🇬🇧 United Kingdom

UK tuition fees vary depending on your home country. For home students, English universities can charge up to a maximum of £9,250 per year for an undergraduate degree. 

Institutions in Wales can charge up to £9,000 for home students. However, if you are Welsh student, you can apply for a fee grant to cover some of the cost of your tuition fees. This grant is currently not repayable or income-assessed. 

Northern Irish universities will charge up to £4,710 for home students and may charge up to £9,250 for students from elsewhere in the UK.

International students can expect to pay between £10,000 and £26,000 annually for lecture-based undergraduate degrees at universities across the UK. An undergraduate medical degree can cost overseas students up to £67,892 per year.

Home vs Overseas Fee

The regulations around home student status vary across the UK. See the relevant article in the series for information on England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Always check with each university/programme to inquire about tuition, fees, and possible financial aid and scholarships.

Read more about student finance for international and EU students

Source: UCAS

As an application centre, the €40 payment can be made to VIS for the application process. Payment can be made to the accounts office as well by the student or online at https://verdala.schoolsbuddy.net/ and pay through the Activities Sign Up page.

Some universities require you to sit an admissions test as part of the application process – discover the different types of assessment here.

If you apply for a course that requires an admissions test, you’ll need to check the registration deadline for the test, when you will sit it, and what it includes, as well as the deadline for your UCAS application.

Many courses that require you to sit a test have a 16 October UCAS application deadline, but your course may be different, so it’s important you check key dates and deadlines. To see if your course requires you to sit an admissions test, check the course description in the search tool.

Most admissions tests happen between August and November the year before you're due to start your studies – some even earlier, before you’ve sent your UCAS application!

Remember to check the date of your admissions test – some take place before the UCAS application deadline.

Course-related admissions tests

Law

• LNAT – National Admissions Test for Law

Mathematics/Computer Science

• Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT)

• Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP)

• Test of Mathematics for University Admissions (TMUA)

• Computer Science BSc and MEng STAT

Medical courses

• BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)

• Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT)

• University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) 

Engineering courses

• 1. • Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT)

Thinking Skills Assessment

• Thinking Skills Assessment Oxford (TSA Oxford)

Click here for more information on required exams and deadlines: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests

In certain courses on the UCAS application system, you may notice a discrepancy in the entry requirements between Scottish students and others, such as those from the rest of the UK or internationally. For instance, while the specified entry range might be 36-34 for some applicants, Scottish students could be advised to aim for a higher range like 42-45.

This difference is often due to the unique funding structure for Scottish students. The Scottish government covers the tuition fees for Scottish (and potentially European) students, leading to strict quotas on the number of students each university can admit in this category. The competition for these funded places is fierce, and the entry requirements are set at a higher level, usually in the range of 42-45.

In contrast, students from the rest of the UK or international locations, who are not covered by the Scottish government funding, face less stringent competition and may find themselves competitive with slightly lower grades, typically within the lower range of the specified entry requirements.

For example, when universities like Edinburgh provide a range of entry requirements, the higher end of the range is often intended for Scottish or funded students, while the lower end is for those from the rest of the UK or international applicants. It's essential for students to be aware of these distinctions when considering their academic goals and applying to universities. For more detailed information, you can refer to the university's admissions statistics, such as those provided by the University of Edinburgh at https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-recruitment/admissions-advice/admissions-statistics.

We highly recommend students find a referrer to speak on their ability as a student, leader, impacter, helper, etc.  for section 3 of the reference for UCAS. Some universities may require this section, some may not, but we believe it will only help your application and lead to greater chances of admission at first choice schools.

See the Request for Recommendation page for more information on the process for recommendations.

Most universities accept the IBDP and IBCP. You can find specific information about which universities recognize the program and the specific course requirements here: https://recognition.ibo.org/en-US/.  Always check the individual university websites to find their unique requirements.

You'll usually be expected to have taken a higher level in a subject related to the course you're applying for.

Didn't get the IB diploma? Don't panic!     Read the guide here.

If getting offers that say tariff points and not an IB total number, use this UCAS tariff point calculator to see where you're at.

MedicPortal is the suggested resource to begin studying and preparing to apply to medical programs in the UK. Check their information on choosing a program, taking the UCAT exam, preparing for your interview, writing the medical Personal Statement, etc.

Here is the guide from UCAS.

Keep in mind, the deadline for these programs is EARLIER than other applications.

When your last decision comes in, we'll send you an email to update let you know all your decisions have been received and you can now reply to any offers you've been given.

• Sign in to your application to make your replies.

• You'll see the deadline you need to reply by.

Types of reply

If you have an unconditional offer, you can select it now to confirm your place. If your offers are conditional on exam results or other requirements, you can pick two so you have an extra one as a back-up.

Here's what you need to know about firm and insurance choices, and how to accept or decline an offer.

Firm acceptance – this is your first choice.

• If it's an unconditional offer, the place is yours! So that university will expect you as their student.

• Or if it's conditional, the place is yours if you meet the offer conditions. So just in case you don't, you can pick a second offer as a backup – your insurance acceptance.

Insurance acceptance – the back-up choice to a conditional firm acceptance.

• If you're choosing an insurance, go for something with lower offer conditions – make sure it's somewhere you'd still be happy to go to though.

• That way, if your results are lower than expected, you might still meet the conditions at your insurance choice; then you'd have your place confirmed there.

• Remember, you'll only attend your insurance choice course if you don't meet the conditions of your firm choice, but you do meet the conditions of your insurance. You can't choose between your firm and insurance when you get your results, so make sure you're happy with which is your firm and which is your insurance before you reply.

How to decline an offer

Decline – you'll need to decline any other offers you get.

However, if you decide you don't want to accept any of the offers, you can decline them all and add more courses in our Extra service. Alternatively, you can see what courses still have vacancies later on in our Clearing service.

You can only accept one firm choice and one insurance choice (if you choose to have one). You must decline all other offers.

Offer and reply combinations

• Unconditional firm (UF) – You're in!

• Conditional firm (CF) – You're in if you meet the conditions.

• Conditional firm (CF) and conditional insurance (CI) – You've made a first and second choice – you'll be in at the first if you meet the conditions. If not, you might have met the conditions of the second – if so you'll be on that course instead.

• Conditional firm (CF) and unconditional insurance (UI) – You've made a first and second choice – if you meet the conditions of the first you'll be on that course. If not, you'll definitely be on the second.

When do I need to declare my firm and insurance universities?

For declaring Firm and Insurance choices, it is June 6th* for all students who have all their decisions by 16 May*…… but some places say replying earlier may mean they can get on with booking accommodation etc as soon as that opens and that is usually on a first come first served basis.

Some universities don’t even start processing applications until the January deadline has passed so don’t worry if you haven’t heard back. Receiving a decision will sometimes take until the end of March. The absolute final deadline for decisions to be made on applications received by the deadline is not until the end of June*. After this, any outstanding applications will automatically be entered into UCAS clearing.

*make sure to confirm dates on UCAS website

SEE MORE INFO

Use the following links to understand more about student financing for university

• UK Tuition Fees

• Student Loans (UK citizens)

• Scholarships, Grants, & Bursaries (UK & non-UK citizens)

• Financial Assistance (non-UK citizens)

• Scholarships for UK and non-UK

• Disabled Student's Allowance

• Scholarship Search | British Council

Clearing is how unis and colleges fill any places they still have on their courses. 

From 5 July – 21 October 2024, you can apply for a course using Clearing if you’re not already holding an offer from a university or college, and the course still has places.

You can use Clearing if:

• you’re applying after 30 June

• you didn’t receive any offers (or none you wanted to accept)

• you didn’t meet the conditions of your offers

• you’ve declined your firm place using the ‘decline my place’ button in your application

When does Clearing start and end?

Clearing is open from 5 July and closes on 21 October 2024.

SEE MORE INFORMATION