The United Kingdom is a world leader in education, be it engineering, art and design, science, law and finance, or business and management. It’s a country well-reputed for its contribution in the field of science and research. Many great thinkers in the world have been from the UK. Home to just 1 per cent of the global population, the country has been responsible for no less than 8 per cent of the world’s scientific publications.
Known for its world-renowned education system, the universities in the UK offer qualifications which can undoubtedly help you with your future, no matter what your career choice. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that over 600,000 students from various countries come to the UK to enroll in the wide range of programmes that the universities here have to offer. The students also find that the UK’s learning system allows them to combine subjects and courses from varied areas of studies, giving them the freedom to tailor their own degree as per their interest.
A highly popular study destination, the United Kingdom is one of the few countries that enjoy as proud a tradition of education with universities - one that roots back to around the 12th and/or 13th centuries. The language, culture, history, and scientific innovation of the UK is widely known across the globe. It’s a multicultural experience and an exposure to a vibrant society that awaits all international students here, as they look forward to not just shaping their careers, but personalities as well.
International students have time and again described their study experience in the UK as a life-changing one; with more than 15% of their student population being international who have a retention rate of 82%, we don’t doubt them!
If you do choose the UK as your study abroad destination, rest assured, you will have made the right choice!
01. London houses the world’s largest library.
02. London has people speaking over 300 other languages.
03. The only person who doesn’t own a passport? The Queen!
04. The British consume a little over 11.5 billion sandwiches every year.
05. The one place where being dead is considered illegal in England? The Houses of Parliament!
06. JK Rowling, the first billionaire author, is from the United Kingdom.
07. Can you believe that Buckingham Palace has its very own police station!
08. There are over 100 universities in the UK.
09. Life without tea - what would that be like? The British clearly don’t want to know, for they consume around 165 million cups of tea every single day!
10. Who doesn’t love Chicken tikka! But, the British love it so much that they have voted it as the country’s national dish.
You will find the universities in the UK associated with a quality of education rarely preceded by any other country. Earning a degree from one of the many top ranking universities here will strongly help your career in more than a few ways. With an impressive international reputation, home to some of the best academicians across the globe, world-renowned visiting faculty, excellent infrastructure, and so on make these institutions highly reputable to be studying in.
Home to some of the world’s most prestigious universities like the London Business School, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics and Political Science, amongst others, you can study subjects as varied as Archaeology and Zoology, Medicine and Law, Engineering and Acting! There are more than 30000 courses being taught in the various universities across the country; you will find absolutely no dearth of subjects to choose from. The universities here also offer top-class management courses, giving students decent exposure into the industry.
If you choose to study in the UK, rest assured, you will be in a good company. The people, especially everyone at their institutions, including the faculty and fellow students in this country have a rather long history of welcoming the international students. The universities and colleges themselves are also regularly inspected to make sure they maintain the highest degree of standard that they are expected to uphold in the varied fields of pedagogy, research, infrastructure, and so on, by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education.
A unique feature about studying in the UK is that it takes less time to complete most of the courses here when compared to taking the same courses in any other country. That means, your average undergraduate degree would last 3 years in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales; if you’re pursuing a full-time master’s degree course (a postgraduate course), you will be done in a year. A shorter duration also means spending a lesser amount of money in comparison to institutions in a lot of other countries. In addition, post-graduate courses are known to be quite intensive and challenging here; but, with the help of an environment that is highly conducive to help students learn in the best way, from the absolute best, you will do nothing but flourish.
You will find the UK education system to be flexible. It means, you shall be able to study in a way you find more suited to your career aspirations as well as lifestyle. This flexibility of choice is how you can blend academic and vocational courses, as per your wish. It is the kind of pedagogical method that gives you the freedom to develop the skills that you want and be creative. Studying here also gives you the opportunity to meet people from various nationalities, whereby you can discover new perspectives. This gaining of perspectives and the honing of inner creativity becomes a source of confidence in those who choose to study here; so good is the learning system here!
The UK is home to the universal world language that we know as English. It’s a default language of communication for a lot of people across the globe. Not only does it have a rich literature, interesting grammar, but it is also growing in its vocabulary and other aspects with every passing year. Knowing English, especially getting a qualification in the language, is highly valued by academics as well as employers everywhere. With the UK having one of the most prestigious education systems in the world, a degree from a university or college here would only enhance your employment prospects.
You will find the education system in this country to be divided into primary, secondary, further, and higher education. Primary and secondary education is mandatory for all children between the ages of 5 and 16 in the UK.
The 4 "key stages" of their education system can be broken down as follows:
From age 5 to age 7
From age 7 to age 11
From age 11 to age 14
From age 14 to age 16
The key stages 1 and 2 are generally undertaken at their primary schools. It is at 11 years old, that a student moves onto secondary school to finish their key stages 3 and 4.
At the end of every stage, students are assessed. At age 16, students go for their General Certificate of Secondary Education or GCSEs that makes for the most important assessment of their school life. On completing their GCSEs, it is their choice to either get further education and maybe higher education afterwards or choose to finish school at that point and start working.
Primary education in the UK begins at the age of five and it continues until one reaches the age 11. It comprises the key stages 1 and 2 under their educational system. From here, children move on to secondary schools. It is the parent’s choice to either educate their child at a state school or a private one. Every child between the ages of five and sixteen in the UK is entitled to a free-of-cost education at a state school. In contrast, one has to pay quite a lot of taxes to enroll in a private school.
Secondary education lasts for 5 to 7 years in the UK. Starting from age eleven to sixteen, students enter secondary schools for their key stages 3 and 4 and to begin. This is also how they move towards taking their GCSEs. The UK has made primary and secondary education mandatory; after one reaches the age of 16, preparing for university is optional for the student. Instead of learning further, they can choose to finish their school right at that point and get a vocational training, or just start working.
Once a student has completed their secondary education, they can opt to go for further education. This is where they get to take their A-Levels, GNVQ's, BTEC's. or such other higher education-level diplomas, and even full Bachelor’s degrees, in some cases. UK students who plan to go to university must complete further education. These qualifications are designed so as to equip the students with employment-specific skills which they can further transfer into the workplace. This part of their education focuses on boosting their employability and giving them a competitive edge in the job market. That’s the reason why these courses are designed in close partnership with several employers; it ensures that students have exposure to the latest developments in their chosen industry.
Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees - that’s what makes up the higher education system in the UK. As a student from abroad, you could easily transition to university-level studies via various pathway programs which usually include English language courses and some other foundation courses.
The undergraduate courses in the UK universities have been designed to ensure that students get the right exposure, not only to their subject of interest, but the world around them too. They have all sorts of courses in science and technology, business, social science, humanities, art and design, and more to offer!
Let’s take an outline of the different undergraduate courses that are offered in UK universities:
| Program | Duration |
| Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Diploma (HND) | 1 to 2 Years |
| Certificates or Diplomas of Higher Education (Cert HE/Dip HE) | 1 to 2 Years |
| Foundation degrees (Fd A/Fd Sc) | 6 Months to 2 Years |
| Degrees (such as BA, B.Sc, BEng) | 3 Years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 4 years in Scotland |
| Sandwich degrees | 4 Years with a year in industry |
| Integrated courses (where masters is awarded as the first degree such as MEng) | 4 Years |
Unlike undergraduate courses, you will find the postgraduate ones to be more specific which generally involve an in-depth study of the materials. Most of the master’s degree courses have a duration of 1 year, which is less than a lot of other countries. So, getting a masters from the UK means that you can get back in the workforce before your counterparts who chose to pursue their masters in other countries! Again, there are a plethora of courses that you can choose from, including some niche courses which are highly valued in their respective industries.
Let's take an overview of the various postgraduate courses that are offered in UK universities:
| Program | Duration |
| Postgraduate certificates and diploma (PG Cert/PG Dip) | 9 to 12 Months |
| Taught Masters (such as MA, M.Sc., LLM, MBA, MRes) | 1 Year |
| Research Masters (such as MPhil, PhD, DPhil) | 2-3 Years |
It is the mark of modern times that everything is going digital. And so it is with education as well. Online courses are on a rise in almost every country today, with the UK being no exception. There are some truly top-notch academic programmes being run online, wherein International students don’t even have to relocate there to obtain a UK accredited degree. You save money on travel, food, and accommodation costs amongst other things. And the flexibility of an online course would allow you to fit in your studies into the schedule you already have.
To maintain the academic standards in the area of higher education in a country, there is a principal national reference point, which goes by the title - Qualifications Framework
Now, there are 2 parallel frameworks which run for the higher education qualifications of the degree-awarding bodies in the UK. They are:
FHEQ, which is The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications of Degree Awarding Bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and
FQHEIS, which is The Framework for Qualifications of Higher Education Institutions in Scotland.
The one unique thing about the education system in the UK is QAA - its Quality Assurance Agency. QAA is an independent body which first assesses and then compares all colleges and universities in the country by way of periodic audits and reviews. It is also the task of this agency to identify the best education practices and to provide regular feedback for areas in need of improvement. The primary responsibility of QAA is to make sure that the students have access to top-class education.
All the review reports can be accessed by the public on their website. However, one thing to note is that private institutions are not subject to any assessment by the QAA.
The UK is a world leader in many areas of education including engineering, science, art and design, business and management, law and finance. The UK has successfully maintained its legacy and reputation as a centre for global scientific research. The UK makes no more than probably one per cent of the global population; still, it is responsible for no less than eight per cent of the world's scientific publications. Undertaking five per cent of the global research, the UK produces about fifteen per cent of the most cited scientific papers in the world.
Brilliant research without brilliant thinkers would be impossible. And it is great teachers after all that inspire us to think brilliantly. You find the universities in the UK with professors who are experts in their fields. It is because of this strong academic support that more than 90 per cent of the international postgraduates in the UK have only rave reviews for the quality of teaching in the country.
You will find that the post-study work Visa in the UK allows students from abroad to stay in the country after graduation so as to find employment, for up to two years. These visa rules not only help international students get an exposure to the real-world market, but also provide an opportunity to cover their study costs.
For those who look to work part-time in the UK while being on a student visa, you are allowed a maximum of 20 hours per week with decided minimum wages by the government. This applies to those who study at degree level or more. For language center students, a maximum of 10 hours per week is allowed during course term. Students are allowed full-time work only during their vacations, and not until one has received their work permit (Tier 2). In any case, self-employment, such as doing any consultancy work or freelance work, is not allowed. Also, a part-time working student has the same rights as their full-time working counterparts. The country has a National Minimum Wage (NMW) which every employer has to abide by. For a student between age 18 and 20, the NMW is £5.30 per hour; for students aged 21 or more, the NMW can’t be less than £6.70 per hour.
You will find one great benefit of studying in the UK right from your world map. See how it's connected to a few awesome European countries, such as Belgium, France, and Netherlands? These countries are just 300 to 1,000 miles away from the UK! And that means, especially if you have the good old travel bug, you can go on to explore a lot of other wonderful places if you decide to study here!
As a student in the UK from another country, you will be given access to free medical treatment through the NHS (National Health Service). You will be required to pay a small surcharge, called the International Health Surcharge or IHS, in order to avail this benefit.
The UK is at the forefront of global discoveries, ranking second in the world for its scientific research. The world rightly regards this country as the powerhouse of science and technology. Research is usually considered the number one priority of most universities. Students not only graduate with unbelievable insights into their subjects, but also get to stand at the helm of global scientific publications and discoveries.
Unlike India, where we see single intakes in the universities, the UK offers two intakes in its colleges and universities. In some of these universities, intakes might also be referred to as a semester. There are September, January, and April intakes that international students have to look out for if they plan to study in the UK.
What qualifications you need would depend upon the course that you want to study. You should have completed no less than thirteen years of education, either in the UK or in your own country. You will be expected to have taken pre-university qualifications that are equivalent to UK A-levels, Scottish Highers or National Diplomas.
Even in the case that you don't have these qualifications, you don’t need to worry; there are still ways you can study in the UK.
| Level of Studies | Eligibility and English Language Requirements |
| HND (Higher National Diploma) |
|
| Foundation Degree |
|
| Diploma of Higher Education |
|
| Degree |
|
If you plan to study a postgraduate course in the UK, you will first need to have an undergraduate degree, either from your own country, or from the UK. You will be expected to have achieved a first or a good 2:1 (or its international equivalent) in a subject that’s directly related to the one you’ve chosen now. You will also need to speak English upto the level of an IELTS band score of at least 6.5 for most courses.
| Level of Studies | Eligibility and English Language Requirements |
| Pre-master's |
|
| PG Cert/PG Dip |
|
| Master's degree |
|
| MBA |
|
| PHD |
|
• All Academic Marksheets (10th ,12th ,Graduate)
• Transcript of Last Education
• Passport
• LOR (Letter of Recommendation) Without Mentioning Particular College/University Name
• Resume (Latest Updated)
• SOP (Statement of Purpose)
• Birth Certificate (In English)
• Leaving Certificate
• Marriage Certificate (If Married)
• Work Experience (If Any)
• Gape Clarification (If Any)
• IELTS/PTE/UKVI Results
• MOI (Medium of Instructor) (If Required)
• Supporting Financial Documents (Proof of Supported Funds) (Include First Year Course Fee, Living Cost for 9 Months) (Funds Must be Held for At least 28 Days)
• A Completed Student Visa Application Form
• All Academic Marksheets (10th, 12th, Graduate)
• Transcript of Last Education
• Passport
• LOR (Letter of Recommendation) Without Mentioning Particular College/University Name
• Resume (Latest Updated)
• SOP (Statement of Purpose)
• Birth Certificate (In English)
• Leaving Certificate
• Marriage Certificate (If Married)
• Work Experience (If Any)
• Gape Clarification (If Any)
• IELTS/PTE/UKVI Results
• MOI (Medium of Instructor) (If Required)
• A Letter of Acceptance on the Course
(Approved Education Provider Will Give an Acceptance Letter – CAS)
(It Must Not be Issued More Than 6 Months Before Apply. If It is Older Than 6 Months Application Might Get Refused)
Keep All Your Educational Documents Ready & Check Students Eligibility.
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Select Appropriate Course
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Submit the Application in University (Keshavam Team Will do).
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Get a Conditional Offer Letter from University.
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Pay the Tuition Fees.
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Show the Required Funds in Your Account
(Funds Must be Held 28 Days).
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Receive an Unconditional Letter (CAS Letter).
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Fill the Student Visa Application Form
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Get an Appointment at Visa Application Center
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Submit the Visa File.
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Get Your Visa Done & Fly to Dream Your Destination.
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Get Success in Your Future.
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01. Oxford
02. Durham
03. St Andrews
04. London School of Economics
05. Warwick
06. Loughborough
07. Lancaster
08. Imperial College London
09. University College London
10. Bath
| S.No. | Study Program | Average fee |
| 1 | Undergraduate bachelor degree | £6,000 to £9,000 per year |
| 2 | Postgraduate master's degree | £10,000 to £16,000 per year |
| 3 | Doctoral degree | £13,000 to £29,000 per year |
The living cost in the United Kingdom should be expected to be between £5,500 and £8,000 per annum (indicative).
You will find homestays to generally start from roughly £100 per week in London. It gets costlier if you decide to live outside of London.
| Particulars | Monthly Costs |
| Rent | £450 |
| Food | £200 |
| Gas and electricity | £60 |
| Internet | £40 |
| Mobile phone | £30 |
| Laundry | £25 |
| Stationery and textbooks | £40 |
| Clothing | £75 |
| Bus fares | £45 for a 4-week travel card |
| Movie ticket | £9 |
| Dinner at restaurant | £15 |
| Total | £989 per month |
London
The one city in the UK that is perfect for brilliant academics, great lifestyle, and amazing exposure, is London. The capital of England, London is home to some of the world's oldest and greatest universities. Whether it's the language that you want to immerse in, or the culture you want to explore, or the museums and galleries you want to see, or the architecture you want to be inspired by, London is where you ought to be. Even on a student budget, you won't be let down by this city. You will find tons of musical shows, sporting events, walking tours, and fine-dining opportunities to come by.
Newcastle
So many things to appreciate about Newcastle, but we'll start with the breathtaking architecture, especially of the Sage building, and the fact that it's home to Alan Shearer, the star footballer! For students everywhere, cost of living always factors in as extra important; on that account too, Newcastle doesn't disappoint. The brilliant academic institutions, the wonderful hospitality of locals, and the fun nightlife, make this city one of the best for international students to choose.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a place that boasts of a special history. Anyone who visits this city, almost always has a uniquely beautiful experience to share. It's a brilliant amalgamation of the traditional and the modern. From it's sweet and compact city centre to its iconic castle that stands proud over the city to the Royal Mile which provides an eclectic mix of historical monuments, restaurants, shops, and pubs - Edinburgh gives you every reason to choose it as your study destination.
Every nation takes after an alternate arrangement of standards with regards to giving Permanent residency to thair country.
