For more than a century now the
UK
has been in the forefront of imparting quality education at the graduate and
post-graduate levels. Aside from the hallowed portals of the Universities of
Oxford and
Cambridge, which have
nurtured many a renowned scholar, students who opt to study in the
UK
today can choose from a wide variety of colleges and courses ranging from the
technical sciences to the fine arts. A major advantage of studying abroad in
the
UK is the
fact that the Masters' degree for most courses is of a one-year duration, as
compared to two in most other countries, thus enabling students to save
valuable time and money.
Getting to and around the
UK
With four international airports, apart from Heathrow, serving
London
alone and international connections to
Bristol,
Manchester and
Newcastle,
England is easily
accessible by air. International flights to
Scotland
land at Glasgow or Edinburgh, while airports at
Dundee
and
Aberdeen serve to connect
Scotland
to the rest of the
UK
and to mainland
Europe. In
Northern
Ireland too, flights connect
Belfast
to
London and other provincial
cities.
There are also ferry services present connecting
Britain
to
Northern Ireland
and to ports in countries like
Belgium,
Germany,
Spain
and
France. The
Channel Tunnel, a land link with the rest of mainland
Europe,
allows for two other services - Eurostar, a high-speed connection between
London,
Paris and
Brussels
and Le Shuttel which allows motor vehicles to travel from the
UK
to
France.
The easiest way to get around while in the
UK
is to use the numerous bus services which offer special travel passes. The
trains, though a touch expensive, are excellent too, connecting remote parts of
the country.
Studying abroad in the
UK: Basic qualification criteria
Apart from proof of the obvious fact of your having been accepted for a
recognized full-time degree course, you have to indicate ability to finance the
course and support yourself throughout its duration without depending on public
funding. However, students are eligible to secure part-time or holiday
employment, subject to certain conditions.
Financial aid for international students is not very forthcoming in the
United
Kingdom. Some students with exceptional
academic records may get a partial tuition fee waiver in certain universities.
However, specific loan programs do not exist as yet for those looking to study
abroad in the
UK.
