For information about types of courses, qualifications, types of institutions and fees, please refer to the British Council Education info sheets Choosing your degree & Institution and Higher education tuition fees from 2006: EU students

Yes. There are two ways:

1.  By looking at the Teaching Quality Assessment results. Teaching Quality Assessments are carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), which gives official review reports by subject and by institution.

2.  By looking at the unofficial rankings compiled by various publications. This includes The Times newspaper (The Times Good University Guide,which ranks by institution and subject), and The Guardian newspaper, which ranks by subject.

It is the opinion of the British Council that there is no such thing as the "best" university but that there are always institutions or departments of those institutions that are rated the "best" in a particular subject.

All institutions accept overseas students on a competitive basis. You should get details of the course requirements from the institution's current prospectus or direct from the faculty (for institution web sites see www.educationuk.org ). Overseas applicants should have qualifications equivalent to A-levels or to other equivalent qualifications. Romanian applicants do not need to have an International Bacalaureate. The Romanian Baccalaureate is considered as meeting entry requirements to UK higher education institutions provided high marks have been obtained (8 and above).

You should be able to speak and write English well. Most universities and colleges will ask you to provide formal proof of your standard. It is worth checking this early to make sure you have enough time to take an English language test well in advance. The EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Cambridge examinations are :

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) band 6 or above
• Certificate of Proficiency in English or Certificate in Advanced English grade C

For the grades/scores required by each institution in order to satisfy the English language requirement for admission, see table at http://www.cambridge-efl.org/. It is possible to take English language and other exams at the British Council. For tests availability, fees and registration, please visit the examinations section on this site.

Once you have shortlisted your preferred courses and colleges, you should get the college prospectuses - these are also available on the Internet and can be accessed at www.educationuk.org.

• Complete an online UCAS application form through ucasapply (www.ucas.com/apply). You can apply for up to six courses on one form.
• You can apply through UCAS from 1 September of the year before your course starts. Applications for clinical subjects (such as medicine) and Oxford and Cambridge must be in by 15 October. For all other courses apply as early as possible - non-EEA applicants can apply until the end of June.
• You should be aware that some courses, such as medicine, require an interview, while others (dance, drama) ask for an audition or (art and design) a portfolio.
• UCAS will handle your application from the UK, and tell you whether you have been made any offers.

For more information on UCAS, refer to the UCAS web site at www.ucas.com

Education UK
This British Council web site is the first port of call for all international students interested in studying for a UK course or qualification.

HE students' gateway
The Department for Education and Skills' web pages for higher education students and for professionals interested in the education policy in the UK.

Student UK
An online guide to British universities, written by and for students, with message boards, chat, radio, and advice. Approved by UCAS.

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
UCAS is the UK central organisation through which applications are processed for entry to full-time undergraduate courses, foundation degrees, HNDs and university diplomas in the UK. From September 2005 the applications are made electronically only through ucasapply.