As an international applicant, it can feel so overwhelming especially if you have not been to the United Kingdom or enrolled as an international student. There are certain (important) things you need to be ready or sure of before you kickstart your study abroad. From course fees to living fees and other things are very essential for a smooth and better education. You need to plan for it otherwise you might end up dropping out of school. We know you don't like that.
As a newbie, I know you have a lot of things to know. That is why I took out my time to create a great piece of article that will guide you on your way to studying in the UK. In this article, I arranged and explain in detail the basic things you need to know, do, or have before you can school at any of the Universities in the UK. No matter where you are from or live even if you are from the UK or live there as a citizen, this article is right for you.
With that being said, let's get started with all the essential things you need.
6 Things You Need As an International Student To Study In The UK
1. Prepare your course fee
Earning a degree in a UK school is one major reason why students want to study there so you must make sure that your course fee is the first thing you budgeted for.
The fees you need to pay at any of the universities there depend on two factors. Which are: Home or Oversee? Since you are an international student, your course fee further relies on who which the region/country you live in.
This also reflects on your immigration status in the UK, where you have been living, and what you have been doing over the past three years. You must do well to cater for your course.
Another thing that can still help you is to know the actual fee that is paid by an international student. Once you know this, you will be able to know whether you will be eligible to school abroad.
2. Prepare your Living fee
The living fee is one of the major things you should also be concerned about. Just the way you can not study in the UK without the course fee, that is also the same way you can't do without your living fee. Your life dearly depends on it.
Many factors are there to consider when you want to budget your living fee - The place to stay, food to eat, touring the environment, visiting during the holiday, and so much more to think about.
According to the UK research forum, an estimated fee between £1 290 and £1 840 per month has been deduced as the living fee for each student who wants to study in the UK. You should make sure you calculate the suggested fee in a way that will be suitable for you. It is also good if you calculate this fee yearly or even the whole time you want to spend studying your course instead of just calculating it based on monthly basics.
Accommodation fee
you should keep in mind that the student accommodation fee is different from your course fee. You can either decide to stay inside the school campus or outside it. No matter what you decide, just keep in mind that the cost of staying on campus is slightly lesser than that of renting an apartment.
The accommodation fee of the hall of residence usually includes a bill is approximately £400 to £600 per month. While for private not including bills is approximately from £320 to£550 per month.
Note: The stated fee above is for an individual. So a student with children or with a spouse should keep in mind to include the number of persons with them when planning the living fee budget.
Food to eat / Housekeeping
You need an estimated fee between £160 to £200 as an individual to be able to feed 3 times daily and also to take good care of rented apartments. For a student that has children it a spouse should multiply the amount by the number of people that stays with him or her.
Transportation fare
If you are the kind of person who likes touring and traveling or your apartment is not close to your campus or if you want to go shopping, you have to plan a fee of £32 to handle it for you. It is calculated monthly.
Bills
This includes electric, gas, or water usage. Its fee ranges from £40> to £50 per month.
Other things you may also like, like sports, going out and stationery can be decided on your own.
3. Register for a visa
Oh... Yes, you need it to be there. Without a visa, your plan to study in the UK will be void. For your trip to be successful you need to register or own a student visa. As an international student, the earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you start your course.
Visas are only given to students aged from 16 upward. Visas are granted to students depending on the course want to study. If you are 18 years of age or above and your course is at degree level you will likely stay in the UK for up to 5 years but if it is below degree level, you can only stay for only 2 years and below. Chances are also available for people who want to extend their visas.
EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein
If your family or you have started living in the UK by 31 December 2022, you maybe be able to apply for a free student. This visa is sponsored by the UK government. The deadline set for the application is 30 June 2021 for most people. I thought the deadline has already been passed, you can still apply for the visa if you have a valid reason why you were unable to apply. Something that depends on what causes the first failure. For example, if it is because of sickness that hindered you from applying or you want to join your family who ate already residing in the UK. You might lucky enough to get it.
Other factors that are also considered by the UK government before you can be offered any visa are the amount of money you have for taking care of yourself. If you planned to work while you are studying your course, you will need to have a CAS card
4. Arrange your health insurance
Providing that you can take care of yourself while studying is another thing you must consider. The UK government wants you to prove that you can cater to your health when the need arises. International students need to prove they have health insurance before they must to the UK otherwise they will not succeed in the registration.
Some students are helped by the UK government to sponsor their health insurance while others will have to work it out themselves. Below explain who can apply for free health insurance.
EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein
If your family or you have started living in the UK before January 1, 2022, or are a British state pensioner, you are eligible to free health insurance that is sponsored by the UK government. To apply you need to use the official CNHS website
As you know your country is not included in the list, you need to sort it out yourself. This is done as part of the surcharge that you paid during your visa registration. You should keep in mind that neither the free health insurance card (FHIC) not the surcharge you paid during your visa registration can not cover anything that results from injury or illness. It also can not cover lost courses fee or canceled travel plans.
5. Prepare for a British life
The number 5 thing you need to prepare for is how the British culture is observed. For your worth to be recognized and not be abhorred, you must initiate yourself with some of the practices in the place you are staying. There are various cultures in the UK and some are even practiced in almost all the universities there, so you have to be ready for it. Since you have not been to the UK, you have to practice some of these cultures before you move there. You can watch YouTube videos, and browse the internet about it. Facebook page is also a very good place to practice this. There is a lot of Facebook group that does it. We recommend you search and join the one that is related to the one you want to go to.
Also, don't forget to get some packs of warm clothes and also waterproof ones because the weather in the UK is very cold.
6. Create a student bank account
Although a bank account is not a compulsory thing to have as an international student, we recommend that you should have one you are operating before you leave home.
Getting a UK bank account as a student will save you a lot of stress and will also help you to avoid unnecessary charges from foreign currency exchange.
We know that opening a UK bank account can take some time - 10 days or above. You should do this a month before your traveling date in other to get an approver before you leave home. You can also check if any of the local banks around you have any connection with the UK baking system, this will be easier.