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What is the difference between the British Council, British Embassy and the British Consul?
British Council (Briti Nõukogu) is the UK's main international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. The British Embassy (Briti saatkond) deals with political, commercial, consular and visa issues and the British Consul (Briti konsul) is a member of staff of the British Embassy who, among other duties, looks after the interests of British citizens travelling abroad.
Do I need a visa to study in the UK?
As an Estonian citizen you do not need a visa to travel to or to study in the UK, from May 2004 you do not need a work-permit either.
As much as we would like to help you with visa questions, we do not have the expertise or the authority to do so. If you are in doubt about your visa status or you need further information please visit www.ukvisas.gov.uk. In Estonia questions about visas, passports and residence qualifications must be addressed to the Consular section at the British Embassy .
Can you provide me with tourist information about Britain?
Information about travel and tourist attractions in the UK can be obtained by contacting the British Tourist Authority (www.visitbritain.com).
Where do I go to find information on studying in the UK?
Take a look at our education pages where you will find all you need to know about studying in the UK. www.educationuk.org
How do I know I have picked a good university?
The quality of undergraduate degrees at UK institutions is checked and followed closely. Assessments into different aspects of quality at institutions in the UK are carried out on a regular basis and are called the Subject Review Reports, previously the Teaching Quality Assessment exercise (TQA).
Look at the Reports for
England and Northern Ireland,
Scotland
Wales
The Subject Review Reports are the only official reports, which examine the teaching quality at UK institutions. There are, however, several unofficial league tables that you can use for selection purposes as well:
Guardian University Guide or
The Times University Guide
What tuition fees will I be expected to pay at British universities?
Universities and colleges in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have tuition fees. Students from other countries in the European Union are under European law entitled to pay the same tuition fees as UK students.
Under the new Higher education Act the universities can charge variable fees for its undergraduate degrees. You can expect tuition fees to be around £ 3000 per year. At the same time from 2006 you will no longer have to pay your fees before you start your course or whilst you are studying. You will be able to take out a student loan for fees to match the level of tuition fees you have to pay. All students taking a loan are required to sign a declaration agreeing to repay. You will only start repaying this loan uprated annually with inflation once you have finished studying and are earning in Estonia more than £9,000 a year (the repayment threshold differs between countries). You start paying back at the rate of 9p in the £ earned.
Application forms and guidance notes can be downloaded from www.direct.gov.uk. If you are a new full-time EU student and apply for your course through UCAS by July, you will be sent an application form for student finance automatically. New EU students only need to complete Parts 1-5, complete the loan request form and sign the declarations in Part 11.
If you are a full-time student we recommend that if you can send your application to the EU Team by 30 May to guarantee that it can be processed by 1 September. However you still have nine months after the start of the academic year for applying.
Please note that EU students are not entitled to maintenance loans.
EU students studying or intending to study in Scotland (click here) or Northern Ireland (click here)
In Scotland, all Scottish and EU students on degree programmes will pay about £2,000 into a fund called 'Graduate Endowment'. Payment is made after graduation. For more details, please have a look at SAAS (Student Awards Agency for Scotland).
Fees for postgraduate courses vary depending on the university and programme, and usually start from £2900 and can go up to £15 000. The estimated cost for a student to live in London for one academic year (nine to twelve months) to meet living expenses such as rent, heating, food, travel expenses and other necessities is £8000. In the regions outside London the average living cost per year would be slightly lower, about £6000 per year. All students studying in the UK for more than six months are entitled to free health care on the National Health Service.
Can I apply to the British Council for a scholarship or get a grant?
You can use our global search facility Scholarships Database to see what scholarships, bursaries and awards are available to you.
Will I need my English language skills assessed?
Yes, most institutions will accept international students on a course only after submitting the results of an internationally recognised English Language test (IELTS, CAE, CPE). You can take these exams at the British Council. For more information please visit the exams section on our website.
How to apply?
For undergraduate programmes
(first degrees):
Before applying for courses, you need to find out from a particular institution about its entry requirements. There are general academic requirements and you also need to prove that your level of English is sufficient for the course. To apply for full time degree courses and higher national diploma’s (HND’s), you simply make a single approach through the centralised application process. This service is provided by UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admission Service). All UK universities (except the Open University) and most colleges of higher education are members of UCAS. You can get the UCAS application form and instructions how to fill it in from the British Council office or you can apply online at www.ucas.com/intapply/index.html
For postgraduate programmes
(postgraduate certificates, master’s programmes, PhD)
For postgraduate programmes you should apply directly to the university which runs the course you are interested in. Details of the applications procedure will be available from the institution. For Master’s degrees most institutions require a recognised first degree in a relevant subject for entry.
When should I apply?
For undergraduate programmes
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Applications through UCAS take place a year in advance of you starting your degree. Your application form should reach UCAS between 1 September and 15 January. |
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Applications to Art and Design degree programmes in Route B should be sent between 1 January and 5 March, although the final deadline is 24 March. |
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Applicants to Oxford or Cambridge must apply through UCAS, as well as make a direct application to the university. Your application should reach UCAS by 15 October |
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Applicants to courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science should apply through UCAS by 15 October |
For postgraduate programmes
Applications should be sent directly to the institution. To give yourself the best chance of being offered a place you should start making enquiries about the entrance requirement at least 18 months before the course begins, and apply early.
Can I apply to degree courses at UK universities and colleges with an Estonian matriculation examination?
Yes, you can. Universities and colleges of higher education in the UK normally accept qualifications from other countries, although naturally all the entry requirements for UK institutions are stated in terms of British qualifications.
The Estonian state examination is an approximate equivalent to the British General Certificate of Education Advanced level examination (GCE A-level). A-level grades run from "A" to "E", "A" being the highest and "E" the lowest. When looking at the entry requirements, you will see a maximum of three A-level grades given. This is because students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland normally take only three A-level examinations.
What if I haven't taken my state examinations yet, can I still apply?
Yes. Most British students apply while they are still at school, and the same rule applies for EU students. On the application form, you have to give details of your education so far, so if you haven't matriculated yet, this means you give details of your grades at upper secondary school (form 11) and list all the exams you are going to take.
Will my UK qualification be recognised?
It is very important that you make sure that the course you intend to follow will lead to a qualification that will be recognised in Estonia. To receive advice on this matter contact the ENIC/NARIC Centre at Archimedes Foundation, Koidula 13A, Tallinn T: 6962 418
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