United Kingdom
Introduction
For CIS students with a keen interest and desire to specialize in a particular professional program, the UK is a comfortable and popular option. In addition to world famous universities such as Cambridge and Oxford, the UK has many high-quality institutions. And unlike the US, many degrees can be completed in three years. Scotland is an attractive and flexible option for students who need a little more time before committing to a particular degree program. As a former British colony, CIS students feel a natural connection and familiarity with the UK and its tertiary options.
There are approximately 300 institutions in the U.K. including Oxford and Cambridge, founded in the 12th century, and among the oldest in Europe. Of these 300 institutions, 44 are new universities which were granted charters in 1992. They were former polytechnics which changed their names to universities and were allowed to award their own degrees. They traditionally offered technical/professional study leading to vocational qualifications. Former polytechnic/new universities tend to offer degree courses that are much more practical than those offered by older universities. They also have extensive links and expertise developed with local industry.
Older universities have traditionally focused on more theoretical, academic disciplines. Most have well-deserved, world-wide, reputations.
English Universities – all major cities in England have their own university – some cities have several. The Higher Education Funding Council publicly funds all British universities. There is also considerable input from worldwide multinational companies and organisations who actively ‘head-hunt’ graduates from many UK universities.
The U of London – was founded in 1836 and is a federation of colleges. UL does not have a single campus and does not offer courses. It has a base in central London where there is a library to which all students of member institutions have access and a central students’ union. Accommodation is also organised by the UL centrally as well as by individual institutions. The more well-known constituent institutions are UCL, SOAS, Kings, LSE St. George's Royal Veterinary College, all of which have world class reputations. (Imperial College London is no longer part of the constituent institutions of the University of London.)
Scottish Universities – 4 year undergraduate degree courses. The Scottish higher education system is designed to emphasise a rounded, wide education. The first year of a Scottish degree is about broadening education and you will find many courses available at university/college which you cannot take at IB level. Some Scottish universities now allow students to go straight into the second year, providing they have satisfactory academic qualifications. These tend to be in the science programs. Scottish universities have very high standards and world-wide reputations in many areas like Medicine. If considering Scottish university law programs, unless otherwise stated, you will be studying Scottish, not English law and there are significant differences between the two legal codes.
Links to all things Scotland:
Welsh Universities – identical to the English system. The U of Wales is a federal university similar in structure to the U of London. The U. of Wales, Cardiff (more often known as Cardiff University) has a strong tradition of academic research and is very popular with students. In addition, Cardiff is a relatively inexpensive place, for a capital city, and has lots of restaurants and bars, parks and historical buildings. Welsh universities have strong traditions and high academic standards.
Undergraduate Degrees:
Many universities offer students the chance to combine two or more subjects in a combined degree or a joint honours degree.
A combined degree will involve different subjects of study which will not necessarily have equal weighting.
A joint honours degree will have two subject areas with equal weighting. For example Economics and Mathematics or Computing and Psychology.
Sandwich courses – one year related work experience (4 year programme)
UK UNIVERSITY WRITTEN TESTS
Traditionally only students applying to (Oxbridge) University of Oxford and University of Cambridge are required to take a written test as part of the admissions requirements. The duration of the test varies from subject to subject. It ranges from 1 to 2 ½ hours. Not all Oxbridge students are required to take the tests. It depends upon which subject they have made application. The Oxbridge written tests should be scheduled for Wednesday, October 30th at CIS. (Prior to the actual test on October 30th, we schedule an Oxbridge BMAL/LNAT practice test on the 3rd of June.)
However Oxbridge students who are applying to study/read Medicine, and Law are required to take the appropriate written test which is normally scheduled during the first week of November. Again not all UK universities require the tests.
Students who are planning to study Medicine or Dentistry are required to take the new computer-based Clinical Aptitude Test from this summer (approximately 30 British Medical and Dental Schools apart from the universities of Bristol, Belfast and Liverpool). It will be an on-line aptitude test taken any time during the July and September prior to the student’s formal UCAS application.
However for entry to courses in Biomedical Sciences, Medicine and Veterinary Science prospective applicants must take the BMAT test (Biomedical Admissions Test). University of Cambridge Medical and Veterinary Schools, Imperial College, Oxford University Medical School, University of Leeds, Brighton & Sussex Medical School and University College London are the participating institutions. The BMAT test is taken in school and the test date normally falls during the first week of November. Applicants are responsible to pay for the fee charged (£74 charged by the examination authority).
A group of prestigious law schools: University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, University of Durham, University of East Anglia, University of Glasgow, University of Nottingham, LSE, University of Oxford and University College London now require all their prospective Law applicants to take the LNAT (National Law Admissions Test). Cambridge requires all Law applicants to take their own Cambridge Law test.
To learn more about these tests, see links below.
University Degree Programmes
The two major decisions you have to make are what you want to study, and where.
Choosing a course:
Get a good idea of the range of courses available. Read through course descriptions in university prospectuses to get an idea of entrance requirements. Refer to the UCAS website (link below) which has information on virtually all undergraduate courses available in the UK.
Narrow your choice down to a list of your top subjects or combinations.
Assess your criteria: what are your reasons for wanting to study the subject at the top of your list? Do you have the qualifications you need to be accepted? What would you like to do after you have finished your degree? Will the degree be accepted in the country where you want to work?
Choosing a university:
Geographical location
Choosing between a campus university or a university in the middle of a town - campus universities’ students tend to live, study, eat and socialize within the university grounds
Reputation of the university and the reputation of the particular subject you wish to study at that university
How to Apply
To apply for full-time undergraduate courses you need to apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. All UK applications will be done electronically via the internet (www.ucas.com/apply).
Students need to select the year of entry at the Student login link on the Apply web page. A login page will be displayed on which you will need to click register. During registration, you will need to enter some personal details and indicate if you are applying through CIS, a buzzword is required. The buzzword for CIS is cis and the year of entry (ie. cis2024)
You are only allowed a maximum of five course choices for all courses except, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine/Science for which you may only enter four choices plus one other non-medicine courses if you wish. Please be aware that UK universities are more rigid on transferring between courses and universities compared to US or Canada. Hence it is vital that you have done your research.
We strongly recommend you to adopt a strategy with 2 sure bets (safety schools), 2 reasonable and 1 selective depending on your academic profile. You will need to use the internet to apply. Under UCAS apply which is a secure, web-based application system, it asks you to confirm information at each stage of the process, allowing you to correct mistakes on the spot. You can verify your application with the university counsellor. The university counsellor will be able to check your application before sending it on to UCAS for processing. The UCAS apply is the quickest and most efficient application method and the completed application can be processed within one day in the U.K.
UCAS office will send your web-based application to your chosen universities where the department and tutor of admissions (unlike US where admission officers make the decision on you) will evaluate your application. Depending on the tutor of admissions your application is considered on an individual basis, hence decisions come in at different times. Each university will only see details of its own application and will not know where else you have applied or whether all the courses on the form are the same.
When any decisions do arrive, they will be one of the following:
Unconditional offer – you are offered a confirmed place because you met or fulfilled the entry requirements
Conditional offer – you are only offered a place provided you are able to meet the stipulated IB diploma condition(s) (usually specified grades in the IB examination you will be taking)
Rejection – your application is not successful
An application fee of £24 will be levied through credit card payment.
Normally by the beginning of June you are only allowed to keep two conditional offers. Your first/preferred choice is the university you really want to enroll in and your second/insurance choice is normally the university which has given a lower stipulated condition(s)
When the IB results are published (towards the end of first week of July) you will know whether you fulfill the stipulated condition(s) for your preferred choice institution. If you met all the conditions the institution must accept you. However if you missed one or more conditions your firm/preferred choice will not offer you a place. Hence the second/insurance choice (which requires a lower condition) would be able to confirm you a place.
A few important things to note when completing your UCAS online application.
Nominated access – please list your university counsellor, not your parents
Choices – make sure you have listed your chosen universities correctly for example University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent Universities are very different institutions (always double check).
Courses – make sure your chosen subject(s) is accompanied by the correct course code and course title. A particular degree may go under a different name at different institutions.
Education (1) Completed Qualifications: You should list your IBMYP results according to your Certificate NOT transcript.
Education (2) Qualifications to be completed: IBDP – Please list all your six plus EE and ToK.
Under ‘Employment’ – Even though your employment most likely is unpaid, please list it. Employment demonstrates maturity and commitment. For subject/degree programmes such as Law, Medicine, Architecture, etc., it is especially useful to include relevant work experience because these subjects are not offered at CIS.
UCAS Clearing Scheme
This scheme will operate in July and August for students who don’t have a place. These students will be eligible for clearing. It is a scheme for matching universities without students to students without universities.