Study in UK

Why Study in the United Kingdom?

For the Indian students, the hot destination for study abroad is the United Kingdoms. Year on Year, various studies have reflected that Indian Students prefer pursuing Post Graduation Degrees in the United Kingdoms after United States. In 2019, studying-in-UK.org report highlights, about 63% rise was witnessed in the number of Indian students selecting to study in UK. This is mainly because, 11 UK Universities that tops the chart prepared by the University Rankings are situated in UK.

Explaining this rising trend, the Chief Editor of studying-In-UK says, “The rise in student numbers is quite high and surprising, a positive trend in Indian students coming the UK was something we have expected to happen. The UK has always been a traditional choice for Indian students and we think the recent u- turn on the two year UK work visa for international students has been a strong reason for Indian students to once again start applying at UK Universities, after the significant drop of applications in recent year.”

Besides cross cultural influence, there are various reasons why study in UK is lucrative for the Indian students. Check the positives factors backing study in United Kingdoms below.

Reasons to study in UK

Few of the major reasons to study in the UK are:

1. Quality of Education: Study in the UK is world famous as it is the seat of some world class institutions. Name it, from University of Oxford to University of Edinburg, all the coveted colleges are situated in the United Kingdom which needless to emphasise, offer world class education. The top Universities and Colleges in this place have it all, best teaching facility, quality academic programme and curriculum. In addition, these institutions undergo routine audits by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).
2. Umpteen Opportunities: One of the perks of studying in UK is the wide selection of course programmes in different field of study offered by UK institutions. On an average there are about 150,000 courses available at Universities situated in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
   The academia is designed in such a way that it promotes close interaction between students and lecturers.  Students also get an opportunity to combine various subjects into a single course of study. In addition, most of the institutions facilitate English language learning opportunities to strengthen language skills of the foreign students.
3. Developed Academic Research Facilities: One of the major reasons why Indian students prefer pursuing higher education in foreign Universities is due to developed academic research facilities offered by top International Universities.  UK provides about 6.4% of global journal articles, 11.6% of citations and 15.9% of the world’s top cited articles.
4. Work & Study Simultaneously: Pursuing study in UK gives the advantage of studying and gaining work experience together without any restrictions. Most of the Indian students in the UK get engaged in some kind of part time job or internship so that they can easily fuel a fraction of their daily expenses without comprising academics.
5. Easy Financial Aid & Scholarship Facilities: For the meritorious Indian students; study in UK is a lucrative option due to easy financial aid like grant schemes, bursaries and scholarship facilities. The expensive tuition fee and cost of living can be cut down largely if scholarship facilities are availed.
   

Top 10 Universities to Study in United Kingdom

Find the names of top ten Universities situated in the United Kingdom in the table below.

Fees to Study in United Kingdom

Study in UK to pursue Masters is comparatively cheaper than undergraduate degrees. Check the fees to pursue Masters in UK in the table below.

Admission Process to Study in United Kingdom

For Undergraduate Degree, study in UK essentially involves submission of Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) application on the official website. Most of UK Universities accept application through UCAS system. 

The process of Application through UCAS website includes the following steps:

1. Registration and Creation of Application on the UCAS Website
2. Application of up to five programmes at the same or different Universities in the UK
3. Keying in all the important personal information in the application form
4. Entering all the details of the previous educational qualifications
5. Adding in all the important financial information
6. Writing down a personal statement
7. Some UK Universities mentions students to have cleared the UKCAT or BMAT exam to apply for medicine and LNAT exam for Law degrees

To pursue Post Graduation Degree, the admission process is straightforward. Check out the provisions below.

1. Student’s keen to pursue Master’s or PhD degree can apply directly to the preferable University. Almost all UK Universities allow students apply for admission throughout the year. However, most of the Post Graduate Degree courses do have their own deadlines. Students will need to contact the chosen University to find out the graduate application process in detail.
2. UK Universities also give the provision to apply through UKPASS system. For this, students need to scan through all the essential documents such as their passport, Bachelor’s Degree Certificate and apply online.
3. In order to apply for PhD programmes, applicants need to select their supervisor at the University.

Documents Required to Apply for Study in UK

In order to submit application to study in UK University, students need to submit the following documents.

1. Birth Certificate
2. Motivation/ Reference Letter if the Selected University demands for it
3. Relevant Work Experience
4. Passport, National Identification Card
5. Score of English Competency exams such like TOFL, IELTS and others
6. Academic Transcripts
7. Copies of Graduation Degree/Diploma Certificates

Note: All Graduate applicants need to submit a research proposal well in advance. Before submitting, ensure that you verify all the documents by a verified professional authority.

The application deadline for Study in UK varies from course to course. For medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine course, the deadline to submit application is mid-October. Most of the Universities fix different deadline for International students from non EU countries. The deadline can be checked from the official website of each University.

Eligibility Criteria to Study in United Kingdom

Below the eligibility criteria is divided into two levels. One, that emphasises on the eligibility criteria required to fulfil for admissions to Undergraduate Degree and the other, for Post Graduate Degree.

Undergraduate Degree

Indian students who want to Study in the United Kingdom and complete Undergraduate Degreeneed to clear CBSE or ICSE board with good academic record. Students should have cleared the twelve years degree at one go. Further, all applicants must satisfy both general and course requirements for admissions and the underneath criteria:

1. The minimum admission criteria to study in UK are students must have passed subjects at GCE “A” Levels and GCSE at grade C levels.
2. All the factors specified in the prospectus of institutions related to course requirements be fulfilled by students. Interested candidates can collect prospectus from the Education Counselling Service situated in the British Council Offices or Libraries.

Admissions to top notch colleges likeOxford, Cambridge and London University grant admission to students having ‘A’ level results. This, if translated into Indian context implies students with minimumone year in a college after the 12th standard.

Post Graduate Degree

The Indian Graduation System (three years) is accepted by almost all the UK Universities for entry level to postgraduate courses. For the engineering courses like B.E. B.Tech or other such courses, students need to complete 16 years of formal education as clearly laid by the British Graduation Degree (Honours). Note down some important points for admission as enlisted below:

1. British Bachelor Degree is equivalent to three years of Indian Graduation Degree (B.A or B.Sc and other courses)
2. British Bachelor Degree (Honours) is equivalent to four year Indian Graduation Courses like B.E or B.Tech or other such courses.  It could also be an Indian PpstGraduation Degree like M.A, M.Sc or other such courses
3. British Master’s Degree is also equivalent to Post Graduate Degree like M.Tech or M.E from IIT or IISc and other such colleges

Scholarships to Study in United Kingdom

For the Indian Students, there are a number of available funding options. The scholarships for Study in UK can be governmental and non-governmental resources. The government funded scholarships are:

1. Chevening Scholarships
2. Commonwealth Scholarships

Besides, there are many third party Scholarships offered to the International students who study in UK. They are:

1. Gates Cambridge Scholarships
2. Rhodes House Scholarships
3. MBA Skoll Scholarships
4. Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships
5. UK Scholarships from British Council
6. Denys Holland Scholarships
7. Kingston University London Scholarships

Exams for Study in United Kingdom

It is important for students desiring to study in UK to pass the following exams. In other words, if any applicant misses out appearing any of the following tests, his/her admission in the University will be cancelled. Most of the following test measures candidate’s English competence.

a.) IELTS -  International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one a popular standardised English Language proficiency test. It is conducted to evaluate student’s language skills in four areas which are- listening, reading, writing and speaking skills in English language. IELTS is conducted in three hours’ time. Check the specification of IELTS exam areas below.

    IELTS Listening Test: This area of the test will be conducted for 30 minutes out of 3 hours. Here, students will need to listen to four recordings by native English speakers. Questions will be asked based on the four recordings.

    IELTS Reading Test: This area of the test will be conducted for 60 minutes out of the total 3 hours of the exam time. Here, students will need to answer 40 questions and based on it, student’s reading skills will be evaluated. For reading test, students need to read passages to dig out gist, logical arguments, main ideas, skim details and evaluate the writer’s angle, opinion and attitude.

    IELTS Writing Test: In the IELTS writing test area, student’s will need to complete two tasks and cover topics of general interest that are based on the module one is taking.

    IELTS Speaking Test: In the IELTS speaking test area, Student’s will be assessed on their spoken English skills. The test will be recorded as well as conducted in three parts.

b.) TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is yet another standardised English Proficiency test like IELTS which evaluates student’s ability of non-native English speakers. This test is conducted in two mode- IBT mode (Online) and PBT mode (offline). TOFL is categorised into four sections which are- Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. 

    English Listening Test Area: In TOFL listening section, students need to answer 50 questions in 30 to 40 minutes. Questions will be in MCQ format. Here, student’s ability to listen and understand English context is measured. The listening section is divided into three segments which are- short conversations, long conversations, lectures or talks. 

    English Speaking/Written Expression English Test Area: In TOFL, written expression consists of 40 questions that need to be answered in 25 minutes. Here students will have to complete incomplete sentences and identify errors in given phrases. In this segment, student’s ability to understand English grammar is measured on a scale of 31 to 68.

    English Reading Test Area: In TOFL, the reading section consists of 50 MCQs that students need to answer it in 55 minutes. Here, students need to read the long passages and select a suitable answer from the list of answers available. In this section, the evaluation is done on the basis of student’s ability to read and understand English.

     English Written Test Area: In TOFL, the written section consists of passages (which need justification/building an argument). Student’s need to carefully read the passages and build an essay of 250 to 300 words in 30 minutes. 

c.) PTE-   Pearson Test English (PTE) is the world’s top most computer- based test of English language. The reason why it is so popular is because; PTE is a flexible as well as fast English test. Students can schedule PTE twenty four hours well in advance. The result of PTE exam can be obtained within five business days. 

d.) Graduate Record Examination (GRE)- This exam is a standardized test to help candidates apply for a Graduate Degree Course in UK Universities. Unlike GMAT, GRE score is used in both admission for Graduate programmes and Post Graduate programmes offered by UK Universities. 

    In GRE, students’ abilities in Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Writing Skills and Vocabulary is tested. It consists of three important sections which are: Analytical Writing, Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning.

e.) Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) – GMAT measures the applicants at business graduate programs in UK Universities. The exam tests students’ knowledge of General Awareness, Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Multi-Data Source and Grammar. The online test has four sections that are: Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal Abilities.

f) Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) – This exam is conducted by the “College Board” which is a non- profit organization. This exam evaluates student’s critical reading, math and writing skills ability. The exam is conducted seven times in a year. This gives an edge to the students to retake the exam and improve the scores and seek admission in their dream institution.