ABOUT UNDERGRADUATE STUDY

Most undergraduate qualifications in the UK are Bachelor's degrees (also called undergraduate or first degrees). They usually last for three years and are awarded with Honours. In comparison, an Australian Honours degree takes four years to complete.

The UK academic year runs from October to June.

What qualifications will I need?

The qualifications you need depend on the course you want to study. You'll be expected to have completed secondary graduation from your school in Australia and to have taken Tertiary Entrance qualifications (ATAR, Queensland OP or the International Baccalaureate).

If your qualifications don't match this, you can still study in the UK – you can always start at an earlier level. To find out more, go to www.educationuk.org.

Most universities have special entrance arrangements for mature-age candidates (age 21 or over) that are unable to meet the usual academic entry requirements. Before applying you should contact the Registrar of the university you're interested in for advice.

Australian equivalents

UK universities list either A-level results or the A-level tariff as their academic entry requirements. The table below gives an approximate Australian school-level qualification equivalent for these scores and scores may bvary depending on what university you are applying for.

A-level Points	IB	UAI/TER/ENTER	QLD OP
AAA	38	98.30	2
AAB	36	96.95	3
ABB	34	95.05	4
BBB	32	92.55	5
BBC	30	89.60	6/7
BCC	28	85.95	8
CCC	26	81.65	9
CCD	24	76.85	11
CDD	22	74.10	12
DDD	20	68.90	13
DDE	18	63.25	14/15
DEE	16	57.15	16
EEE	14	50.60	17/18
EE	12	43.60	19/20

UK GCSEs and A-levels are not offered by the British Council in Australia. For further information on sitting GCSE or A-level examinations in Australia, see the FAQ section of this website.

Some courses such as Law and Medicine may require you to sit additional tests such as the Law National Admission Test (LNAT), the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) or the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT). This will be made clear in the entry requirements stated by the university you are applying to.

See our FAQ for how to sit these tests in Australia.

How will I know I’ve chosen a good course?

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) ensures that UK higher education is of a standard that's respected and admired across the world. Further details can be found on their website.

Every few years, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) takes place to judge the quality of research being carried out in UK colleges and universities. The results of the most recent assessment can be downloaded here.

The Times and Guardian newspapers also produce annual rankings.

How do I apply?

To apply for full-time undergraduate degree courses and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), you simply make a single approach through the centralised application process. This service is provided by UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) and can be accessed online via www.ucas.ac.uk.

The UCAS system allows you to apply for a maximum of five courses and you can only submit one application form. If you wish to apply for your maximum number of courses you will need to make sure you have the details for all five courses. However, if you do not know which other courses you wish to apply for don't panic, the UCAS system allows you to save your progress so you can come back at a later date to complete the form.

It is important to note that for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Science courses you can apply for a maximum of four courses on UCAS.

You are only able to apply to either Oxford or Cambridge, not both. There is a separate application form for Cambridge which is available for download from their website.

You do not need to have your Year 12 results before applying; these can be sent to the universities once available. Academic results are not the only thing taken into consideration. Your personal statement and references are also important. The UCAS site provides guidance on putting these together.

Application deadlines

The UK academic year is from October to June. There are three application deadlines for courses through UCAS - 15 October, 15 January and 24 March - it is important to check the deadline for your chosen course(s). Generally deadlines are as follows:

•15 October - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for all medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and veterinary science courses, and for all courses at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

•15 January - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for all courses except those listed above with a 15 October deadline, and art and design courses with a 24 March deadline.

•24 March - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for art and design courses except those listed with a 15 January deadline.