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UK as a study and work destination
Mainly, the education system in the UK is divided into four major parts, primary education, secondary education, further education and higher education. Children in the UK have to legally attend primary and secondary education in the mandatory base and this education runs from about 5 years old until the student is 16 years old.
The education system in the UK is also split into “stages” which breaks down as follows:
Generally, stages 1 and 2 will be undertaken at primary school until the age of 10 and afterwards, at 11 years old a student will move into the secondary school and finish the stages 3 and 4.
Students are assessed at the end of each stage. The most important assessment occurs at age 16 when students pursue their GCSE’s or general certificate of secondary education. Once students complete their GCSE’s they have the choice to go onto further education and then potential higher education, or finish school and go into the working world.
Our overview of the education system in the UK is divided into five main sections:
PRIMARY EDUCATION
Primary education begins in the UK at age 5 and continues until age 11, comprising key stages one and two under the UK educational system. Please visit the British council page for more information on primary education.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
From age 11 to 16, students will enter secondary school for key stages three and four and to start their move towards taking the GCSE’s – learn more about secondary education in the UK and what it will involve. Primary and secondary education is mandatory in the UK; after age 16, education is optional.
FURTHER EDUCATION
Once a student finishes secondary education they have the option to extend into further education to take their a-levels, GNVQ’s, BTEC’s or other such qualifications. UK students planning to go to college or university must complete further education.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Probably the most important subject area on this site, this explains more about the higher education system in the UK and how it works for international students. Most international students will enter directly into the UK higher education system, after completing their home country’s equivalent to the UK’s “further education.”
Apart from these 4 major parts, UK has a system of vocational education system which are described as follows;
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Non-university post-secondary education takes place at a variety of technical schools, colleges of higher education and accredited independent colleges offering a wide variety of courses leading to formal vocational qualifications. Through these, those United Kingdom youths who do not go on the university are assured the opportunities of groundings in successful lifetime careers.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Each level of education in the UK has varying requirements for international students which must be satisfied in order to gain entry at that level.
The figure of education system in the United Kingdom are as follows;
| EDUCATION | SCHOOL/LEVEL | AGE FROM | AGE TO | YEARS TO STUDY |
| PRIMARY | PRIMARY | 5 | 11 | 6 |
| PRIMARY | INFANT SCHOOL- BASIC FIRST STAGE | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| PRIMARY | JUNIOR SCHOOL- BASIC SECOND STSGE | 7 | 11 | 4 |
| SECONDARY | COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL-SECONDARY | 11 | 16 | 5 |
| SECONDARY | SECONDARY LEVEL | 11 | 16 | 5 |
| SECONDARY | SECONDARY-GRAMMER SCHOOL | 11 | 16 | 5 |
| SECONDARY | SECONDARY-SIXTH FORM | 16 | 18 | 2 |
| FURTHER EDUCATION-UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES | BACHELOR LEVEL | 18 | 22 | 4 |
| FURTHER EDUCATION- POSTGRADUATE STUDIES | MASTER LEVEL | 22 | 24 | 2 |
THE BENEFITS OF STUDYING IN THE UK
STUDY/LIVING COSTS STUDYING IN UK (BASED ON LONDON)
UK visa and immigration (UK vi) requires you to have a budget of at least £1,265 per month to study in London (in addition to your tuition fees). In order to apply for a tier 4 visa, you will need to show that you have £1,265 for each month of your course, up to a maximum of nine months. This means that if you will be studying in London for a course lasting nine months or more, the maximum amount that you will need is £11,385.
The government estimates that, in addition to your accommodation costs, you will need approximately £104 per week for living costs, but this will vary depending on how much you socialize.
Apart from the annual living cost, the annual tuition fee of the universities of UK are as follows;
Undergraduate: £9, 500-£13, 000
Postgraduate: £12, 000-£15, 000
Doctoral degree: £18, 000- £25, 000
Please note: the shown tuition amount figures might be different depending upon one education provider to another. However, this is the tentative amount of fee structure that most of the education provider are charging.
ADMISSION PROCEDURE
Application to UK universities can be processed in two ways:-
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
Though, the documents vary depending on the course, provider and qualification you’re applying for. The essential documents required to apply for the admission are:
APPLICATION PROCESSING TIME
Depends upon the university / college or tentatively we can take a week time for the offer letter.
