The requirements for applying to the UK are relatively straightforward. As long as you provide the following documents via UCAS, your applicant can be processed. Most students do not even need to supply additional documents such as high school graduation certificates.
1.
Academic qualifications
2.
Personal statement
3.
Reference
4.
Proof of English Proficiency
Bear in mind that if you are applying to competitive universities and courses, there are some extra assessments which will require more time to prepare for. These include:
1.
Admissions Tests
2.
Submission of Written work
3.
Interviews
Academic Qualifications
The most common academic grades used to apply to the UK are GCSEs and A-Levels:
•
GCSE: age 14-16 qualification
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A-Level: age 16-18 qualification
Because the GCSE can only be taken in selected schools which offer the British curriculum, many Chinese applicants choose to use huikao to compensate for the lack of GCSEs. This is especially important if applying to Oxbridge as a great deal of emphasis is placed on applicants’ GCSEs and A-Levels.
As for A-Levels, even if your school doesn’t offer A-Levels, you can easily prepare and take them independently. If so, the A Level papers will need to be taken at specific test centres such as the British Council.
Alternatively, if you happen to be applying to both the UK and US and already have SAT and APs, you can use them to apply instead.
Note that most students will apply with predicted grades for their A-Levels or IB because the application cycle ends before the final examination results are released. Gap year applicants or repeat applicants on the other hand, will apply with their final grades.
Personal Statement
Asides from your academic grades, you will need to provide a personal statement. This personal statement should clearly set out the following:
1.
Why are you interested in the subject that you’re applying to do an undergraduate degree in?
2.
What skills, attributes and experiences do you have which make you a suitable candidate?
Reference
You will also need someone (a referrer) to write a reference for you. Generally, this person will be your counselor, subject teacher or housemaster (for boarding school students). This varies across schools.
Regardless of who writes your reference, the most important thing is that this person needs to know you very well and be able to appropriately assess your abilities as a student. This is why subject teachers are often the most suitable referrers.
If you know your referrer, you can request him or her to focus on particular areas in their reference letter. To ensure the quality of the reference letter, it is important to give your referrer ample time to write it. Make your request before the start of the summer vacation. This helps to avoid situations where the referrer has already received requests from many other students and might have to turn you down
After the letter is written, it will uploaded onto the UCAS system by the referrer. Generally, applicants will not be able to view it. All that you need to do is fill in the referrer’s contact details on the UCAS reference letter section and the referrer will make the necessary submission.
English Proficiency Qualifications
Some students may be required to submit English proficiency qualifications. IELTS and TOEFL are the most frequently used English proficiency qualifications but they are not the only options.
Deadline
If you are required to submit an English proficiency qualification, you do not have to do it at the time of your UCAS application.
The submission deadline for English proficiency qualifications is usually in August of the matriculating year (the year in which you commence your undergraduate degree). Therefore, it is possible to get your English proficiency qualification after your A-Levels or IB exam. In the past, students who were not aware of this wasted time preparing for the IELTS or TOEFL when they could have spent that time working on other aspects of their UCAS application.
For students who intend to use the IELTS as their qualification, the grades do not have to be submitted together with the UCAS application. They just need to be submitted before September of the year of matriculation. Note however, that in order to apply for and receive a UK student visa, you may be required to submit your IELTS results.
Exemptions
Students who have taken the GCSE or IB curriculum are often exempted from this English proficiency requirement. The exemption criteria varies across universities so you should confirm by checking the website of the universities that you are applying to. Here are some examples:
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University of Oxford - applicants who have taken GCSE English Language (but not iGCSE), IB or are enrolled in English speaking international schools are exempt
Imperial College
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The university is very flexible in terms of the English proficiency requirement. Exemption depends on the course and details can be found at the following link: