Why Study In The UK

1. World Renowned Education

First thing’s first: a UK degree can boost your resume. British education has always been known as highly regarded and internationally reputable, as evidenced by the data below. Furthermore, the UK has some of the best research intensive UK universities in the world.

Here are some stats for students to consider:

• 28 UK universities have made the top world university rankings for 2023 (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2023).
• 17 UK universities rank in the top 100 in the QS World Rankings 2023 list.
• The UK is the 2nd largest host-country of international students after the US (IIE, 2021).
• Over 550,000 international students studied in the UK in the 2020/2021 school year, thus, making it a popular and in demand location for international students to study (HESA, the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2022)
• The UK is ranked second in the world for science and research, and 54 percent of the output is world-leading. That’s more than the US, Canada, Germany, Japan and Brazil (British Council, 2022).
• The UK ranks 3rd in the world for published scientific research (British Council, 2022)

20% of academic staff in the UK are international themselves, making it a true eclectic and global educational experience (British Council, 2022).

2. Accredited Degrees

UK degrees are recognized and are respected throughout the world. Even though UK degrees are not accredited by the same process here in the US, they are regulated and accredited by their own government’s regulations through the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), and external examiners.

If you are interested in studying a professional degree, we recommend researching with your home state on the accreditation process and if it will be recognized. You may need to take any additional classes or accreditations. This varies by state.

3. Affordability & Cost

One of the most important factors when studying in the UK is the cost of tuition and attendance. You might be surprised to know that when you calculate the tuition and living expenses for a UK bachelor’s or master’s degree, it is far more affordable when studying out of state or at a private university. Especially since the pound (£) is at an all time low, now is the best time to study overseas more than ever.

UK university tuition fees can range from £14,000-£26,000 per year. Not only are tuition fees far less in the UK, students can save a full year of tuition and living expenses if they earn their degree in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Since Master’s degrees are 12 months long, students can save an additional year and receive their bachelor’s and master’s degree in 4 years.

The recommended amount for living expenses may vary by university and their location, however, UKVI recommends students to have a certain amount of money to cover their living costs if you are located inside or outside of London:

• £12,006 for courses up to 9 month in London

• £9,207 for courses up to 9 month outside London

This recommendation is more than needed for a student to cover their living costs. If you would like to know the official costs, we recommend checking the university.

4. Shorter Degrees and Specialized Subjects

If you’re looking to get your bachelor’s and master’s in the UK, you’d be able to complete both in 4 years! This saves students a lot of time and money when pursuing higher education. Let’s go over the types of degrees you can undertake, and their length of study.

In the UK, there are 4 different types of degrees that are offered: Foundation, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees.

Foundation or International Foundation Degree/Certificate (Fdn) – 1 academic year long. This is specifically for students whose first language isn’t English, have low academic grades and can’t get into a bachelor’s degree, or need to strengthen their knowledge in the subject area to prepare them for a bachelor’s degree.

Bachelor’s Degree (BA/BSc/BFA) – 3 or 4 years long depending on the country. England, Wales and Northern Ireland offer 3 year degrees that specialize in the subject. Students do not take pre-requisite and general education classes. For the student who is passionate in their choice of subject, and knows what they want to study, a 3 year degree structure is optimal. Scottish universities offer a 4 year degree that is closely similar to the US higher education system. You can decide which structure is right for you.

There is also one cool thing you can add on to UK degrees: a placement year, also known as a sandwich year. In this case, a student will be assigned to a year long work placement, while receiving a salary and paying lower tuition for that year. This gives a student valuable experience in their field of study. Please note that a placement/sandwich year would add an extra year onto your bachelor’s degree, and is optional.

Master’s Degree (MA/MSc/MRes/MFA) – Most taught degrees are 12 months long, which saves a student a year’s worth of tuition and living expenses. Research master’s degrees (MRes) are usually 2 years long to complete.

PhD – A research intensive degree that takes roughly 3 years to complete. Students must have a master’s to apply and will need to contact an academic directly at the university they are applying to in order to approve their research proposal before applying. Stipends are not common and most students will need to pay out of pocket or use US loans for their degree.

Disclaimer: If a student is interested in studying Medicine, education or other professional degrees, this is something that can be done, but it is important to research how to transfer your degree and what accreditations you may need to obtain when coming back to the states.

5. International Adventure

How can we ignore one of the most exciting reasons to study in the UK? Your education doesn’t end with your university program, but rather, will continue on through rich and irreplaceable travel experiences. What’s better than a quick weekend getaway in Rome, gorging your face on pizza, and getting back in time for class on Monday? Welcome to the jet-setter student life!

This is due to the UK having a lot of huge international travel hubs – London, Edinburgh, and Manchester, to name a few – with cheap flights and trains to Europe through budget airlines and Eurostar. Tickets often range from £10-60, and we’re not exaggerating on that price! You can travel often and cheaply on a student budget, and get the life-changing international experience you’re looking for.

6. Work-Study Opportunities

The UK allows students to work up to 20 hours a week while studying on a Tier 4 Student Visa. Students can work anywhere they please with only a few exceptions (these exceptions can be found on the gov.uk website).

If students have earned their UK degree and are interested in staying to gain work experience, look no further. Students can apply for the Graduate Route Visa, which allows newly graduate students to stay and work in the UK for up to 2 years. Students can look for work in the UK in the field they are interested in right after graduation instead of having to move back to the US. All universities have careers offices to help you find work in the UK.

7. Free/cheap Application Fees

Last but not least, Bachelor degree programs do have an application fee via the UCAS application, but it’s extremely cheap, only costing around £26 to apply to up to 5 programs.

Amazingly, most master and PhD degrees have no application fees (there are some exceptions to this, like some MBA programs).