Posted by With the pecks of studying outside of your country, viewing this post shows that to study abroad in England is one big shot you willing to take, right?
The requirements, top universities, top courses, courses with higher demands in England and many more crucial information are all impeded in this post.
Let’s kickstart this interesting piece by briefing you on the impressive system of education in England.
Table of Contents
Educational System of England
The education system of England is that in which most countries look up to and even copy into their education system.
The educational system of England is divided into three, which are: primary, secondary and higher education which is composed of universities, colleges, and polytechnics. At the age of 5, a child is expected to begin schooling with compulsory education lasting until the age of 16. The child is also expected to enroll into a higher institution at 18.
Higher education typically begins with 3 years Bachelor’s degree. Postgraduate degrees include Master’s degree either taught or by research and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) a research degree that usually takes at least 3 years.
High School Education in England
The high school education is usually called secondary school in England. And there are two types of high schools, they are: the public schools and private schools. The public schools are known as state schools because they are fully funded by the state while private schools are not funded by the state.
The grading system for secondary education is done alphabetically from A to U. Where, A means excellent; B is above average; C means average; D and E means below average; F and anything below refers to fail.
For some parts in England, the year is divided into six terms (there are some exceptions of schools that follow three terms per year):
Types of State Schools
The state schools can be grouped into:
Community Schools: they are not affected by business or religious groups and they follow the national curriculum.
Foundation schools and voluntary schools: they are funded by the local authority but can change the way they operate (oftentimes they are supported by representatives from religious or business groups).
Academies and free schools: these schools are run by nonprofit academy trusts and are independent from the local authority (they have more freedom to decide on how to operate and are allowed to follow a different curriculum).
Grammar schools: they can be run by the local authority, a foundation body or an academy trust, and they run their selection on their pupils based on academic ability. This means students have to take a test in order to be admitted.
University Education in England
England has a variety of higher education opportunities. With over 100 universities offering various degree programs for both students from the England and international students , there is no shortage of options. This makes competition for schools very fierce and so it is advised to apply early for courses.
In the England, most undergraduate degree programs take 3 years to conclude . However, there is an exception, in regards to a course called the “sandwich course”, over the years it is increasing in popularity. This course takes up to four years and involves one year in the workplace (usually it begins in the third year).
Graduate or masters programs are both shorter in length and one can begin this after completion of an undergraduate program. Some professional degrees like medicine, veterinary, law etc., take a longer time, as much as 5years to get completed.
Top Universities to Study Abroad in England
- University of Cambridge
- University of Oxford
- University of St. Andrews
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- Imperial College London
- Durham University
- Loughborough University
- University College London
- University of Bath
- University of Warwick
Programs to Study Abroad in England and their Duration
- National Certificate – 1 year
- Higher National Certificate – plus 1 year
- Diploma – 2 years
- Higher National Diploma – plus 1 year
- Foundation Degree – 2 years
- Bachelor’s Degree – 3 years
- Master’s Degree – Bachelor’s Degree plus 12 months
- PhDs – Master’s Degree plus 3 – 4 years.
Courses to Study Abroad in England
While there are various courses available in England, below are a few courses which are of great importance in this country
- Business Studies
- Accounting and Finance
- Undergraduate Law
- Economics
- Art and Design
- Computer Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Politics
Courses with Higher Demand
Every country has a profession which is more needed in the country for the betterment of the economy. So do you have a plan to continue your stay in England after your studies? You need to know what courses are of great importance and what profession needed in this country currently.
These courses are listed below:
- Economics
- Computer Science
- Law
- Mathematics
- Engineering
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Architecture
- Education
Costs of Studying Abroad in England
To study abroad in England is not as expensive when you compare other English speaking countries. And there are a lot of discounts for students both local and international students
Tuition Fees
UK and EU students at any English university are required to pay up to £9,250 annually. International undergraduates tuition fees vary starting at £10,000 – £38,000 or more for medical degrees per year.
Humanities and Sciences degree costs the least while Laboratory and clinical degrees are really expensive.
The average cost of tuition fees is estimated to be at least £22,000 per year with studying in London more expensive.
Currently UK students visa requires that a student should have at least £1,015 in the bank account for each month needed for stay in any part of UK. Thus a year costs £12,180.
To study in London, one has to budget £1,265 per month, which is £15,180 a year.
Accommodation
Most Universities offers accommodation in their halls of residence and at a minimal fee thus students usually live in this halls at their first year before moving out.
Accommodation costs vary by location in England or any part of the UK.
Estimated accommodation expenses is £8,073 per academic year
Food: In a food shop, the cost of food is £30 while in a pub or restaurant, the cost of a meal is £12.
Books: depending on the course, you would likely spend at least £30 a month. Course materials are included.
Mobile phone bill – £15
Gym membership – £32 per month but there are students discounts.
Entertainment: Watching TV in your rrom requires a TV license which costs £147. Cinema tickets costs £10.
Depending on the student’s spending habit, you could spend up to £35 – £55 a month.
Scholarships to Study Abroad in England
Costs should not get you so tensed up and prevent your desire to study abroad in England, there are scholarships available and all you need to do is to find out about them and apply if you meet the requirements.
There are only three government sponsored scholarships available.
- Chevening Scholarship: This scholarship is available to students who posses and portrayes leadership and decision making skills across a range of areas such as business, media and politics.
- Commonwealth Scholarships: This scholarship has a total of 900 slots and is available to students from commonwealth nations.
- Marshall Scholarships for American Students: with a total of 40 slots and a GPA of 3.7, the student who is interested can apply and their degree must have been awarded within the past three years.
Institutions across the country offers scholarships to foreign students. So you have to check out the scholarship the institution of your choice is offering.
7 Reasons to Study Abroad in England
- Home to some of the World’s Best Universities: 6 Institutes in England all appear in the Global University Ranking with the University of Oxford and Cambridge scoring 100%.
- Internationally Recognized Degrees and Qualifications: In whatever university or college you study abroad in England, your certificate is recognized in the world no matter where you go to.
- A Cheap Study Destination: Compared to other English speaking countries, England is cheaper than those countries like the US and Australia. To be precise, the tuition fee cost is £2,000 and £3,000 cheaper than the above countries. The student visa of England is just £16,000 lesser than the US.
- A Huge and Growing Student Population: No matter where you go to in England or the UK, you will always find a large number of students
- Free Healthcare: this is one of the pecks of studying abroad in England. The availability of free Healthcare attracts a lot of people to the country. Yes you pay for medicine but you don’t spend more than £8.60 per item regardless of how expensive the medication is.
- Work Opportunities: You can study and work in a part time job. Spending up to 20 hours per week, a student can work and go to school without any two interfering with each other.
- Highest Students Satisfactory Ratings
Requirements to Study Abroad in England
As an international student, you would need to get eligible to be able to get admitted into the country to study. Depending on what program you are looking at, the entry requirements will vary for international students who wants to study abroad in England.
For most schools and courses, your level of understanding and competency in English will be tested before you are admitted in a major program such as a degree program. You need to make sure you have a good level of English understanding and you can do this by taking one of the following commonly accepted tests of English ability:
- TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language
- IELTS – International English Language Testing System
- UCLES – University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate
GCSE Entry Requirements
Entrance to take your GCSE’s will solely depend on the school with which you are attending as you will need to register with a school for your GCSE education years (14 to 16 years old). Apart from the school’s requirements, the main requirements by the exams boards in England is, you will have a good level of English ability as the exams will be taken in English.
A-level Entry Requirements
This is also very dependent on the school of your choice as to what the requirements are to study A-levels there. For example, a 6th Form College may require that you have at least 5 GCSE pass grades of C or above, compare this to an independent school who may require 10 GCSE pass grades of B or above. So this will be very much dependent on the school.
Vocational Course Entry Requirements
Just like GCSE’s you will generally not need any formal qualifications to enter basic vocational course. Literacy skills and proficiency in the English language would be the only requirements, but again you will have to check with the institution that is hosting the program as they might have their own requirements.
University Entry Requirements
Entry requirements differ based on the course of study of the student. Most degree programs in England usually require that the one passes either A-levels and should attained certain grades, for instance, grades of 4Bs is a good start. In this regard, a university could have different courses with different requirements. Also these universities may have certain requirements that all students will have to meet before getting enrolled into them. For example, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge generally require all incoming students to participate in an interview, other universities may not require this.
Also, as an international student wanting to study abroad in England, you can still attend University even when you may not have taken the A-levels and have not been educated in the England system, but you will need to contact the administrator of that program to find out what documents needed from your country of origin in which you will need to provide because this differs based on your country of origin.
So how do you keep track of what is required for a course and how to you apply to study abroad in England? This is done through the University and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) which processes and takes all applications for university admission in the England .
Students Visa Requirements
To apply for a student visa, you need to be up to 16 years or more and you have been offered a place or a course by a licensed student sponsor, have enough money to support yourself and your course and have a good knowledge of the English language – to speak, read and write well.
When applying for a student visa outside England, you will have to apply as early as 6 months before your choosen course begins. This visa process takes up to 3 weeks.
Total cost of student visa to study abroad in England is £348.
Below are the documents needed for presentation when applying for this visa
- Current passport or tother valid travel documents
- Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (Cas) from your course provider
- A proof that you can support yourself (a bank statement may be required)
- A valid ATAS certificate if your course and nationality requires this
- Proof of parental or other legal guardian consent if you are under 18
- Proof of your relationship to your parents and guardian if you are below 18
- Tuberculosis test
- Proof of payment for healthcare subcharge
Providing these documents would lead to your visa application approved if they are all valid.
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