United Kingdom

General information

England's education system consists of more than 200 universities, colleges and other institutions, the majority of which are public. England has a long tradition in education and several of its universities are ranked at the top of the world university rankings.

The Bachelor's Degree is obtained after three years of full-time study, with some exceptions such as medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The master's degree is awarded after one year of study and the doctorate after 3-4 years of study.

Entry criteria vary by subject and university, with the most popular being G.C.S.E. (General Certification of Secondary Education) and A-levels (Advanced Level General Certification of Education) in various subjects. Also, the candidate should hold a high school diploma from a recognized secondary school and demonstrate his knowledge of the English language (G.C.S.E., T.O.E.F.L., I.E.L.T.S., etc.).

Applications are made online through the central university and college admissions body, UCAS (University College Admissions Service - www.ucas.com). The candidate can declare in the UCAS application up to 5 choices of universities that interests, except in the case of Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine where he/she is entitled to declare only 4 choices. The application must be submitted between the dates of September 1 and January 15. Applications for admission to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine, as well as Oxford and Cambridge universities, should be made by 15 October (via www.admissions.ox.ac.uk and www.cam.ac .uk/admissions, respectively). Also, the admission process for Fine Arts programs is different. UCAS undertakes to refer the candidate's application to the universities of ones choice. Each university will then decide whether to offer a place unconditionally or with conditions or to reject the application. These decisions will be sent to UCAS who will then inform the candidate, who is entitled to hold one or two offers. The position is usually finalized after the student's exam results are announced, e.g. G.C.E results.

Students notify the university if they are interested in securing a room in the student residence. Typically, first-year students have priority in securing housing. Halls of Residence provide accommodation and meals. Also, one can rent an apartment together with others. Rents vary from region to region, with London and Edinburgh being the most expensive.

Tuition fees vary, depending on the university and program of study. Despo Kyrmitsi, BSc, MA Career and Vocational Guidance Consultant