You can study for free in the UK only by receiving a scholarship or grant. The largest scholarship program is Chevening. Russia is on the list of countries whose citizens can apply for help from this fund. It is noteworthy that a person who already has a higher education and professional experience can become a scholar. For our compatriots, the requirements are as follows: completed higher education, Russian citizenship and permanent residence in the Russian Federation, two years of work in the chosen specialty, planned work in Russia after graduation from the UK, a high level of English proficiency. You can choose any specialty for training: politics and international relations, science and space, economics, business and innovation, law and public administration, architecture, ecology, energy, journalism. The amount of the scholarship is 24 thousand pounds - 12 thousand for tuition (if it is more expensive, the rest is paid by the student) and 12 for room and board.
Scholarships can be obtained not only for training in popular areas (political science, management, finance, and others), but also for more highly specialized, for example, engineering or creative specialties. Moreover, you can enter universities and study on a scholarship right after school, in some - even from the age of 16.
By the way, about the school. Britain also has its own exam, and schoolchildren are actively preparing for it before entering a university. Foreign applicants are no exception. Moreover, due to the difference in education systems, a student from Russia, the CIS and other countries cannot enter a university without passing the British Unified State Exam - the A-level exam. It is aimed at preparing the applicant for study at the university in the chosen direction and, of course, for foreigners - in-depth study of English. Training program: three to four subjects required for admission to a particular specialty. Not only for admission, but also in order to be able to apply for a scholarship, it is simply necessary to successfully pass the A-level. So, many universities and foundations establish a certain grade, a score for an exam as a criterion for selecting future scholarship holders. For example, for admission to an engineering degree, the exam score must be AAB (mathematics, physics and English) - where A is "excellent", B is "good". Those. in two of the three subjects you need to get "excellent".
A-level should be taken not only by graduate students, but also by adults who want to enter a British university. By the way, in order to prepare for it and go through a training program, it is not necessary to go to the UK - there are language centers and schools in Russia that are accredited to study under the A-level program. You can also study online - there are now many resources dedicated to this.
There is also International Baccalaureate, a program designed to develop student mobility. Roughly speaking, it is an intensive bachelor's degree program for foreigners. There are schools in which classes on this program are held in many countries, including Russia. To enter a UK university, a prospective student is required to complete a two-year course (Diploma program), at the end of which six exams are passed and one essay is written. The maximum score for each of them is seven points. To enter universities, you need to score a certain number of points - each educational institution can set its own minimum.
Most often, International Baccalaureate results are required from applicants for master's programs. At the same time, it is not at all necessary that IB will replace the A-level - universities can only accept the results of a single exam.
Sometimes it may be necessary to pass one of the international standardized tests, especially for technical specialties.
But nevertheless, the criterion remains irreplaceable, integral and always relevant - knowledge of English at a high level and the availability of an international certificate (CAE, ILTES). The passing score for these exams can be from 5.5 to 8, depending on the university and direction.
In general, it is possible to study in the UK for free, but you need to prepare longer and more thoroughly to prepare for admission and receive a scholarship than to study at a university in your home country.
Choosing a university is one of the most important and most responsible tasks for each applicant. Be realistic, analyze your store of knowledge and experience and choose wisely, research the market and take a tour. The better you know the university at the time of admission, the higher your chances of becoming a student.
Ask yourself three questions: who do I want to become, what city do I want to study in, and what this particular university can give me.
The choice of a city should depend on two factors: your benefit from 2-3 years of constant life in it and your personal comfort.
- For prospective business students, life in the vast, densely populated London is suitable.
- Science students can be better served by living in a calm, student-centered Cambridge, where they can do meaningful research. When you have decided on a place and a program, you have decided.
What else can a university give us? Some universities specialize in strong internships, others can provide strong connections in a professional environment, the strength of the third is an excellent academic base and well-equipped laboratories.
Step number 2: passing the language exam
When applying to any university in the UK, you will be asked to prove your knowledge of the English language. The best way to do this is to take the IELTS UKVI.
The exam itself consists of 4 parts: Listening, Writing, Speaking and Reading and is one of the most comprehensive English language exams in the world. The exam scale ranges from 0.0 to 9.0.
Universities in the UK request a minimum of 5.5 for admission to the Foundation preparatory course, a minimum of 6.0 for an undergraduate degree, and a minimum of 7.0 for a master's degree. It is quite difficult to pass IELTS for such impressive results and requires at least six months to a year of preparation before submitting documents to universities.
Step number 3: motivation letter
A motivation letter is your opportunity in writing to convince the university that they need you as a student. It is very important to use academic language when writing it. The higher your vocabulary, the better you look in the eyes of the admissions committee.
In the structure of the letter, be sure to indicate: specialty and university you decided to enter and why you chose them, as well as your life experience and qualifications. Unleash your potential and explain in the letter why exactly you are suitable as a student for the chosen program.
Use a motivation letter to answer the main question of the university - "Why should we, representatives of the university, believe that you are at our academic, research level and represent the" salt of applicants? "
The specifics of the learning goal will help you with this, for example: "I plan to do research in" such and such "area or" I want to continue working on "such and such" project. " This distinguishes you favorably from those who only dream of “learning”.
Here are some tips:
- Write about your projects, publications, goals, specific plans, research results, tactics for achieving tasks - but everything is extremely closely related to the chosen specialty.
- Analyze and find out why you need a diploma and where the degree will lead you in the future and reflect this in your letter.
- Make sure that you have already drawn a life plan for the next 5 years and, most importantly, reflected it in detail and colorfully.
- Do not forget that your plans must coincide with the plans of the university for research areas!
To enter the university, you will need at least two references from teachers and / or employers. As a standard, they are written in a free style and sent to the university with a seal and signature. The most serious universities, however, are asked to fill out recommendations in a strictly established style. Requirements for recommendations can always be found on the university website.
If you are applying for a master's degree in a specialty other than your specialty, try to get at least one recommendation from your place of work (or another place that can confirm your qualifications to study in the program of your choice).
Step 5: summary
The final step in preparing documents for submission to the university will be writing a resume. As always, the main thing here is to present yourself from the most advantageous side. In addition to previous academic achievements and work experience, indicate your strong personal qualities that may be of interest to the university.
Your accomplishments are sports, hobbies, whatever. The main thing is that you have what you love and you always achieve results, no matter what you undertake.
Step # 6: interview
Not all universities ask for an interview when accepting students, but you need to be ready for it in any case. An interview is a meeting of the admissions committee with a potential student via Skype or directly at the university.
Our advice: before an in-person or remote meeting with a university representative, repeat the rules of the English language and write down some phrases in advance about your motivation to study at the chosen university.
If, when choosing a country for higher education, you preferred the UK, you have several options to fulfill your dream: relying on self-financing or through financial support from a family, or you can apply for grants and scholarships for studies, which can cover from 30% to 100% of training costs.
University scholarships
Many colleges and universities offer their own scholarship programs for international students. For training, a student can be allocated either a fixed amount (its size is determined by each educational institution separately, depending on the chosen program) or a scholarship that allows you to pay off from 50 to 100% of the cost of training.
The number of some scholarships may be limited, while others are available to all applicants who meet the requirements of a particular university. Some scholarships are paid only for certain programs for a fixed period of time, there are also thematic scholarships, for example, sports.
Winning a scholarship turned out to be much less difficult than I expected. I fulfilled the requirements presented and, luckily, received a positive response. There are two reasons: a simple and transparent process, at least at the University of Edinburgh, and a smaller pool of scholarship candidates. There is a large selection of third-party and university scholarships for students. If you set yourself a goal to get it and conduct high-quality training, then everything will work out.
Anton Lutsenko, graduate of the Master's program in Management at the University of Edinburgh in 2013.
Scholarships from British universities are available.
1. Global Education Program
The Global Education program provides for the training of citizens of the Russian Federation in leading foreign educational institutions in priority specialties and areas of training for the Russian economy.
One of the important conditions for obtaining a grant for studying at leading foreign universities is employment after training in Russian companies for at least 3 years. In case of violation of the conditions, the program participant must pay a fine and fully pay the received grant.
According to the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, which provides organizational, technical, information and analytical support to the Global Education Program, in 2017 the UK became the absolute leader in terms of the number of grantees from all 32 countries participating in the program. In the first competitive selection in 2017, more than 200 students received funding to study in the United Kingdom.
The advantage of the Global Education scholarship is constant support from organizers during training and during employment, but it is rather difficult to get it, because the competition is usually large and for this a good certificate is not enough, additional academic achievements are required (articles, victories in olympiads and competitions, etc. etc.). The maximum amount of the Global Education scholarship is 2.6 million rubles. When applying for a scholarship, I advise you to apply as early as possible and attach as many achievements as possible.
Lilia Nikiforova, Global Education Grant Winner, Student at Newcastle University
2. Chevening Scholarship
A popular grant among Russians to study in the UK is the Chevening scholarship program. This program is one of the most prestigious in the world, it includes the cost of studying for a one-year master's program at any university in the UK in any specialty, flights to and from the place of study, covers the costs of obtaining a visa, and also provides a monthly scholarship.
In addition, it provides an opportunity to meet program participants from more than 160 countries around the world and become part of a dynamic community of leaders. In accordance with the requirements of the scholarship program, after graduation, students must return to their homeland in order to apply the knowledge gained in their country.
To improve your chances, it is important to know the terms and conditions of a particular scholarship and whether you meet the criteria. There is always a very big competition at Chevening, but it's worth it: after studying in the UK, I returned to Russia, where I saw interesting professional prospects for myself, and the knowledge and especially the skills gained at a British university remain fundamentally important in my work.
Sergei Golubok, Chevening Fellow with an MSc in International Law and Human Rights from the University of Essex in the UK
You can learn more about British universities and study at them at the 19th Study UK: Discover You, which will take place on October 7-8 in Moscow and October 10 in St. Petersburg. The organizer of the exhibition is the British Council in Russia. The entrance to the exhibition is free, but registration by link required.
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The UK higher education system is a classic model:
Bachelor's (BA, BSc) + Master's (MA, MSc).
Duration bachelor
riata- 3 years, BScHour programs - 4 years, including internship at a foreign university and internship at the enterprise.
Duration magistracy- 1 year.
Admission to the university for the bachelor's degree is carried out on the basis of a competition of certificates, which are submitted to the centralized UCAS commission, and from there they are sent to the universities chosen by the applicant. You can choose up to 5 universities. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Asking the question - "in the UK, how to enroll in?" - remember that you "kill two birds with one stone" at once - you get an internationally recognized higher education and perfect your knowledge of the English language - absolutely necessary in the modern world.
How to enter such universities after the Russian school?
There is a simple way - and in particular in England, but we will not talk about this here, since we are talking about higher education now.
So what does a Russian student need to know about British colleges?
First of all, the fact that right away, from school, you will not be able to enter an English university. Why? Due to the difference in programs. In addition, Russian high school lasts 11 years, and British - 13. After 11 years of study, British students take and receive a certificate of secondary education.
Graduates wishing to obtain higher education go to the 2-year A Level program - a program of preparation for admission to a university. Therefore, one of the most common options for admission -
In theory, any Russian schoolchild who has reached the age of 16 who knows English at the required level and has a good certificate, can use the A Level program and then follow the standard path of a British applicant and, as a result, get .
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A - Level- 2-year program "pretwo-way "training or the last stage secondary education in England.
Includes up to four items simultaneously. Subjects are chosen those that will be profiling in the educational institution.
At the end of the first year they surrender AS-level exams and at the end of the second year - A-Level... At both levels, 20-30% of marks are given during training, the rest - during exams. Passing grade - "BBC" - "AAA", depending on the college.
For certain specialties there may be a separate requirement "A" - in mathematics or "A" in foreign languages.
The program provides an opportunity for admission not only to British, but to educational institutions around the world.
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Another "intermediate" option for preparing for admission to college of england - International Baccalaureate program, International Baccalaureate, IB.
IB certificates are recognized not only in the United Kingdom, but in 50 countries of the world, including some Russian educational institutions.
Bachelor's degree is a broader course than A level, although it lasts the same 2 years.
Within the framework of the bachelor's degree, up to 6 subjects are studied at the same time, including the native language, a foreign language, humanitarian and natural subjects, as well as a major subject for the future university.
For admission, you must be at least 16 years old and have an interview in English.
At the end of the program, 6 exams are taken and an essay is written; to obtain a certificate, you must score at least 24 points. It is clear that if you are planning to enter a prestigious university, the points must be higher (the grading system is from 1 to 6). Examination subjects are divided into standard and higher - the latter are profiling for the future specialty and it is also desirable to get the maximum marks for them.
But both A Level and International Baccalaureate are, strictly speaking, still secondary education.
A shorter and, accordingly, more popular "gateway", "bridge" between the Russian and British educational systems - the program which lasts 1 year.
Foundation is an undergraduate preparation program designed specifically for international students. As a rule, within the framework of the program, the student chooses one of the directions:
... business and economics,
... law and humanities
... art and design,
... mathematics and computer science,
... natural sciences and biology, etc.
and receives the basics of a future profession during this year of study.
Students who are at least 16.5 years old can enroll in the Foundation program, provided that they turn 17 in the year of admission. You also need knowledge of English at a level not lower than IELTS 5.0 - 5.5 (or TOEFL 70-80) points, a good certificate of secondary education.
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Requirements for admission to the undergraduate level:
End of the A-level program(on average, the BBC passing score is AAA, depending on the university, for certain specialties there may be a departmentnew requirement A- in mathematics or the presence of A in foreign languages), or
End of IB program(on average, a passing score of 33 - 38, an additional requirement may be mathematics among advanced subjects with a score of 7, the presence of foreign languages and economics)
End of Foundation program(for foreign students, duration 1 year).
Special requirements for admission have the specialties of medicine and law (at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, King's College)
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To enroll in a master's program, you must have either a Russian bachelor's degree or a fully completed higher education (if your university does not have a bachelor's degree) with an average score of at least 3.8.
And, of course, knowledge aEnglish not lower than IELTS - 6.5 - 7.5 (or TOEFL 90-110).
Students applying to management, finance, or quantitative economics may additionally require the GMAT (passing score 550-600 out of 800) or the GRE.
You can also prepare for admission to the master's program within the framework of special courses:
The Pre-Masters program focuses on training in academic English. The duration of such a program can be different - from one to three trimesters - depending on the initial level of the applicant. The minimum level is IELTS 4.5.
The Graduate Certificate / Diploma programs - certificate / diploma - last 9 months and are intended for university graduates whose English level is IELTS 5.5 and above.
What are they needed for?
These are academic programs that can be viewed as preparation for a master's degree without sufficient academic qualifications. The qualifications can vary within certain limits - they will not make an economist out of an art critic, the correspondence of qualifications is specified individually.As part of the Graduate Certificate / Diploma course, students will take both general business course subjects: marketing, production management, financial management, and some professional subject, for example, the assessment of investment activities.
We all understand that a good education is the key to a successful career. Therefore, everyone strives to get it, trying to enter the best universities in the world. Karandash specialists have prepared recommendations for you on how to enroll in prestigious universities in the UK and what preparatory programs are best for you to take a confident step towards fulfilling your cherished dream.
The experience of living abroad, the practice of the English language, a different approach to classes and internships in large companies - all this motivates Ukrainian students to go to study abroad. But entering a foreign university is not an easy task, which must be approached with all responsibility. Especially when it comes to universities in the UK, because the English secondary education system is slightly different from the Ukrainian one.
So, for example, children in English schools study for 13 years, while ours - 11. During these 2 years, British schoolchildren try to pay as much attention as possible to those subjects that will be useful to them at the university to obtain a specialty. Thus, they are competitively capable and prepared for university immediately after leaving school.
To catch up with British youth, you can go through specialized programs that will allow you to maximally adapt to the English education system and study key subjects from your future profession.
Additional training programs
Today, students from Ukraine have the opportunity to go through two educational programs that will help them enter a British university.
So you've decided to study in the UK. Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Stonehenge, and also a house on Privet Drive - and now you mentally walk around all these sights in the United Kingdom, stopping at local cafes for a cup of hot tea. And after a couple of years, you already have a Cambridge Graduate Diploma, and after a busy day in your London City office, you tell your friends over a glass of ale at your local pub how great it was to study at your alma mater.
But wait! But what about the excitement after the entrance exams (passed or did not pass?), Student parties, long lectures, and most importantly - sleepless nights before exams and burning deadlines? You also have to go through this. So let's sort out the studies first! What do you need to do to enter a British university?
Decide on the curriculum
Before entering a UK university, you need to choose a study program that you will spend the next few years of your life on. This is a very difficult choice, and if this is your first higher education, then it may be the most serious decision you have ever made. Therefore, approach this issue with all responsibility, because it may depend on what you will be doing all your life.
Select an educational institution
After you have decided on the choice of specialization, you can start looking for an educational institution. Most likely, the program you have chosen is taught in many UK universities, so you will have quite a lot of choices. Carefully study the requirements for admission and the list of documents that must be provided for admission to a specific educational institution. Pay special attention to the deadlines for submitting documents: it is better to do everything in advance, otherwise you will have to pay a fine, or even wait for next year.
Now you can fill out a special form where you will be asked to indicate five courses (in five different educational institutions or in one). The form is unified according to the requirements of UCAS (The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). It is a non-profit organization that manages the entire application process for studying at UK universities.
High School Graduation Certificate
Whichever program you choose, in any case, you will need to provide a high school graduation certificate. Any foreign student, when applying to a university in the UK, must provide such a document that will correspond to British certificates for the so-called A-Levels. This is an exam that the British themselves take in high school for admission to university.
Most of the European-style certificates correspond to the standards of British education. It's a pity to upset you, but the CIS countries are an exception, and your gold medal will not help you at all - you need to pass the A-Levels exam or take the University Foundation course in order to apply for admission to a British university. There are other alternatives as well. Let's see how these options differ from each other.
A-Levels
As mentioned above, British students who want to pursue higher education take an additional two years and take this exam at the end of the 12th year of study. If you decide to take A-Levels, you will also have to prepare for the exams for two years. The first year you will study four subjects, and the second year you will study three of these four, and at the end of each academic year you will take the AS-Levels and A2-Levels exams, respectively. Some universities offer intensive courses of one year or 18 months, which are intended for international students who have completed a good secondary education in their home country.
University Foundation Programs
This study program lasts a little less than a year, and it depends on the results of your efforts this year whether you will be able to enter a British university. During the course, you will study subjects related to the chosen specialty, write a term paper and pass exams.
International Baccalaureate Program
The third option is the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which corresponds to the British A-Levels. On the territory of the CIS, only 36 schools have been authorized for this program so far, and most of them operate on the territory of Russia. The program lasts two years (based on the 10th and 11th or 11th and 12th grades), and during this time the students study a whole range of subjects, and at the end they pass exams. The undoubted advantage of this option is that it allows you to prepare for admission to a British university without leaving your home country. However, training in this program cannot be called a budget option.
Study at a university in your country
Some British universities enroll students with incomplete higher education received at a home institution. Please note that you must show exceptional academic excellence in these few years of study. Also, check with the UK university you intend to apply to if this type of high school diploma is accepted.
So, A-Levels are considered a kind of gold standard for admission to a British university, and if you successfully pass these exams, you can even enter the best universities in the UK, such as Oxford or Cambridge, not to mention less prestigious British universities. This does not apply to University Foundation Years, however, because not all universities accept this certificate. In addition, University Foundation courses usually cost an order of magnitude less than A-Levels. Therefore, we advise you to decide in advance on your future specialization and university and find out in detail what certificates are accepted in a particular educational institution.
International exams in English
In addition to a certificate of successful completion of high school, you will also need a certificate confirming your excellent proficiency in English. Let's take a look at two of the most popular options.
- IELTS
This exam confirms knowledge of British English. With such a certificate, you can enroll in any university in the UK. - TOEFL
The exam assesses proficiency in North American English. Both certificates are valid for two years.
In general, that's all: we send the documents and wait for the results. We sincerely wish you success in your admission!