Destination UK

Offering a world-class education system and a rich history, the UK could give your career that global edge.

The UK has a large number of universities which rank among the best in the world and offer a wide range of courses. Whatever career you wish to pursue, the UK will have a course to help you achieve it. Colleges and universities offer many different subjects, ranging from accountancy through to zoology.

Whether you’re looking to study a foundation programme to help you gain entry into university or a PhD, you’ll find an institution to suit your needs. In most institutions classes are small and you will have access to up-to-date computing facilities, science and language laboratories and good libraries. You’ll also find there are people readily available to assist you with your academic progress and offer you counselling and advice should you need it.

In addition to academic support, most universities and colleges offer careers services, assistance in finding part-time jobs, help searching for accommodation and welcome orientations. Your institution will also have a dedicated International Student Office with staff who understand your requirements as a student new to the UK.

As an international student, you will be in good company. UK institutions attract students from all over the world. Looking at postgraduate qualifications alone, for every 100 full-time postgraduate degrees awarded in the UK in 2002-03, 44 went to UK citizens, 17 went to people from the rest of the European Union and 39 went to people from further afield, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The UK is a great place to live as well as study. It’s a vibrant, multicultural country. In every major city, you’ll find shops selling every imaginable type of food from around the world, places of worship for all major religions and speakers of many of the world’s languages.

The UK offers plenty to do in your spare time. With beautiful scenery, historic sights and some of the best museums and art galleries, you’ll never be short of things to do.

All UK universities and colleges have their different strengths. To help you find the institution whose strengths match your needs, contact a counsellor.

Important deadlines for your application

Australia – Apply now to start in July/August 2007. You should submit your application and supporting documents by mid-April. We encourage you to apply early for best consideration. Keep in mind that you do not need to scan and attach your documents, a counsellor can do this for you. Contact a counsellor for assistance with selecting a course or completing your applications.

If you have successfully applied to start studies in February/March 2007, you should be collecting financial documents to support a visa application. If you have received an offer, you should be applying for a student visa and/or accepting your offer. Specific procedures will depend on your citizenship and the course you will be studying. Contact a counsellor for more details.

US – Some institutions have a March 2007 start and there may still be time for you to apply. Contact a counsellor now to apply.

The main term starts in September 2007 for most institutions. For best consideration and to allow time to apply for a student visa, we encourage you to apply by 20 December.

English language schools and some other institutions allow students to start throughout the year. Application deadlines vary and we encourage you to apply well in advance for best consideration and to allow time to apply for a visa. Keep in mind that you do not need to scan and attach your documents, a counsellor can do this for you. Contact a counsellor for assistance with selecting a course or completing your applications.

UK – Some courses are available for students interested in a January 2007 start. Our counsellors can help you find a course to meet your interests and apply now so that you can still start in January. We encourage you to contact a counsellor now.

Applications are now open for September 2007. For best consideration for September 2007, applications should be submitted by early January of 2007. Our counsellors are happy to help you find a course and institution to meet your background and interests. Contact a counsellor to discuss your study plans.

Gain the edge for entry into Californian universities

With one of the highest transfer performances of a community college in southern California, Pierce College can give you an alternate pathway into a prestigious US university.

The college has alliances with UCLA, UC Berkeley, Cal State Northridge and CalTech, and a reputation for academic excellence confirmed by the fact that no Pierce honours students has been refused admission to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

With over 100 disciplines covering everything from automotive service technology to veterinary science, Pierce provides opportunities for transfer education, occupational training and lifelong learning.
Two five-week summer sessions and one five-week winter session means you have the opportunity to move quickly through your chosen curriculum.

Despite having more than 18,000 students, Pierce manages to maintain its student-friendly atmosphere. The college reflects the cosmopolitan environment of southern California with hundreds of international students mixing well with an already diverse student population.

Located in the western San Fernando Valley, the college is in the ideal position for you to balance your studies with leisure pursuits. The campus is only 10 miles from the Malibu beaches and a few miles from southern California’s major entertainment attractions, including Hollywood, Universal Studios, and the Disney Studios.

To learn more about Pierce College, contact a counsellor.

UQ advances in international rankings

The annual top 200 ranking of world universities, produced by the UK’s Times Higher Education Supplement, has seen UQ climb two spots to 45, confirming its reputation as the top university in Queensland and one of the top in Australia.

UQ is the only Queensland university to be included in the top 50 in the world and one of only six around the country.

UQ Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Keniger said the ranking confirmed The University of Queensland as a world-renowned research and teaching institution, on par with many larger international universities.

“Our academics, researchers and students are being recognised throughout the world for their work,” Professor Keniger said.

Professor Keniger said UQ was among Australia's top three research universities and had won more national teaching excellence awards than any other Australian university.

Recently UQ was announced as being among the top five Australian universities of the top 100 Asia Pacific universities in the Shanghai Jiao Tong University`s rankings, based on academic and research performance.

UQ also featured in the Newsweek rankings of the world's top 100 universities, being ranked at number 91 on its list.

The University was independently ranked as one of Australia’s best universities in the 2007 edition of The Good Universities Guide. UQ was awarded the maximum five-star rating for six key performance indicators. They included student demand, positive graduate outcomes (reflecting both graduate employment and advancement to further study), staff qualifications, research grants, research intensivity and ease of entry (St Lucia campus).

If you’re interested in studying at the University of Queensland or another Australian university, contact a counsellor.

“I am glad I made the right decision to come to Heriot-Watt University” Jiun Ren Tan of Malaysia

It was clear from the outset that I wanted an actuarial career, but choosing the right university was a difficult one. However, I am glad I made the right decision to come to Heriot-Watt University. The course (BSc Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics) was well structured and the lecturers were always friendly and helpful. I was also fortunate to study at the University of Copenhagen under an exchange programme. Most of all, the course helped me to gain exemptions from the actuarial exams and provided an insight into various types of actuarial work.

After three happy years at Heriot-Watt, I was offered a position as an Actuarial Trainee with Canada Life in Dublin, Ireland. I am currently working in the life product development department, where new products are priced and launched. The knowledge I have gained at university has definitely proved useful in my day-to-day job. I realised that studying for exams and working at the same time was not going to be easy, but hey, at least it is not boring!

To find out more about actuarial studies or other courses at Heriot-Watt University, contact a counsellor.

Prepare for your IELTS test online

Are you planning to take the IELTS test in the next few months?

An IELTS score is important because you may need it to enter an undergraduate or postgraduate course program at university, or for your student visa.

IELTS Online from Macquarie University is a flexible, interactive web based course designed to help you train for the IELTS test with total confidence.

The course has four modules. You can choose to study one or more modules, or do the full course.

Academic reading
Academic writing
Speaking – online tutor support
Listening – online tutor support

Each module takes about 25 hours to complete. You can work at your own pace and repeat lessons as often as you like. Online training 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – study when and where you like.

A qualified and experienced tutor will give you personalised feedback on the writing and speaking assessment tasks or answer your questions in the reading and listening modules.

With IELTS Online you can enrol immediately and start to prepare for the IELTS test today.

Contact a counsellor to find out more.