International Higher Education
An increasingly popular option for students completing their “A”levels, International Baccalaureate or equivalent qualification is to consider pursuing their higher education in another country.
What are the benefits of studying outside of the UK?
- Experience of a different culture
- Meeting students from other countries
- Developing language skills
- Degree courses (or equivalent) may be broader based in some countries (such as the USA ) and so allow students to postpone career choice
- There may be bursaries available to help finance their HE course
- There may be subjects (or combinations of subjects) on offer in international HE which are not offered in the UK
- Applying abroad gives an additional option outside of the UK UCAS system
- There may be greater opportunity to practice other interests (such as sport) abroad
Validity of overseas qualifications
Very often the degree equivalent qualification gained in a different country will have a similar level of validity as a degree taken entirely in the UK .
However, if you think your son/daughter may want to seek their first job after completing their qualification back in the UK , it would be sensible to check out recognition issues in the UK before committing, particularly in areas such as accountancy, architecture and medicine.
To check relative validity:
- Contact UK University departments where post graduate study is likely to be needed
- Check with the National Academic Recognition Information Centre for the UK (NARIC)
- You also may wish to contact a sample of employers in your intended field of work to gauge their reaction
Positively speaking:
- Degree equivalent courses overseas will most often have similar levels of recognition ( but check)
- It is possible to study abroad as part of a UK degree or as an exchange student where parity of study is already agreed
- You may be able to gain your first experience of work after graduation in the country in which you have studied
- Some later form of bridging may be possible to close the recognition gap where one exists
- The other broadening experiences gained and the development of your language skills from overseas study will generally appeal to UK employers
Factors to consider when deciding whether to study abroad
- Does your son/daughter want to/need to study in another English speaking country?
- If not, will their ability in the language of that country stand up? (Be aware that in some countries the main language is not always used in all lectures eg. local language/dialect in certain regions in Spain and some Belgian universities teach in Flemish rather than French)
- Are their school leaving qualifications acceptable?
- Are any other tests needed to gain entry (eg. SATS in the USA)
- Is there pre-selection for entry or can anyone start the course?
- Does the HE system in the country concerned allow for specialism of subject to be deferred (as in the USA ) or does specialism start immediately?
- What are the social restrictions/freedoms relating to students?
- Is financial support possible either from the UK , the government of the country concerned or from the receiving institution?
- What is the relative cost of living in the intended country?
- Where in the country is the institution you are applying to located?
- Climate
- Will there be other international students at the particular institution?
- How many students attending the institution concerned will, like your son/daughter, be living on campus?
- What type and level of social support dedicated to international students is available at the institution concerned?
Useful sources of information
Below are some useful sources of information worth checking out.
- Website of the institution
- UK National Recognition Information Centre (NARIC), The British Council, Medlock Street , Manchester M15 4AA
- Embassies of respective countries
- “You Want to Study Where?” (Philip Dring, Barbara Lynn and Jim O’Brien) ISBN 0–85660–884–X www.trotman.co.uk
Contacts for specific countries most considered by UK applicants
USA
The Fulbright Commission
Fulbright House
62 Doughty Street
London WC1N 2LS
Tel: 0044 (0) 20 7404 6994)
Web: www.fulbright.co.uk
Email: education@fulbright.co.uk
American Embassy
24 Grosvenor Square
London W1A 1AE
Tel: 020 7499 9000
Web: www.usembassy.org.uk
Canada
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC)
Web:
www.aucc.ca
Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) www.cbie.ca
Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
36 Gordon Square
London WC1 0PF
Tel: 020 7380 6700
Web: www.acu.ac.uk
Canadian High Commission
38 Grosvenor Square
London W1X 4AA
Tel: 020 7258 8600
Web: www.canada.org.uk
Australia
IDP Education Australia
Web: www.idp.com
Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
36 Gordon Square
London WC1 0PF
Tel: 020 7380 6700
Web: www.acu.ac.uk
Australian high Commission
Australia House
Strand
London WC2B 4LA
Tel: 020 7379 4334
New Zealand
Education New Zealand
PO Box 10 – 500
Wellington
New Zealand
Tel: 0064 4 472 0788
Web: www.educationnz.org.nz
Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
36 Gordon Square
London WC1 0PF
Tel: 020 7380 6700
Web: www.acu.ac.uk
New Zealand High Commission
New Zealand House
80 Haymarket
London SW1Y 4QT
Tel: 0207930 8422
Web: www.nzembassy.com
Ireland (Eire)
ICOS – Irish Council for International Students
41 Morehampton Road
Dinnybrook
Dublin 4
Ireland
Tel: 00353 (0)1 660 5233
Web: www.icosirl.ie
Central Applications Office (CAO) – the organising body for the Irish cental applications system
Tower House
Eglinton Street
Galway
Eire
Tel: 00353 91 509800
Web: www.cao.ie
Irish Embassy
17 Grosvenor House
London SW1X 7HR
Tel: 020 7235 2171
Web: http://ireland.embassyhomepage.com
France
Centre National des Ouvres Universitaires et Scolaires (CNOUS)
Centre Regionale des Ouvres Universitaires et Scolaires (CROUS)
69 Quai d’Orsay
75340 Cedex 7
France
Tel: 0033 1 44 18 53 00
Web: www.cnous.fr
L’Institut Francais
14 Cromwell Place
South Kensington
London SW7 2JR
Tel: 020 7581 2701
French Embassy
58 Knightsbridge
London SW1X 7JT
Tel: 020 7201 1000
Germany
NARIC Germany (for help on equivalence)
Zentralstelle fur auslandisches Bildungseusen im Sekretariat der KMK
Lennestrasse 6
53113 Bonn
Germany
Tel: 0049 (0) 228 501 264
Email: zab@kmk.org.de
DAAD – Deutscher Akademischer Austauchdienst
Email: info@daad.org.uk
ZVS (Zentralstelle fur die Vergabe non Studienplatzen) – central application for certain degree level courses in Germany –
Architecture, Business Studies, Biology, Food Chemistry, Home Economics, Dietetics, Law, Pharmacy, Psychology, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine
German Embassy
23 Belgrave Square
London SW1X 8QB
Tel: 020 7824 1300
Web: www.german-embassy.org.uk
Spain
Consejo de Universidades
Cuidad Universitaria s/n
28040 Madrid
Tel: 0034 (9) 1 549 7700
Ministerio de Educacion y Cultura Subdireccion de Titulos
Convalidaciones y Homologaciones
Passeo del Prado 28
4a Planta
28014 Madrid
Tel: 0034 (9) 1 506 56 00
Spanish Embassy
39 Chesham Place
London SW1X 2PZ
Tel: 0870 005 6975
Web: www.mcx.es/londres
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