There are numerous sources containing this information - a good overview can be found on the following websites:
Education UK
British Council Education Infosheets
Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS)
UKCISA Student Pages

You can download a pdf version of our study guide Studieren in Großbritannien (in German).

In general, the Austrian Matura is accepted as sufficient qualification to be admitted to an undergraduate course in the UK. British universities are independent bodies, however, and thus retain absolute discretion regarding their admissions decisions.

You will also need to demonstrate proficiency in the English language, such as by receiving a 6.5 on the IELTS test. Different universities require different language tests and results, however, so it is best to check with them first.

There is no official equivalence of qualifications between the United Kingdom and Austria. The final decision for recognition of qualifications rests with individual employers or universities. For an evaluation of your Austrian qualification, please contact the National Academic Recognition Information Centre:

UK NARIC, ECCTIS Ltd.,
Oriel House
Oriel Road
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL50 1XP
United Kingdom
T: 0044-1242-258610
F: 0044-1242-258611
naric@ecctis.co.uk

If you are applying for an undergraduate course, you will need to submit your application through UCAS apply - an online application system.

Once UCAS has received your application, it will send a copy to each university you selected. Later, UCAS will also send you a letter informing you which universities have offered you a place. Once you have made your choice, the university will send you all the necessary documents for you to go to the UK and register.

There are several, in fact. For the academic year beginning in 2008, the first deadline for most courses is 15 January 2008. However, if you want to apply to Oxford, Cambridge or to either medical or veterinary school, it is 15 October 2007. For art and design courses, it is March 2008.

It is very important to meet the first deadline, since your chances for getting a place at university are much better then. The second deadline is 30 June 2008. If you miss that deadline as well, you can take part in the Clearing process, which continues until September 2008.

Finding the right course ultimately depends on you and how much effort you put into the search. There are some things to consider, however, as you research institutions.

Firstly, it is important to think about what you want: What do you want to study? What type of career do you imagine having? What kind of course would qualify you for such a career?

Once you have figured out what you want to study, you can search for courses on the UCAS website. This search will produce a list of relevant universities that offer the course you?re looking for.

At this point you should ask yourself questions about the type of institution you want: large or small, in a city or in the country, etc. You can find more out about the universities in question by looking at their prospectuses (which you can access via the UCAS website).

It might also be useful to talk to individuals who are either currently attending the course or have attended it in the past to find out why they decided to do it instead of another course.

Finally, if you can, it would be good to actually visit the universities, particularly during term-time, in order to get a firsthand impression.

This is a very controversial subject. There are no official rankings in the United Kingdom. However, two national newspapers, The Times and The Guardian, publish league tables compiled from a combination of official facts and personal criteria. Some universities end up with completely different results in both newspapers, but it might be worth having a look at the ranking websites:

EducationGuardian.co.uk
The Sunday Times Good University Guide

The official evaluation of the Quality Assurance Agency for Teaching Assessment is available online too.

For the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), please look at the website of the Higher Education Funding Council.

First of all, do not send any additional documents to UCAS after completing the online application. If you do, UCAS will send them back.

If you want to send additional information directly to the university, you could send copies of your school certificates and other supplementary documentation you consider important. You could also send a second reference and the results of any language tests you've taken. However, please wait for confirmation of your UCAS registration number before sending additional material to the universities directly. Include this number in all correspondence you have with the universities.

As a general rule, you do need a Matura to study in the UK. However, universities in the UK are independent bodies and as such retain absolute discretion about who they choose to admit. Under certain circumstances, they might indeed accept an individual who does not meet the formal entry requirements or whose life has not followed the most traditional path, particularly if they feel that individual shows a lot of promise and potential.

Work experience in a field related to the one of future study, for example, is sometimes accepted as the equivalent of a Matura and thus as a sufficient qualification for university. If you fall into this category, it is best to contact the universities to discuss the possibilities available to you.

Yes, it is possible to study in the UK for either a semester or a year. The easiest way to do this is through the Socrates/Erasmus Programme, which is an exchange programme between universities in the European Union. If your university in Austria participates in this programme, and you are accepted, then it will organise the details of your time abroad for you. As an Erasmus exchange student, you do not need to pay tuition fees or worry about the recognition of your courses when you return. You also receive a small stipend for expenses. The principle stipulation, however, is that you can only attend the university in the UK with which your home university has a partnership.

If you would like to have more choice in where you attend university in the UK, then you can organise your semester or year abroad yourself. In this instance, you would start by looking on the UCAS website for universities that offer the course you want to study. Once you have put together a list of suitable institutions, you should contact them for a 'visiting student application form'. Once you have filled in your application, you send it directly to the university in question. Deadlines vary but are generally about a year before you want to go.

The first thing you should do is to search for universities that offer the course you?re interested in. You can do this on the UCAS website.

Once you have a list of suitable universities, you should get in touch with them to discuss what you're currently studying in Austria, what grades you've received, what formal qualifications (if any), what you'd like to study in the UK, etc.

You may also need to send them copies of your certificates. Each university will then determine how much credit you will receive for the work you've already done as well as in which year (the second or the third) you can begin your course.

After this, you would then apply through UCAS. For the 'Point of Entry' on the application form, you would either put 'two' or 'three', depending on when the university told you you could start.