays a great role in education, the most crucial part before selecting a university is deciding a course based on the student’s personal interests and passion. This can be done by going through university websites and exploring the courses offered. Once you have selected a course, search for its unique code on the UCAS website which will be later required in the application process. Every student is entitled to select up to five universities for submitting their application. Write your Personal Statement Every year, UK universities receive thousands of applications from students with different grades and from different countries. So, writing a personal statement is necessary to set you apart from other students. A personal statement should consist of maximum 4,000 characters or 47 lines describing yourself and your passion for the selected subject. Details such as personal interests, how the university will benefit, reasons behind choosing a particular course and previous achievements must also be added to the personal statement. Apply on the UCAS Website As mentioned earlier, the UCAS website is the comprehensive solution for the UK university application process. The website guides students through the entire process from filling out the personal information to writing a personal statement and collecting codes of various universities and courses. The best part about approaching different universities is that students can send identical applications to up to five universities they wish to apply for. The website charges  £13 for submitting a single course application in a single university and  £24 if a student plans to apply for various courses and universities. All you have to do is pay the fee and wait for your application to get processed. The successful candidates will receive a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies) from UCAS. It is a digital document consisting of a unique reference number sent by the university which has accepted the student’s application. This document is mandatory for applying for student visa and will include all the details of your course, its start date, tuition fees, etc. Pay for Immigration Health Surcharge Another document which is mandatory while applying for the UK visa is a receipt of the Immigration Health Surcharge. This can be obtained by paying a fee of  £150 and it will take care of your annual healthcare expenditures during your stay in the UK. Apply for your Visa A Tier 4 (General) Student Visa is required for a full-degree course in the UK, whereas a Student Visitor Visa is needed if a student wishes to pursue a course for a duration of six months or less. An online application form needs to be filled in for the visa application along with fingerprints and photo at a visa application centre. After this, you will be able to get a Biometric Residence Permit. You can apply for a student visa within six months after receiving the CAS and at least three months prior to the beginning of the course. Visa Interview Once the visa application is submitted, students will be invited for a visa interview either at a visa application centre or through a video. A usual visa interview round generally consists of questions regarding the course, university and financial arrangement. Make sure you have all the documents in place before the interview and be prepared for a fluent English conversation. Plan your Journey As soon as your UK visa is approved, you can plan your journey by booking tickets and checking accommodation options within and outside the university campus. Students on a visitor visa can arrive one week before the programme begins while students enrolled in a full-degree course can arrive up to 30 days prior. A temporary visa is provided for a limited duration of stay in the country and needs to be upgraded with a Biometric Residence Permit. Make sure to collect your Biometric Residence Permit within 10 days of your aforementioned arrival date. Failure to do so might result in the payment of hefty fines. We hope that our guide has helped to break down the application process for International Students into simpler tasks that you can complete step by step. It may seem complicated at first, but the UK is one of the most popular countries for International students to study in, and there are plenty of reasons for this, which make the time-consuming application process worth it in the end. If you are stuck with writing your personal statement, this is something we can help you with. Contact us  for more information.