Applying to UK Universities
Application Deadlines
Processing the Application
The application is then forwarded by UCAS to the universities and colleges that the students have applied to, who then decide whether to make students an offer of a place. Universities give students either an unconditional offer, where the student will receive a place regardless, or a conditional offer, where the student will receive a place subject to their predicted grades being met. However, if you receive no offers from your five UCAS choices or change your mind about which courses and institutions to apply, you could still find a place using UCAS Extra. UCAS Extra allows you to add another choice to your application. It opens each February and lasts until July. Further, if you still do not have an offer after the July deadline, you can enter UCAS Clearing.
UCAS Clearing is for students who are unable to secure an offer from a UK university for three main reasons:
- They applied after the June 30th deadline
- Exam results fell short of conditional offer requirements
- No offers were received, or no offers were accepted
Clearing is how universities fill up spaces on available courses. You need to contact your university/college to find out if they have vacancies and how to apply. UK universities will make online course databases available, but you can only apply for one course at a time.
The Personal Statement
One of the most important documents that needs to be submitted as part of the application is the Personal Statement. It gives applicants a chance to write about their achievements, their interest in the subject they are applying for, as well as their suitability, interest, and commitment to higher education. Personal statements can contain a maximum of 4,000 characters (including spaces and should consist of the following:
- Student’s background
- Student’s career aspirations
- Immediate and long-term goals
- Why the student wants to study the course?
- How the student became interested in studying the subject?
- What student has done outside the classroom?
- What, if any, relevant work experiences the student has undertaken?
- Why does the student want to be an international student, rather than study in the student’s own country?
- Why the student wants to study in the UK?
- How is the student right for the course and be given an admission?
Additional Details Needed to Process the Application
- Proof of English Proficiency: For pursuing university education in the UK, the student will need to take TOEFL or IELTS and submit the scores of these standardized tests to the universities as part of the application. It is better to take IELTS because for visa purposes, IELTS scores are the ones that are accepted by UK immigration.
- Transcripts: In addition, to the IELTS/TOEFL scores the students need to submit transcripts of class X and XII. If the application is being made while the student is studying in class XII and yet to give the final exams, then predicted marks are to be obtained from the school in a sealed envelope and submitted along with the application.
- Certificates: Further, the student also needs to submit details of all other activities like sports, creative pursuits, volunteer work, internships, community service along with copies and proofs.
- Letters of Recommendation (LORs): The universities also ask for LORs typically from people who know the student well in academic, extracurricular or work-related capacity. These typically are the teachers, sports instructor, supervisor during internships and research projects etc.
- Proof of Funding: As part of a student Visa requirement, international students may need to display sufficient financial capacity for the duration of their studies. To show financial proof of living and studying in the UK, each student must show financial capacity to cover:
- Tuition fees (for one academic year)
- Living expenses (for 9 months)
So, any of the following can be provided as a proof of funding provided they cover the total of the tuition fee and living expenses above:
- Bank letter, under the student’s and/or his or her parents’ name
- Bank account statement, under the student’s and/or his or her parent(s)’ name
- Financial sponsorship from an international organization approved by UKVI
- Government scholarship
- Student loan from a bank
Thus, by following the above-mentioned steps, an Indian student can obtain an admission in a UK university or college for almost all the courses except for Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science and Architecture which have different admission processes. How to go about getting an admission in them will be covered in a separate blog.
So, if you dream of studying in the UK want an admission to a university or college there do contact us. We can guide and support you through the entire process of admission to undergraduate or postgraduate courses at the UK colleges and universities.
