Hundreds of thousands of international students study in the UK each year, giving the UK a consistently high ranking in popularity. With a diverse population and a reputation for prestigious schooling, the UK is a natural location for international students to flock to.
Popular courses in UK for international students include engineering, MBA, and law!
Why study in the UK?
Worldwide Recognition
Degrees and qualifications from institutions in UK are known around the world as high quality and world class. This standard of excellence is set by some of the older universities with recognizable names, such as Oxford and Cambridge, but the tradition carries through to many of the universities and colleges throughout the UK. When looking for work in the future, this can be a great selling point in your resume.
Education Costs are Lower
Because your degree will generally take less time to complete in the UK than in other countries, you could save money compared to a US school. Although four-year programs are increasing in popularity, most degree programs in the UK are three years, and a masters program is typically between one and two years.
Take a look at the cost for pursuing an MBA in UK, which is much cheaper than USA:
| London Business School | 84.15 Lakhs |
| Cambridge Judge Business School | 54.57 Lakhs |
| Said Business School | 56.85 Lakhs |
| Warwick Business School | 38.72 Lakhs |
| Alliance Manchester Business School | 42.12 Lakhs |
| Cass Business School | 42.12 Lakhs |
| Imperial College Business School | 51.12 Lakhs |
| Durham University Business School | 30.15 Lakhs |
| University of Edinburgh Business School | 31.11 Lakhs |
| Lancaster University | 31.59 Lakhs |
Work Opportunities
An international student in the UK is typically allowed to work up to 20 hours a week during school term, and up to full-time when school is out of term. You should check with your international advisor at your school before starting any work because you do not want to be in violation of your visa, and rules change frequently.
Scholarships/ Loans
Financing an international education can be difficult. The best approach includes lots of preparation, careful analysis of your budget, and hard work in researching and applying for scholarships. There are many scholarships and loans available to students who want to study in the UK and with ample research you will surely find the financial aid you require.
Top Institutions to Study in UK
1. City University, London
A highly reputed research institute, it ranked in the top 30 higher education institutions in the UK by the Times Higher Education Table of Tables. You can find a large range of undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree courses available along with short courses and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses. International students can work for the university, part-time and also during vacations making it a lucrative opportunity. Various scholarships and bursaries are also available for the foreign students.
2. Middlesex University, London
It ranks among top 100 universities in the UK and teaches over 25,000 students. You will find students coming here from around 140 countries including India. The Middlesex University offers degree programs in Health, Art and Design, Science & Technology Law, Business, Education and Media & Performing Arts. Also offers a range of scholarships and merit awards to the foreign students.
3. Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh
Ranked in the top 5% of universities (Times Higher Education World University Rankings), also number 1 in the UK for adding value to students (Guardian University Guide 2017), this is truly an international university with over 4,000 foreign students currently studying on campus. You will find undergraduate and post-graduate courses in most of the conventional streams along with online courses. The university also provides scholarships for self-funding students from South Asia and merit-based aid ranging from £1,000 to £3,000.
4. Swansea University, Swansea
One of the top 30 research intensive universities in the UK (The Research Excellence Framework – REF2014), it also ranked 16th in the UK for ‘Graduate Employment’. The Swansea University offers undergraduate and post-graduate courses in conventional streams like arts, humanities, engineering, health science, management, and etc. It aims to provide students with a good working environment, supported by a welcoming campus community which is free from any discrimination.
5. University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton (Central England)
Founded in 1992, this is one of the top 100 universities in the UK. It offers courses for under-graduate and postgraduate studies in conventional streams, along with summer courses, part-time courses and also nursing studies. You can take advantage of the links with other foreign universities, and the student exchange program with over 25 countries including China, India and UAE.
Study Engineering in UK
The UK has some of the best and highest ranked engineering schools in the world. Within the wide boundaries of the engineering profession there are thousands of challenging activities in areas such as research, development, design, manufacture and operation of products and services. In the UK alone, engineering-led industry contributes about 40% of its gross domestic product and is a key part of the national economy. From motor racing to a household electrician, the role of the engineer is crucial. For anyone looking for a rewarding future with a wide variety of employment prospects, there has never been a more exciting time to embark on a career in engineering.
There are two types of engineering programmes offered at UK universities; B.Eng (Bachelor of Engineering) and M.Eng (Master of Engineering). A B.Eng is a standard 3-year degree in engineering. Those who complete a B.Eng have the appropriate training and experience to apply to become an Incorporated Engineer. However, for those wishing to become a Chartered Engineer, it is mandatory to follow degree studies with advanced study equivalent to the final year of an M.Eng programme. Some UK universities allow students to switch between the B.Eng and M.Eng during the early years of the course. An M.Eng degree is the university level qualification taken by students wishing to become Chartered Engineers. M.Eng courses take a minimum of 4 years, and 5 years for those wishing to conduct one year’s work experience.
Top engineering institutes in the UK include University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University of Oxford, University of Warwick, and Loughborough University.
Study Law in UK
Studying law in the UK can be a good option to gain knowledge of the English legal system and to develop transferable skills that can be vital in a number of different industries. A law degree might set you in good stead for a UK job offer, however, there isn’t much of a skills shortage in the UK for legal practitioners and you might find competition fierce, as a recent graduate of an LLB, particularly if you have little relevant work experience to add to your qualification.
If you are planning to study law with a view to qualifying as a UK Solicitor or Barrister, you should fully investigate the time, requirements and costs associated with this long-term plan. With the ever-changing job market, you should know all the steps involved before embarking on this route. A law degree is also a desirable asset in a wide range of careers, including politics, journalism, accountancy, advice work, trading standards, police work, human resources and the civil services.
Study MBA in UK
The United Kingdom, and specifically England, has been one of the top choices for pursuing international MBA. Apart from the fact that it has some of the best B-schools in the world such as LBS, Cambridge (Judge), Oxford (Said), etc.; studying MBA in the UK has many further benefits as well. One of the primary aspects that make the UK B-schools a top choice for many candidates is the length of the MBA programs. While most full-time programs in USA, Canada, or rest of Europe are 2 years in length, a MBA degree from Oxford or Cambridge will be a 12 month course!
Like any other international MBA program, you will need a GMAT or GRE score in order to apply. Another factor will be the GPA of your undergraduate course.
While the average scores required to crack the top MBA courses in UK vary, the general range can be considered as somewhere between 650 and 730 for GMAT. Here’s a quick look at the average GMAT scores of the past batches from some of the top MBA programs in the UK –
| Alliance Manchester Business School | 600+ |
| Warwick School of Business | 660 |
| Said Business School | 690 |
| Cambridge Judge Business School | 640-730 |
| London School of Business | 701 |
| Cass School of Business | 600 |
| Imperial College Business School | 600 |
| Durham University Business School | 600 |
| University of Edinburgh Business School | 600 |
| Lancaster University | 580 |
Most of the top B-schools in UK have great scholarship opportunities, and there are plenty other scholarship opportunities from private institutions as well. The Commonwealth Scholarships, BK Birla Scholarships, etc. are great means of financing your international MBA in the UK.
Watch this video to know how you can shortlist MBA programs in the UK and start the research process for building your application:
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