The UK offers a lot of opportunities to study for an undergraduate degree. You could study at a university, a higher university college or a further education college.
There are more than ninety universities to choose from in the UK, along with a smaller number of higher education colleges.
Honours degree
One subject is studied in depth: 3 years, 4 years in Scotland; Architecture. Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine: 5 – 7 years
Joint Honours degree
Two subjects are studied: 3-4 years
Combined Honours degree
Three or more subjects are studied: 3-4 years
Ordinary/General/Pass degree
Several subjects are studied for 3 years
Sandwich course
A year of work experience is included: 4 years
- Humanities BA
- Sciences BSc
- Education BEd
To find out more about the degree courses available in the UK visit www.educationuk.org.The site will give you access to information on the range of courses available in the UK and vital information: from advice on student welfare through to the application processes.
- www.educationuk.org offers a search tool and you can make a search by type of course and area in order to identify the course which is the most suitable for you
- Consider the field and the qualification which is obtained at graduation.
- The Quality assessment of the research that the educational institution ha received at the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) www.rae.ac.uk
- The campus, facilities and accommodation
- The location – a big city or countryside, proximity to airport, friends.
- The tuition and accommodation fees
- The cost of living – London tends to be more expensive than the rest of the UK.
There is no single official ranking of UK universities. There are two ways in which you can compare universities:
1. To check the website of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). Every year it presents information per area of study and per institution.
2. The other way is to check unofficial rankings such as The Times and The Guardian. The websites below provide rankings from different sources which can be useful for you when you compare universities:
www.rae.ac.uk
Education Funding Councils for England, Scotland and Wales have assessed the quality of research in British universities. Their reports are available by subject or by institution.
www.unistats.direct.gov.uk
Results from the latest National Student Survey
www.timeshighereducation.co.uk
Sunday Times University Guide
www.guardian.co.uk/education/universityguide
The Guardian University guide
The minimum academic requirements for entry to a UK degree course may vary from institution to institution and from one course to the next. Generally, institutions will quote their entry requirements on to a specific course in terms of A-level and Scottish Higher grades but a Bulgarian school-leaving qualification should satisfy general entrance requirements.
When you apply as an international student you will be asked to demonstrate your English language competency. This could be in the form of an accepted test score result such as an IELTS or TOEFL score, and your institution will tell you what score you need for acceptance on a particular degree course.
To apply to be an undergraduate in the UK you need to fill in the UCAS application form. UCAS - the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service deals with all applications for places on full-time undergraduate courses.
At present, 333 institutions offering over 55,000 programmes of study are in membership of the scheme. Each year, over 450,000 people apply through UCAS. More than 60,000 applicants are from outside the UK.
All UK universities (except the Open University), and most colleges offering higher education, are members of UCAS. The majority of students, both home and international, interested in studying for a full-time undergraduate qualification in the UK, will apply through UCAS.
UCAS’ website gives you a lot of information about universities, colleges, courses and how to apply. There is a section specially designed for international students. The site has links to the websites of universities and colleges that offer full-time undergraduate courses in the UK.
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