About Country

Location: Northwestern coast of mainland Europe 
Countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Immigrants: 10% of the total population

Languages:

• English
• French (spoken by 2.3% of the country’s population)
• Polish (1.0%)
• German (0.9%)
• Spanish (0.8

Weather

• The United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round.
• The temperature varies with the seasons but seldom drops below -10 °C (14.0 °F) or rises above 35 °C .
• In the west, winters are wet, especially over high ground.
• Summers are warmest in the south east of England, being closest to the European mainland, and coolest in the north. Snowfall can occur in winter and early spring.
• Scotland tends to be colder than England since its located further North but this has its good side since it enables Scotland to provide Skiing holidays to its visitors.

Transport

• Two cities in England have rapid transit systems.
• London Underground / Tube
• Outside of London there is the Tyne and Wear Metro. It is a light rail metro system based around Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland
• Many other cities in the UK have rapid transit systems combined of local or light rail with bus and tram systems.
• The rail network in Great Britain is the oldest such network in the world. It connected to Wales, Scotland and France via Channel Tunnel.

Top

Major Regions/ Cities

Top

Major Economy

The service sector of the UK is dominated by financial services, especially in banking and insurance. With many big financial organizations such as HSBC and Barclays, one can easily explore options to get part-time and full-time jobs during the coursework or during vacations respectively.
The industrialization of Britain was initially concentrated on heavy industries such as shipbuilding, coal mining, steel production, and textiles. But now the British service sector also contributes heavily in the country’s GDP.

Established Industries:

• Textiles
• Chemical products
• Automobiles
• Locomotives
• Aircraft

Emerging Industries:

• Construction
• Services,
• Administrative,
• Computer,
• Pharmaceutical
• Financial
• Agriculture and fishing: Highly mechanized and efficient. It contributes around 2% of GDP

Economy of England:

• Investment and banking: The city of London is a major financial district. It employs around 70% of the working population. The city of London is heavily concentrated with Banks, Insurance companies, Commodity and Future exchange
• Manufacturing: It accounts for some 26% of the UK's GDP.
• Tourism: Tourism is the 6th largest industry in the UK. It employs 6.1% of the working population

Economy of Scotland

• Third largest GDP per capita after London and Greater London.
• The power house of Europe.
• Leader in manufacturing and shipbuilding.
• Producer of textiles, whisky, shortbread, aeroenignes, buses, computer software, ships, avionics, microprocessor, banking, insurance to fund management, and tourism.
• Fishing is economy’s main stay in Aberdeen
• The financial services industry is fastest growing areas with a growth rate of over 35% over the period 2000 to 2005.
• It has a well-educated population - adult Literacy rates are at over 99%.
• Edinburgh is the financial services centre of Scotland and the sixth largest centre in Europe. Many large technology firms relocating to this city. University of Edinburgh is excellent in the field of Artificial Intelligence

Glasgow:
Leading seaport

• Fourth largest manufacturing centre in the UK
• Shipbuilding is a large part of its economy .
• One of the top financial centres
• Home to many of the UK’s leading companies.
• Other important industries include textile production, chemicals, distilling, brewing and fishing.
• Aberdeen is the centre of the North Sea Oil industry with the port and harbour serving many oil fields off shore. (University of Aberdeen is a world-leader in the study of offshore technology in the oil and gas industry)

Economy of Wales

• Ranks as the 43rd largest economy in the world.
• Dominated by the service sector.
• Manufacturing sector contributes 32%, whilst agriculture, forestry and fishing contributed 1.5%.
• Cardiff, Swansea and Newport are centre for retail, hotels and restaurants, financial and business services.
• Nearly all the tinplate and much of the aluminium of sheet steel products in the UK are produced in Welsh plants.
• Producer of automotive components.
• Approximately 80% of the land in Wales is used for agriculture. Though in total agriculture, forestry and fishing only contributes 1.5 % of the Welsh economy.

Top

Education System

Higher Studies System:

• 12 years of Schooling
• 3 year Bachelor Degree / 4 years of Engineering
• 1 year Master Degree
• 3 years PhD

Top Up Programs and Bridging Courses are special feature of the UK Education System.
Level of the Program:

Admission Timings: 

University Intakes

Major Intake(major intake) : September
Second Intake(minor intake) : January
Colleges Intake
Normally Colleges have three to four intakes per year in the month of 
January / April / July / September

Top

Ranking

EducationGuardian: 
www.education.guardian.co.uk

Good Universities Guide by Times Online 
www.timesonline.co.uk

Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 
www.rae.ac.uk

Top

Part time work during studies

Guidlines for dependent visa:
• For a student to sponsor a dependant, the student will have to be on a post graduate course (NQF 7 and above) at a university which is of more than 12 months’ duration, or a Government Sponsored student
• The dependants will be able to work
Maximum time allowed as a student

*The sponsor will have to vouch for academic progression where students are not moving up to the next NQF level

Top

Work opportunities after studies

The current Post-Study Work route will be closed from April 2012.
Important information on new rules:
• Those graduating from a UK university with a recognized degree, PGCE, or PGDE will be able to switch into Tier 2.
• There will not be a limit on these switchers.
• They will only be able to switch if they are in the UK, before their student visa expires.
• The normal Tier 2 requirements will apply, except for the Resident Labour Market Test.
• Genuine student entrepreneurs with a great idea are able to stay on in the UK to develop their business proposition.
Current Rules:
On completion of studies, student can acquire two years work permit in the UK under Post Study Work Permit scheme with Point Based System.
The Points Based System (PBS) is a system for managing migration for those wishing to enter the UK for work or study.
Tier 1 (General) Migrant of the Points Based System was launched for foreign nationals living in the UK on 29 February 2008 and replaced the Highly Skilled Migrant Program (HSMP).

Top

Visa Requirement

A points-based scheme is being introduced covering migration to work and study in the UK.

• From March 2009, all students coming to the UK on programs of longer than 6 months in duration will be assessed under the new system – as “Tier 4” applicants i.e. the student category
• Students will need to show that they are “sponsored” i.e. have an offer from a licensed institution to study full-time on a program which leads to a minimum qualification within the UK’s National Qualification Framework
• Once applicants have met all the conditions of their offer we will issue a Certificate of Acceptance of Sponsorship (CAS) to enable them to apply for a student visa. Please note that this will be in the form of a unique ID number.

Documents required for CAS:

• Passport number, passport issue and expiry dates (where student has a passport)
• A complete list of qualifications on the application form
• Applicants for student visas will also need to demonstrate that they have funding for the first year of the tuition fees PLUS £7200/year outside London and £9000/year inside London as living cost.
• Student visas will be issued for named institutions and students wishing to change university either before or after coming to the UK will need to apply for reapproval.
• ATAS's Certificate: ATAS is a tool the UK government uses to help deliver this objective by working with Higher Education Institutions. If the student meets the criteria for ATAS, the Immigration Rules state that they need to have an ATAS certificate before they apply for their visa, or extension of stay.

Applicants must be genuine students under the new system.
Visa processing time: 

You can apply for your visa within three months of your intended date of travel. Processing time varies immensely depending upon time and volume of the applications.
Visa Fees: Rs19,150/-
Summary for Points calculation:
You need 40 points to be able to apply for a student visa. You will need to provide the evidence needed with your application form.

30 points – Doing a course at an acceptable level with an approved education provider (also known as sponsorship)
Evidence required is a confirmation of acceptance for studies reference number issued by your approved education provider, and the documents used to obtain it.
10 points - Having enough money to cover your course fees and living costs (also known as maintenance).
Evidence required is Bank statement or letter confirming that you have enough money to cover your course fees and living costs for a given period.
Downloads:

• Visa Forms
• Checklist

Top

English Requirement

As described by the UKBA, the popular SELTS that are acceptable in the UK are:

• IELTS
• TOEFL
• PTE  

The level of SELT required to gain entry into UK on study visa are:

Top

Fee Structure

Under Graduate Studies 
Universities: 8,000 – 9,000.00 GBP per yearColleges Bt. 3,500 – 6,000 GBP per year
Post Graduate Studies
Universities: 8,000 – 10, 000.00 GBP per yearColleges Bt. 6,000 – 7,500.00 GBP per year
Living Expenses
IN LONDON: 7,200.00 GBP per year OUTSIDE LONDON : 5,400.00 per year

Top

Academic Requirement

Undergraduate courses
Most universities and colleges in the UK consider the results in the High School for admission into undergraduate degree program.

Students are required to have gained first division or second higher division in their high school or appropriate results in A levels or the IB.
Lower grades are acceptable if additional professional qualifications or work experience.
Bridging or foundation programs:
Duration: approximately one year
Purpose: prepare students with lower grades for admission in universities for higher studies
Higher National Diploma program: 
Duration: 2 years
Purpose: Roughly equivalent to the first two years of a degree program. On successful complete of the program you may be able to enter the second or third year of a relevant degree program in the UK.
Top-up degrees: 
Top-up degrees offer the opportunity to 'top up' Higher National Diploma (HND), Foundation Degree or equivalent overseas qualification and gain full UK undergraduate honours degree status in just one year.
Postgraduate courses

• Higher second or first division bachelor degree program
• Some universities will accept students with lower marks for students with professional qualifications or good relevant work experience.
• There are some select courses that might require relevant work experience for a couple of years in a relevant field.

MBA
Most of the MBA degrees require to have some work experience in either a related field or at an appropriate managerial capacity along with good undergraduate degree.
Experience can vary from 1 to 7 years, some programs requiring at least 2 to 3 years of full time work experience after completion of undergraduate degree.
Some universities in the UK that have designed their MBA program to ensure that they are suitable for students who do not have any work experience. 

Top

Useful Links

www.ucas.ac.uk
www.ukosa.com
www.workingintheuk.gov.uk
www.scotlandistheplace.com
www.ukvisas.gov.uk
www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk
www.vfs-uk-in.com
www.fco.gov.uk
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

Top

Scholarship/ Bursaries

There are many sources of funding available to you for studying in the UK – particularly if you are a postgraduate student.

• British Chevening Scholarships 
  The British Chevening Scholarship scheme aims to bring future leaders, decision-makers and opinion-formers to the UK for a period of postgraduate study. They cover all or part of the cost of a one-year postgraduate course in the UK. Once you have completed the course, you will be expected to return to your home country. 
• Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) 
  The CSFP is aimed at Commonwealth citizens who can make a significant contribution to their home country after studying in the UK. If you are from a developing country in the Commonwealth, your chosen area of work is expected to contribute directly to development objectives. 
  
  CSFP Scholarships are usually for between one and three years. They cover the cost of travel to and from the UK, tuition fees and living expenses. In some cases an allowance is paid to help with the cost of maintaining your spouse and family in the UK. 
• Professional Fellowship awards are typically for three months. They provide opportunities for people working in developing Commonwealth countries to spend a short period of professional updating in the UK. 
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme: The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme assists students from developing Commonwealth countries who would benefit from higher education in the UK. If you are unable to study in the UK for financial reasons and are outside the scope of other British government support schemes, you may be eligible. 
  
  To apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship you should be:
  of high academic caliber intending to study subjects of developmental relevance to your home country.
• Royal Society Fellowships 
  The Royal Society offers incoming fellowships for researchers from North America and Asia. The aim is to attract outstanding postdoctoral scientists to undertake high-quality research at a UK laboratory. 
  
  The fellowships are available for up to two years for postdoctoral researchers in the USA and Canada and up to one year if you are from Asia. 
• Scotland's Saltire Scholarships
  Under Scotland’s Saltire Scholarships scheme, 200 awards are available to postgraduate master’s students from Canada, China, India and the USA. This is part of the Scottish government's continuing support for the 'brightest and best' students to come and study in Scotland.
  
  The Saltire Scholarship scheme highlights academic excellence in the Scottish university sector:
  
  Eighty six per cent of academic research in Scottish institutions has been judged to be internationally excellent, according to the latest independent and globally-regarded Research Assessment Exercise.

Disclaimer: 
This guidance is for students interested in studying abroad in particular country. It is only a guide for which information is taken from various relevant websites. It aims to answer some common questions. Visitors are recommended to contact the office for most updated information.