Study in the UK

Studying in the UK

If you wish to continue your studies in the United Kingdom, you have come to the right place. The UK has many top universities and educational institutes that are consistently ranked amongst the very best in the world. Below you can find a quick introduction to the UK education system.

Study in the UK

Education System in the UK

UK Education System

Pre-University (Age 16+)

A-Levels

A-Levels are the most common type of pre-university education and are used as a form of assessment for admission to universities. A-Levels can be studies in secondary schools, sixth form and further education colleges and last a total of 2 years. Students study three to four subjects in general; some of the most common subjects that are chosen are maths, physics, chemistry and biology.

Foundation Programmes

Foundation programmes are usually one year intensive courses that can lead to entry to a wide range of universities in the UK and can act as an alternative to A-Levels. They are often used by international students who have previously been studying in a different educational system and are structured to suite students whose first language is not English. Most foundation programmes consist of a number of core modules such as maths, english and IT and a number of modules, relevant to the student's future degree.

English Courses

A good understanding of English is normally required for admission to universities and colleges of higher education. There are many colleges and schools that offer various English language courses and programmes for students. Courses such as General English or IELTS exam courses are most commonly studied by international students as preparation before starting university.

Undergraduate Level

Undegraduate study in the UK is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree and usually takes between three to four years to complete. A Bachelor's or a Master's degree will be awarded at the end of the three or four year degree respectively. Professional courses such as medicine, vetenary and law usually take longer to complete (5+ years).

Postgraduate Level

Postgraduate study in the UK involves studying degrees for which at least a Bachelor's degree is generally required. A taught Master's degree is normally earned in one year, a research Master's degree takes two years and a doctoral degree is often completed in three to four years. Admission to a research degree in the UK typically requires a good bachelor's degree (at least lower second, but usually an upper second or first class). Students may or may not already have a Master's degree. Doctoral candidates are initially admitted to a Masters in Research Philosophy (M.Phil. or MRes), then later accede to a Ph.D. if they progress well.