UK

UK is a pioneer in word class education and is home to some of world's best universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, London School of Economics to name a few.

UK offers a variety of programs/courses in different fields and subject areas. The programs offered can be classified into:

These are offered in variety of subjects like Engineering, physical & biological sciences, business & accounting, and social sciences. Most of the courses are of 3 years duration and are taught programs with a short project.

These are undergraduate taught programs with a year of industrial placement after the 2nd year of the course. The main advantage is that the student gets real experience while in the learning mode. Most universities offer this type of education.

This is a 2 years course awarded by the Vocational & Technical Educational Councils and is offered in vocational subjects like scientific and technical business subjects. Great emphasis is placed on work experience. It is often seen as the first step towards a degree course as the credits can be transferred.

Universities & Colleges in UK offer a wide range of 1 year taught programs in engineering, physical & biological sciences, Business, accounting & management and social sciences. Most of these programs have a short thesis or project in the last semester of the course.

A much sought after program, MBA in UK is mostly a 1 year taught program with a project or internship in the last semester. Most of the universities do not require a GMAT score and few even offer MBA for fresher – those without work experience.

The visa process for UK starts once the student received the Confirmation of Acceptance or Studies (CAS) from the UKBA approved Higher Education Institute.

The student needs to fill the online visa application form for TIER 4 Student Visa which can be found at http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/ In addition the student needs to complete supplementary form like Appendix 8 depending on their visa type.

The students are required to submit all the original documents like passport, educational certificates, financial documents and affidavits and also 1 photocopy of each document.

The students can book their visa appointment online at the time of completing the online application.

The students are required to visit the designate VFS center on the scheduled date and time to submit their application & supporting documents.

The students have the following options for paying the visa:

Students can pay their visa application fee online using a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card at the time of filling the online application form.

Students can pay their fee at designate branches of the Standard Chartered Bank. The bank will issue a demand draft in favor of the 'The British High Commission', payable in:

Also, students can pay their fee by getting a demand draft issued by a nationalized or a foreign bank. Bank charges for this service will vary.

The demand draft must be in favor of the 'The British High Commission', payable in:

Students can pay the visa application fee at the visa application centre when they submit their visa application. Standard Chartered Bank facilities are located in all visa application centers for this purpose. The Standard Chartered Bank will apply a service charge of Rs.260 (inclusive of taxes) for this facility.

The students after submission of their visa file have to undergo a short credibility interview wherein they are asked general questions, about their chosen, course, university, previous academic background, career goals and so on.

Ans: Yes, you will find a number of options to choose from if you go to UK now: you could complete school by doing the A level, the AS levels, Scottish Highers. Alternatively, you may wish to do a vocational course or a diploma. All these will enable you to take up an undergraduate program, should you intend to do so later. Moreover, depending on the course that you take, it may be possible to obtain a few credits and get one to two years waived from your undergraduate program. Contact our expert counselors for more information.

Ans: The academic year in UK begins in end September/ early October and also in mid Jan/Feb. Most of the UK universities/ colleges do not have any deadlines. The best time to apply is 8 months in advance. Our counselors would make you apply to the University of your choice.

Ans: Yes, you can. UK offers Indian students a number of scholarships under a variety of programs. Most of these are for postgraduate study, although limited awards are available for undergraduate and research programs. For details contact our office.

Ans: Not necessarily. You could get your visa extended in the UK without returning to India. You will have to go to the Home Office, with the evidence that you have been admitted into a full-time course. You will also be required to show evidence that you have sufficient funds to cover both the tuition fee and living expenses for the entire duration of your stay.

Ans: Yes. You should get a sponsorship letter from them indicating the relationship and the extent to which they are prepared to fund your studies. Besides this, they would also be required to show evidence of financial support (e.g. bank statements, salary certificate, a statement from the Chartered Accountant, their source of income etc.).

Ans: Yes, you can. You could also live on campus. This would enable you to use the library, IT and extracurricular facilities to a great extent. You would also get to know other international students better. Most institutions would be happy to arrange on-campus accommodation for international students during their first year.

Ans: Most British institutions require you to prove your proficiency in English only if it has not been your first language. You may be required to either take the IELTS test which is administered regularly by the British Council at all its centers. Alternatively, the TOEFL is also recognized by British institutions. Contact our office for further details, our counselors would be happy to assist you if you have any further doubts in this regard.

Ans: Yes, you can. International students are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week during term time and full time during holidays. The amount earned varies from £6.8 to £12 per hour. Though this is generally not sufficient to sustain students, it does come in handy as additional pocket money. However, when applying for a visa, students must show evidence of full financial support from other sources to cover their tuition and living costs.

Ans: Independent schools in the UK start accepting international students from the age of nine. You would however be required to arrange for a local guardian who would be prepared to take on the responsibility of your children as and when necessary. Many schools try and organize meetings between parents and those who are willing to act as local guardians.

Ans: There are various parameters that you need to keep in mind when choosing a university:

The strength of each department is assessed by its research rating, teaching quality assessment and student/teacher ratio. Contact our office for the most updated information on various universities in UK.

You can finance your studies through education loan. Most nationalized banks offer students loans at competitive rates for considerable time periods which may enable a larger section of students to go and study abroad. Moreover, you can also use your or your parent's funds. Kindly ask your Beyond Global Consulting counselor for further details.

The students are required to bear two kinds of expenses: Tuition Fee & Living Cost.

The Tuition fee varies widely according to the program and university. Also, there is an annual increase in the tuition estimates. Therefore, when planning for your studies in UK, a sound financial planning is a must. The UKBA requires all students to show enough funds for their tuition & living for 1 year. However, those joining programs of over 1 year duration need to plan out for the remaining years as well.

Given below, is a rough estimate of expected tuition fees:

Depending on the duration of the courses the fee may range from £100 to £200 per week. Those some intensive course may be costlier up to £500. We advise the students to check the exact fee charged by the university/college they are applying to.

Courses	Average Tuition Fee Per annum (£)	Average Living Cost Per annum (£)	Average Total Cost Per Annum (£)
Science	10,500	7,200-9,000	17,700 – 19,500
Arts	9,500	7,200-9,000	16,700 – 18,500
Business	10,000	7,200-9,000	17,200 – 19,000

Courses	Average Tuition Fee Per annum (£)	Average Living Cost Per annum (£)	Average Total Cost Per Annum (£)
Science	12,000	7,200-9,000	19,200 – 21,000
Arts	10,500	7,200-9,000	17,700 – 19,500
Business	12,000	7,200-9,000	19,200 – 21,000
MBA	15,000	7,200-9,000	22,200 – 24,000

Although the actual living costs depend on a number of factors like location, type of housing, and personal living standards. Generally speaking it is more expensive to live in London and the South-East of England, and cheaper in the North, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Living costs are higher for couples and families.

The UKBA has defined the living cost for the purpose of obtaining a student visa. This is as follows-

Although the actual living costs depend on a number of factors like location, type of housing, and personal living standards. Generally speaking it is more expensive to live in London and the South-East of England, and cheaper in the North, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Living costs are higher for couples and families.