How do you get into a college in the UK from another country?

Question

I am currently living in the US but I want to go to college in the UK--but not something like Oxford. A small, private college. Please tell me everything you know about the process of switching countries.

How do I apply for an out-of-country college? Do I need to take a different test to apply (I have to take the SATs over here)? Is there something that needs to be done with citizenship? Do UK colleges offer financial aid oppurtunities?

Thanks if you can answer any of these questions or give me other advice. Everything is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I attended university in the UK as a US citizen, but it was at the graduate level rather than the undergraduate level.

I will tell you what I know, and you can choose what helps you.

First, graduate school in England, at a "state" university anyway, is much, much cheaper than in the States. Even if you have to pay full "foreign" tuition.

And yes, there is financial aid. One thing you can apply for is an "ORS award". That is an "Overseas Research Award". This is a limited number of scholarships that reduce the foreign tuition to the level of UK students.

These are hard to get. You really need to be sponsored by a faculty member. The reason I got mine is that the head of the department took me under his wing, believed in me, and sponsored me for the award. He had long tenure and lots of respect, so that he was able to garner more than his "fair share" of awards for his department.

This faculty sponsorship is also very helpful in obtaining a spot in a program at the graduate level. I got into my program without any trouble because I met one of their faculty in the US, and he invited me to apply under his name.

No, you do not change citizenship. You apply as a foreign student and get a student visa, which allows you to stay long term in the UK for your studies.

As a foreign student, you get access to their NHS, or National Health System.

You can use student loan money from the US to attend accredited universities in England.

Does any of this help?

Answer 2

There are not many private colleges in the UK most are state funded.

For University entry you will need to go through UCAS. The good news for you is that the courses are listed online and the application process is online too.

There is only one private university in the UK - Buckingham -I hve included the link.

There are several private colleges. Colleges in UK offer a wide range of courses. Private colleges tend to offer a smaller range of courses. The main difference as far as you are concerned is that Colleges do not award their own degrees, the degree is awarded by an outside university. Yeah I know that sounds complicated, it isn't really. The college dlivers the teaching but the university provides the degree and in some cases the examination material as well. Still with me? So you could apply to the London School of Economics - which has a world ranking of somewhere like 10th /11 th in the world. Or you could apply through a private college and gain exactly the same degree.

Now this is where it gets interesting. International students at the usual state universities pay £7000 - £10000 a year in fees, EU students pay £3000 but in private institutions all students pay the same and at some private colleges the fees can be £1000 per year.

You will need a student visa. To get that you must prove you are enroled on a course and that you have enough money to live on - the guideline at the moment seems to be £7000. On a student visa you are allowed to work 20 hours per week term time and full time in the vacations. Some courses like you to have a work placement so this is useful. Also if funds are limited it is useful. I'm not sure if it would allow you to work in the rest of europe (thinking summer work in spain or italy) you would have to check that.

Your entry qualifications would be measured against UK entry qualifications. If they are not high enough then you may be asked to do a one year Level 3 course - that will give you entry to university.

As an overseas student I doubt you will be able to get any sort of funding / bursary. There are a few available but tend to concentrate on refugees. There are the fulbright scholarships but I think those are for post graduate studies.

Answer 3

I applied to UK schools from high school, and their system is slightly different. All schools are applied to through one system (called UCAS).
Go to www.ucas.ac.uk

If I remember correctly (this was several years ago), you could choose up to 5 different schools on one application. UCAS would then send the application to each school. The nice thing is that you only have to pay one application fee. There is no essay writing like in the US, although you do have to write a short statement about yourself.

SATs are not relevant in the UK, but since you're applying from the US you would have to give them your scores, because they are interested. In the UK they have "A" levels, or "O" levels, or something like that. They also want to see AP course scores as well, if you;re taking any, even though they don't use the AP system over there.

Good luck, and enjoy your time there!

Answer 4

Some schools in the US are affiliated with schools in the UK and have programs that send students abroad. Even the University of Toronto in Canada is affiliated with Oxford University in England.

Answer 5

Fly or swim.

Answer 6

act like what you are...........AN APE!!!!!!!!!!!!!