Once you've accepted a place on a course at a UK school, college or university, your institution may send you information to help you prepare for your arrival. Read this carefully – it may tell you more about the institution and the local area, and include practical information such as opening times of offices, local travel advice and important steps you need to take (such as applying for accommodation, or registering for your course).

The British Council runs pre-departure briefing programmes that tell you about immigration and passport control procedures, how to get to schools, colleges and universities, financial matters, budget planning and cultural differences. Find out details about the next pre-departure briefing sessions.

When booking your travel, try and make sure you arrive at a time that will enable you to get a transfer to your institution or accommodation.  Aim to arrive on a weekday (Monday – Friday), rather than at the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) or on a public holiday, and try to arrive in the morning; as trains, coaches and taxis may not run throughout the night and will give you time to reach your final destination and settle in during working hours when transportation links are most frequent and facilities such as banks and shops are open. This may mean that you travel through the night and arrive tired and slightly jet-lagged but it will help to make your onward journey easier.

Many students arrange their onward journey from the airport to their institution at the same time as they book their flight. A travel agent in your home country may be able to help you do this. In this case, when you reach the UK you can continue your journey by following the instructions from your travel agent.

There are more than 40 airports in the UK, many of which fly to and from international destinations as well as providing internal flights within the UK. Most UK airports are served by their own rail station, with buses and coaches travelling from them to many local towns and other destinations. Speak to the international office at the school or college where you will be studying to find out how best to travel to your institution.

If you want to be better prepared, you can also choose to buy your travel and sightseeing tickets online before departing for the UK. Find out more from the section on Buy before you fly under our Travelling around the UK section.

Prepare for Success, which has been developed by the University of Southampton, enables you to prepare for academic life before you arrive in the UK. It provides interactive tests, quizzes and activities based on subjects such as ways of learning, critical thinking, lectures, listening and note-taking, and formal speaking. Focusing on the academic student experience? Prepare for Success.