STUDY HARD, BUT EFFICIENTLY
The United Kingdom is home to some of the oldest, most renowned and prestigious universities in both Europe and the world! Whether you want to go into sciences, law, politics or economics, the UK offers a top-notch academic environment. There are five main components to consider when preparing your application, which we have listed out with concise information below, so make sure you go through all of them.
We know this might seem confusing and overwhelming at first though and that is what we are here for! If you wish personalised help or further information, you can book a meeting with one of our consultants here.
01
Leaving Qualifications
A Levels is the standard qualification for British Universities. Most universities require students to take 3 subjects for their A Levels and if they take more, the highest grades will be considered. Furthermore, some courses might require specific components (such as Mathematics or Physics etc.) while others accept any components as long as the grade requirements are met. These requirements range from BBB to A*A*A, but the most sought-after courses usually require students to have no grade lower than A. You can find some standard requirements by university on our UK Universities page.
A popular alternative is the International Baccalaureate (IB), for which the required scores vary from an overall of 35 to 40, out of a maximum of 45. Most universities also ask for minimum grades per subject and specific Higher Level subjects, one of the most popular being Mathematics-related exams. For standard offers, individual Higher Level grades revolve around 6,6,6 and 6,7,7.
We are also aware that not everyone is following an IB or A Levels education format and so are most universities. That is why country-specific qualifications are also accepted by British universities. We have outlined in our Universities page one of them (Romanian Baccalaureate), however, our team of consultants can help you with a wide-range of qualifications.
02
English Language Requirements
All courses in the United Kingdom are taught in English, which means that each university will ask for a recently taken English Language Test which proves your proficiency in the language. Most of these tests have an expiry date, so make sure you have taken one in the last 2 or 3 years, depending on the test. The most common tests accepted are IELTS Academic, TOEFL (IBT), Cambridge Advanced and Proficiency and Pearson PTE Academic. Of course, if your mother tongue is English or you have attended an international high school whose official teaching language is English you are exempt from submitting a test.
The scores required in these vary from university to university, but the minimum requirements are usually similar to one another. We have detailed these in the Universities page and our consultants can guide you further in this regard. However, don't just aim for the minimum, the higher the score you have, the higher the chances of getting accepted into your dream uni!
03
Extracurriculars
While British universities are known for having rigorous academic requirements for their applicants, the importance of extracurricular activities should not be overlooked. Even though there is no specific requirement for this, an involved individual has way higher chances of catching the eye of an admissions officer through their Personal Statement (detailed below). After all, all prestigious universities are renowned because of the communities that they have built, so they will be looking for people who can contribute to that community through more than just excellent grades.
04
Personal Statement
One of the most important parts when applying in the United Kingdom is the Personal Statement. This is an essay that will be sent to all the universities you are applying to and is the most crucial factor when a university decides whether they grant you a place or not. In this essay, you have to market yourself academically, personally and extracurricular - wise, all while explaining why you chose your field of study and finding a balance between formality and simplicity.
It sounds daunting, but we got you covered. This is the one aspect that you can be sure to get plenty of guidance on from our consultants, should you wish to apply in the UK. There is no perfect recipe for crafting such a statement, it all depends on who you are and what you want to transmit, but there are several guidelines one can follow for academic writing and Personal Statements in particular.
05
UCAS
In the United Kingdom, students don't apply to each university individually but use a designated app, namely UCAS. Every university and every course has a specific code.
The app requires a one-time registration fee and enables students to apply to at most 5 different courses. It is also where you will be uploading your Personal Statement, which will then be automatically sent to each university you are applying to. You can browse it a bit, perhaps create an account and familiarize yourself with the interface, or, alternatively, if you feel like the whole process is confusing you can bring it up during one of the consulting sessions and our team will go with you through it step by step!