Category: Graduate Opportunities and Advice for UK Students

If you are thinking of applying for your graduate degree in the UK, you may be surprised to know that master’s degrees are 12 months in length, PhD’s are 3 year’s in length, and neither require the GRE’s for admission! The UK application process tends to be very straightforward and easy to understand compared to most undergraduate application processes (remember those?). In this article, we have listed what you need to know when applying to graduate degrees in the UK.

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How to Apply

For most courses, you will make your application directly to the University you wish to study at. To check, we recommend reading the university’s “Apply Now” page to see which application method they prefer students to use. They may direct you to UCAS, since they now offer graduate applications, or the university will direct you to their direct online application.

Deadlines

Universities may have deadlines for their MBA, Business, and Medical degrees but most UK graduate degrees do not have deadlines. It is common for universities to set their own internal deadlines and processes, so it’s recommended to check each course before applying.

Applications typically open each September/October for courses starting in the next academic year. Each university and college will make their decisions at different times, meaning you might hear back from them at different times.

Tip: Even though most postgraduate degrees in the UK offer rolling admissions, it’s important to remember that once a student has an offer, it may takes a few months to gather your financial evidence and begin your visa application. The sooner you apply, the better you can prepare for the journey!

Admissions Tests

As mentioned earlier, the GRE’s are not required to apply to UK universities. If you are applying for professional degrees or an MBA, you may need to take additional tests such as the MCAT or GMAT. If it is a research degree, you may also need to submit a research proposal. Make sure to double check their entry requirements if they require any additional documents or tests.

Application Documents

The following is a standard list of what the university requires from US students to apply to UK graduate degrees:

• Official University Transcript

• Personal Statement/Essay (learn how to write a UK graduate essay)

• 2 Recommendations Letters – you should have at least one reference written by an academic who has taught a subject related to the degree you are applying to. If the academic hasn’t studied the subject you are applying to, make sure there’s a valid reason why they would be writing your reference. If you have been out of school for over two years, two work references should suffice, however, we recommend checking with the university just in case.

• Copy of your passport (optional)

University Search

If you are looking at university options, check out our UK graduate university search engine by inputting your GPA and subject interest. You may be surprised which universities you are matched with!

If you are ever confused and wish to speak to a UK university representative who assists with US students, you can contact a representative directly on our university webpages. Click the “contact university” on the red button on the university page and your message will be sent directly to them.

Admissions essay, letter of intent, personal statement? Whatever you call it, a good one can mean the difference between getting an offer into your dream Master’s degree and being rejected. It is your chance to show the university skills and experiences that don’t show on a transcript, and also show a bit of your personality!

What should you include?

The key to writing your personal statement is, ironically, not to make it too personal. It’s really important to keep these three things as the overarching theme throughout the essay:

1. The program (degree) you’re applying for, and why you want to study it

2. Why you think you’ll be successful in the program

3. And what evidence you have to back that up

UK universities are largely interested in your academic narrative, rather than your personal one, so keep this in mind as you write. Are you showing your academic prowess at the best level?

Here are some key things you can include:

• Relevant study from undergrad (this could be specific papers, classes, etc.)

• Show your soft skills! These are just as crucial to completing a degree as subject knowledge

• Explain who your main influences have been and why- extra points if you can call on research from someone in your subject are at the university

• Notable achievements: are you a member of a society, have you written any papers or won any awards, scholarships or prizes?

• Talk about your career plans and how taking the degree is going to get you there.

Don’t forget Admissions teams will be assessing your ability to complete a degree successfully, so this is who you need to be targeting with your statement.

Structure and Grammar

Most universities won’t ask you to cover specific content in your personal statement, which does give you some free reign. The length of the piece will vary depending on the university (University of Sussex asks for about 500 words), but conciseness is important.

At Sussex, we suggest thinking about these questions to help focus your piece:

• Why do you want to study a Masters and how will it benefit you?

• How does the course fit your skill set?

• How do you stand out from the crowd – i.e. work experience?

• What are you aspiring to be/do in your future career?

• How can your work contribute to the department/University/society?

These ideas can be useful to think about when you’re planning or giving your notes some structure before you’ve even started your first draft.

When you’re thinking about structure, it should be formal and essay-like. You should have a clear introduction, a substantive middle section, and a strong conclusion. It should use a standard sentence structure, with accurate punctuation and grammar, and be upbeat in tone. You’re talking about the best bits of yourself- if you’re not excited by that, then it’s likely admissions teams won’t be either!

If you follow these steps, you should have a really strong personal statement to go with your application, giving you the best chance of acceptance into a Masters at a UK university. For more tips, and a sample statement, head over to the University of Sussex’s website.

Kasia Symons is the International Officer for the Americas at University of Sussex.

To learn about UK Graduate Universities, check out our Graduate University Search Engine to learn more.

If you want to ensure that you are making the right decision in the application process, our advisors can support you throughout the process and help you get into your dream UK university!