So, you want to study in the UK in the year 2024 but don’t know where to start. Well, you are at the right place.
Hi, my name is Mudit, and in this blog, I am going to be discussing everything you need to know to get your journey started in the UK in the year 2024: intakes, visas, programs, education system, documentation, and application. Post-study work, part-time jobs for UG and PG students both.
You can also get in touch by clicking at the link below. Let’s get started.
How is the education system in UK?
Let us start with the education system. The British education system is quite identical to the Indian education system, but there are a few key differences. Bachelor’s degrees are usually up to three years, including engineering; however, medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences are usually five years. If you want an industrial placement at a UG level, it will go up to usually four years, which is three years of study and one year of work. These degrees are also called sandwich degrees.
Masters, including MBAs, are usually one year, but some MBAs and research Masters may last up to 16 months to 2 years, and industrial placement will also be available for Masters, but in that case, a one-year degree will be for 2 years, which means one year of study and one year of work.
what are the Intakes in the UK
Over to the major intakes in the UK. The UK has three major intakes: September, January, and May. September is the best choice because all universities offer all programs. January options are limited, and May is negligible.
Here, an important thing to note is that if you are targeting top universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSC, etc., January isn’t usually available, so September will be your best bet.
Top Universities and Colleges in the UK
Now let us talk about universities and colleges. The UK has over 150 universities, out of which most of them are public universities, and a few of those are private. Russell Group universities are the top 24 universities and are ideal for those who want to study at top-ranking institutions. Some of the examples include Imperial College London, Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSC, King’s College London, Sheffield, Manchester, and Warwick. Private universities in the UK include the University of Law, the University of Buckingham, Regent’s College London, and BPP University, to name a few.
What programs to Study in UK?
Moving on to program options. British universities are known for ample program options. You can choose between engineering, sciences, IT, business, health sciences, medicine, law, arts and humanities, and social sciences, Etc. The UK is a top choice if you want to pursue degrees in music, fashion, art management, film and TV, and journalism. You will also find very uncommon degrees in UK universities, such as football management, contemporary circuses, ethical hacking, hairdressing, ceramics, whiting studies, and soft sciences. Shortlisting programs can be a task in the UK, given there are so many options, but I do have a solution for you, so stick with me till the end of this blog.
Application and Documentation to study in the UK
Bachelor degrees Admission requirements in UK
Now that we have our basic set, let’s move on to application and documentation. For bachelor’s degrees, you will need 10th mark sheet, 12th mark sheet, IELTS, PT, or TOEFL score, a statement of purpose, passport, and two letters of recommendations.
IELTS waivers are possible if you studied in CBSE, ICSE, or certain state boards with 70+ in your English.
For some courses like medicine, vet sciences, dentistry, or law, you will need additional tests like UCAT, BMAT, or LNAT.
Creative courses will require a portfolio to apply. You can directly apply through the university website or through UCAS. Do note that top universities will only accept your application if you apply to UCAS.
What is UCAS?
UCAS is a centralized portal where you can apply to top 5 universities or program choices together, where you just have to pay £26.50 or ₹2600 as an application fee. One more thing is UCAS is only for September intake; direct applications are usually free. Also, if you do not have your final mark sheets or English language test results, you can still apply for a conditional offer letter.
Master degrees Admission requirements in UK
Over to PG documentation and application. For Masters, only direct applications will be accepted. Most of these universities will not charge you, but some of them may charge £50-100.
Documents required for this will be your educational documents starting from 10th to your bachelor’s, IELTS, PTE, or TOEFL score, a statement of purpose, passport, CV, and 2 letters of recommendation.
IELTS waivers are possible too for a case-to-case basis. Also, if you have work experience, work experience certificates will be required, and in some cases, GMAT or GRE scores will be required if you are applying for an MBA degree.
For Masters as well, you can apply for a conditional offer letter if you do not have your final mark sheet or IELTS score.
UK Admission Deadline
Deadline for bachelors in UK
We’ll start with UG first. If you are applying through UCAS, the portal will open on 5th September 2023 and will close on 15th October 2023 for all courses at Oxford and Cambridge and medicine, vet sciences, dentistry for September 2024 intake. For all the other universities, the UCAS deadline will be 31st January 2024. If you apply directly, many universities will continue to accept your application until May and June 2024.
Deadline for Masters in UK
For PG students, the admission will start from September 2023 for September 2024 intake. Some courses like MBA will have four to eight rounds of deadlines with the final deadline in February or March 2024. Top universities will continue to accept your application until February 2024, while some universities will continue to accept your application until May or June 2024. My advice here will be that you start your own research right now to make sure that you are not late.
Cost of Studying in the UK
Cool, now over to tuition fees, living costs, and scholarships.
Tuition fees in UK
The fees may vary based on your course, location, and university. Basic rules: lab courses will be expensive, top universities will be expensive, London-based universities will be expensive, and MBAs will be expensive.
For UG, £10,000 to £25,000 per annum is an approximate tuition fee, which is ₹10 to ₹25 lakhs. For Masters, it will be £13,000 to £35,000 pounds for a full one-year course, which will be up to ₹13 to ₹35 lakhs.
Living cost in UK
For living, the Home Office UK recommends £1334 pounds per month in London, which is ₹1.3 lakhs, and £1023 per month outside London, which is around ₹1 lakh.
Scholarrships in UK as Indian Students
Talking about scholarships, there are plenty of scholarships, starting from £2000 pounds to a hundred percent tuition fee waiver plus living costs. Ask your counselor which scholarship you are qualified for, but if you want to apply for a scholarship, apply as soon as possible so that the chances of getting it are higher, and some of these scholarships will close their applications as early as November 2023.
Study Visa for UK
Now over to student visa application for the UK.
Student visa: These are the documents that will be required: passport, CAS letter (this is a 14-digit number issued by your university once you accept the offer and pay a deposit), all academic documents including CV, all work experience documents if applicable, English tests such as IELTS (this will not be important if it is waived off by your university but you need to mention this on your CAS letter), TB test and chest x-ray reports (this is done by a British High Commission certified clinic and roughly costs around ₹2500 to ₹3000 rupees), ATAS certificate if you are pursuing a course that is counted as a particularly sensitive field of study such as defence, IHS, or immigration health surcharge (this covers your medical expenses for your entire visa duration in the UK.
It is £470 pounds each year and £235 pounds for every duration of less than six months. Since for bachelor’s, the visa duration is three years and four months roughly, you will have to pay £470 multiplied by 3 plus £235 pounds, which will be £1645 pounds. For Masters, it will be £470 plus £235, which is £705 pounds.
financial documents: The funds will be your living cost for one year plus the remaining tuition fee after you’ve paid your deposits. For London-based universities, it will be £12,006 pounds for your living cost plus your remaining tuition fee, and for outside London universities, it will be £9,207 pounds plus your remaining tuition fee.
If you are taking an education loan, this 28-day-old fund criteria will not apply. And lastly, if a affidavit of support, in case you are showing your funds under your parents’ or spouse’s name.
Student Visa Application Fee for UK
The application fee for Visa processing is £363 pounds, which will take five weeks. You can also apply for a priority service, which will take 5 days, but you have to pay an additional £500 pounds, which will make it a total of £863 pounds.
There is a super-priority service available too, which will cost you £800 pounds on top of £363 pounds, which will make it a total of £1163 pounds. Always apply sooner so that you don’t have to pay extra for your Visa.
Once you fill out your application form online, get a biometric appointment done, and submit all of your documents to VFS UK for processing, you are sorted.
Part-time Jobs and Post-study Work Visa
Now, let’s talk about part-time jobs and post-study work visa. Pretty straightforward: You can work for 20 hours per week during your term time and 40 hours during your vacation.
The average salary per hour will be £9 to £12 pounds for an hour. In terms of post-study work visa, you get two years of PSW after your bachelor’s or master’s degree and three years after your PhD.
PR options are also available after you get a job and transition into a skilled worker visa and have stayed in the UK for five years.
I have covered most of the points in this blog that will help you plan your journey to the UK flawlessly for January 2024 intake.
If you have any further questions, drop them in the comment section below, and we’ll be happy to answer that. But if you want to cut short all of these research and get help for free, you can reach out to our experts by filling the form below.