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1. Why Study in the UK?

The UK education system is flexible, so you can study in a way that suits your lifestyle and career aspirations. When you study in the UK you meet people from different nationalities, sharing their backgrounds and discovering new perspectives.

The benefits of studying in the UK:

• The UK institutions consistently rank among the best in the world and qualifications are internationally valued and recognized.
• The UK undertakes 5 percent of the world’s scientific research and produces 14 percent of the world’s most frequently cited papers.
• UK institutions offer the flexibility of choice and enable you to blend academic and vocational courses of your choice.
• The UK’s teaching and study methodology allows you to be creative and develop skill sets and confidence.
• As a student you get the opportunity to be taught by the world’s leading academics and experts; you also benefit from their constant academic support.
• UK degrees can be tailored to your interests and often include specialized modules.
• The UK is the home of English hence an ideal place to develop language skills and enhance employment prospects.

2. Cost of studying & living in the UK

Living Expenses: Working out what living expenses you will need to consider and how much they will cost you will depend on so many factors. For example, if you want to live the lifestyle you have been doing with your parents back in your home country – this will probably be very expensive to do, so you might have to make compromises!.

(a) As a rough guide we have calculated what it could cost you for the major items you will need when you are in the UK:

Food:

If you buy your food, try and budget about £25 to £30 per week to purchase food supplies. You can of course be smart and savvy about this and save much more.

Telephone (landline):

BT has a base rate of £10/ month for just line rental, so calls are charged on top of this, which would be £2.50 per week.

Telephone (mobile):

The cost of mobiles varies depending on your provider and tariff. Prepaid is generally cheaper to control costs, but if you make a lot of calls a contract will start at £5/ week.

DSL / Internet:

Most companies charge a base of £5/ week for standard DSL in the UK.

Bills:

If you live in a house or apartment you will need to calculate water, heating, and electricity into your budget – this can be anything from £10/week for all bills depending on the time of year.

Travel:

If you live away from University you will need to include travel expenses in your budget. This can be anything from £10/ week, more if you live in London. Study Materials: Books, notepads, paper, and printer cartridges are all things you will need and you should budget about £7/ week for this.

Fun:

It’s not all study when you come to the UK, there will be time for some fun so you need to think about the cost of this. A cinema ticket in the UK costs around £8, a pint of beer £3, and a DVD rental around £3. These are all costs you will need to budget so set aside what you’ll need for fun!

Of course, this list is not comprehensive, but will give you a starting point to work out what things will cost and the cost of living for the UK.

(b) There are also some things you can do to lower your living expenses and here are a few tips:

Tip 1 – Student NUS Card:

When you enroll as a student in the UK you will get an NUS card which is a student ID card from the National Union of Students. With this card you will be able to get discounts at many national stores – so always make sure you ask if you can get a discount!

Tip 2 – Choose where you shop:

If you are living in your own flat, house, or halls of residence with no catering you will need to buy your food. It is common knowledge that supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, and Waitrose are more expensive than Tesco and Asda. Save money and shop at Asda or Tesco.

Tip 3 – Student NUS Card:

Your international calling costs will probably be high as you will want to call home often. If you have DSL you can take advantage of Skype to call around the world for little or nothing. But to also take advantage of cheap calls from your mobile or landline phone, check out the “Call UK” section for low-cost calling from the UK.

(c) Sample University Living Costs:

UK universities generally guide as to how much an international student should expect to spend on living expenses (not including university tuition and college fees). Of course, making a budget and controlling your costs is largely up to you, but here is a short representative list to give you a general idea of living expenses:

• University of Liverpool – £5,500 to £7,000 per year
• Essex University – £5,700 to £7,500 per year
• University of Manchester – £8,100 per year
• Oxford University – £9,750 per year
• University of London – approximately £210 per week

3. Visa Regulations

To study in the UK, a student needs a Tier-4 student visa. For more details click here http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/India/

4. Featured universities in the UK

• LSE

• LBS

• King’s College London