Coming to study in the UK is your opportunity to gain the skills, outlook and confidence you need to fulfil your potential. To ensure you choose the course that is right for you and for what you want to achieve, it is best to read as much as you can about the range of courses, colleges and universities available and compare them. It is also important to check the course entry requirements. You can do this using our course search tool, or the course profiles on the institutions' websites. If you have any questions, you can contact the university directly, who will be very happy to help you find the information you need.
How to apply
Coming to study in the UK is your opportunity to gain the skills, outlook and confidence you need to fulfil your potential. Applying to study in the UK is a straightforward process and we will guide you through it step by step.
Undergraduates
Applying for an undergraduate course in the UK is simple; there is one place where you can register and apply to all of the UK universities and colleges – you register and apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
Find out more about the application procedure for undergraduates.
Postgraduates
Postgraduate courses in the UK have their own specific entry requirements and application processes, so check the individual course websites for instructions on how to apply.
Your university or college will contact you (usually via email) to tell you whether or not you have received an offer to study. If you applied via UCAS it's easy to track the status of your application at any time.
If you are accepted with an unconditional offer, then congratulations! You have a place and you can accept straightaway.
If you are accepted with a conditional offer, the place is yours as long as you meet a few extra requirements. This could be achieving certain exam grades or English language test scores.
For some courses you may be asked to come for an interview before you receive your offer, either on the phone or sometimes in person. Check the course information before you apply to find out whether this is required.
Now is the time to arrange funding. You may be eligible for one of the many scholarships available to help with the cost of your studies.
As an international student, you are likely to need a visa to take up your study place in the UK.
Once you have your offer and your visa, it's time to get packing! You can now begin to look at things like flights, accommodation and anything else you will need to help you make the most of your time in the UK.
Undergraduate
Applying for an undergraduate degree in the UK is simple and you can apply for up to five courses at once through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
Postgraduate
As soon as you decide you want to study a postgraduate course in the UK you can, and we recommend you apply as soon as possible.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
UK universities accept local school leaver qualifications and university qualifications from countries all over the world.
When you have chosen the course you want to apply for, find the specific course page on the university website and look for the related entry requirements. You will most likely find a list of the UK requirements (for example, A-level results), but you'll also see a link to international equivalents, where you can select your country and find out which grades you'll need from your exam system.
Every university is different, and if you can't find the equivalent for your country on the course page, don't be shy to reach out directly to the university admissions office to ask for the details you need.
The exact grades you need will depend on the course and your chosen university. Competitive courses often ask for the highest possible grades. Make sure to choose and apply for a course that’s realistic for you – there are over 160 universities in the UK, so you’re sure to find one that suits you.
Possibly. There are some subjects, such as mathematics or biology, that you’ll likely need to have studied up to the end of school before you can do an undergraduate degree, or to undergraduate level if you want to do a postgraduate in that subject.
However, there are many other subjects – such as law, biochemistry or business – that you can start from the beginning with your UK undergraduate or postgraduate degree.
Your UK university might ask you for your exam results in related subjects – maths for economics, for example. At other times, they’ll just want to know that you have the overall grades required. Check the relevant university website and carefully read the requirements for the course you want to apply for.
If you are thinking of applying for a new subject, it is good to mention in your personal statement in your application that you have tried to find ways to explore the subject in your own time. For example, if you want to study business, you could talk about work experience that you have done or books that you have read about business theory.
Did you know that more than 50,000 undergraduate courses are available in the UK? Courses at UK higher education institutions are held to strict standards, so you can be sure you will receive a quality education in the UK.
The Register of Regulated Qualifications contains details of Recognised Awarding Organisations – universities and colleges that can award degrees, and it is regularly updated. For Scottish qualifications, you can check the Scottish Credit and Qualifications website.
Of course, there is always the question of whether a course is 'good' or 'the right course' for you, and that's a very personal matter.
Check out our Choosing a course and Choosing a university or college pages for more tips.
It depends on the course and the university. Some universities and colleges will say how many students study that subject each year on their websites or course pages. Some also list the acceptance rate (i.e. the percentage of students who get a place out of those who apply).
Even if you study a popular course, you’ll probably have a range of class sizes. You might attend lectures with over a hundred other students but have practical sessions or tutor groups with fewer people. Many UK degrees are ‘modular’ – meaning you can choose from several options within the course to make it the right course for you.
If you want to know how many students are applying for a particular course or what the usual class sizes are, you can contact the university admissions office directly.
Sometimes, if you’re still waiting for exam results – for example, you’re applying for undergraduate, and you’re waiting for your school leaver results, or postgraduate and you’re waiting for your undergraduate degree to be confirmed – you’ll need to apply to study in the UK with your predicted grades. These are an estimate that your referee will give of the grades you’re likely to achieve in your exams based on your past performance.
Until you get your exam results, your offer will be ‘conditional’. This means that you need to achieve the grades for your course for the university to confirm your place. UK school leaver exam results are released in mid-August, so universities are used to waiting for grades. However, for international students, it means that the timeline for applying for visas is tight. You will need your university's Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies code to complete your visa application, and you will only receive this when your grades are confirmed.
This also makes it difficult to apply for a different UK university course through Clearing (the late application process that opens in July) if you don’t make your grades for the courses you applied for first, because it’s unlikely that you’d have enough time to process your visa.
Your reference is a very important part of your form, whether it’s on your UCAS form at undergraduate level or for your postgraduate application. It gives the university or universities an idea of your attitude to your work from someone who isn’t you. If you haven’t finished your school exams yet, your referee must also write your predicted grades (the result they expect you to get in your exams).
The reference needs to be written by someone who ‘knows you academically’ – it should not be written by a family member or a close friend, because this could disqualify your application.
For most people, the best referee is one of your school teachers, your tutor or supervisor of your most recent qualification, or someone who has supervised you at work.
It’s up to you to ask someone to be your referee.
If you’re applying at undergraduate level, and this is the first time your referee has written a reference, there is lots of useful information on the UCAS website to help them. Even if they have done one before, it’s worth sharing the UCAS website because UCAS has changed the reference section for 2024 admissions onwards.
It depends on the university or the course you’re applying for. You’ll need to have at least an ‘upper intermediate’ level of English (an IELTS score of at least 6.0), but it might be much higher for some courses and universities.
For undergraduate level, you don’t need evidence of your English language certificate when you submit your UCAS application. Most universities will ask to see your certificate after they give you a conditional offer, and you’ll have a deadline to show them your certificate.
Some universities offer pre-sessional English courses if you don’t meet the English requirements before you start. These usually aren’t included in the cost of your degree, so you need to pay extra. Check the university website where you want to study to find out if they have these courses.
Find out more about the English level you need to study in the UK.
It depends on the university and the certificate. Some certificates have an expiry date on them, and universities will only accept certificates within their validity date. If there isn’t an expiry date, the university might not mind how old your certificate is – but make sure you check the website of each university you’re applying to be sure.
It can take several weeks to process a visa application, so you should apply as soon as you find out you have been offered a place to study in the UK.
You can apply for your visa up to six months before your course starts. However, you need to have all the right documents in place. This includes the Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS), which your university will only send you once your offer is confirmed. If you’re applying to study in the UK during your last year of school or your university offer has an English language test as one of the conditions, you’ll only be able to finish your visa application when you receive your results.
Make sure you get whatever you can ready as early as possible. If you need to take an English test, try and do it as early as possible, so you don’t need to worry about waiting for that result.
Check out our Student visas page for more information.
You should start looking for accommodation as soon as you receive your offer from your university. Even if your offer is conditional (for example, you’re still waiting for exam results), you can still book accommodation.
It’s a good idea to research student accommodation options even earlier, at the same time as you’re choosing your university, because where you live while you’re studying will greatly impact your university experience.
For undergraduates, almost all universities offer student accommodation in university-owned ‘halls of residence’ or ‘colleges’ for at least the first year. Some have accommodation for later years and for postgraduates too, while others expect you to find your own rented accommodation.
Find out more in our blog: 10 things to consider when choosing student accommodation in the UK.
In this section
Choosing a course
There are thousands of university courses available in the UK. But how to choose the best one for you? Read our advice to find the perfect course.
Choosing a university or college
With over 160 universities to choose from in the UK, and limitless courses and study options on offer, see our advice on how to choose the best university for you.
Student visas
Most international students need a visa to study in the UK, which allows you to live and study in the UK throughout your course.
Education agents
Education agents can help you find the right university, college or school in the UK and assist you with applying for a course.
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