Guide to Study Abroad for International Students

Do you want to enhance your academic and career standards? Then there is no option that can be the best as studying abroad. The higher education- aspiring students often step out beyond their comfort zone to get a world-class education from the prestigious faculty. However, studying abroad enhances a student’s academic and career life qualifications and broadens the horizon of student’s personalities and insights. There are some steps that a student must follow while he is interested in taking an overseas degree. Let’s know them one by one-

Start your preparations early.

When you want to take overseas education, you must start your preparations early. There are many steps to follow as you cannot whimsically make the decision all of a sudden. So the initial steps are- 

• Take your parent’s consent- Trust me, the most important step to studying abroad starts at home. Some parents are liberal about sending their children to a far land, while others are strict about doing so. So before making the decision, ask for your parent\’s consent. If they are rigid in approving you to study abroad, tell them about its benefits and show them you are confident enough to do it. 

• Determine the money you want to spend on your education- While studying abroad,  international students have to spend a big amount of money. For an international student, the money can be a burden as along with the tuition fees students also arrange money for the living cost in the UK.

• Take the English Test– If you want to study in a country where the communicative language is English, then taking the English test is very important while you are from a non-English speaking country. You must obtain the required English score to enrol at UK universities.

Research well

When you complete the primary preparation for studying abroad,  it\’s time to make complete research. You must match your interest, financial requirement, country preference, course, career and university choices together. Let’s know some sectors of your research-

☑️ Choose some of your favourite study programs and compare them.

Before selecting one, it would be better to compare some of your favourite programs. Research well to know which program has more sameness according to your study interest and career choice.

☑️ Select a country

After fixing the major, you should select your study destination if you have more than one in the mind. Select one according to the ranking, quality of teaching, student’s work opportunities and advantages it’s given to the international students etc.

☑️ Research the universities and location

Don’t rush on university selection. Before selecting one:

• Go through the universities website.
• Find out the ranking.
• Learn if the university has your chosen course and what tuition fees are at that university.
• Check the location and the living cost.
• Check accommodation facilities.

Get the help of an education counsellor

The process of studying abroad should be subtle and perfect. One wrong step will take you far behind from the goal. Besides, a lack of stepwise work and documentation can hinder your path to getting an offer letter and visa. So, if you take an education counselor’s help who has expert knowledge and experience, then it can be a soothing journey. The counsellors of AIMS Education can provide you with up-to-date knowledge and authentic help to study abroad.

Choose a university you want to study at.

After enlisting some universities to study abroad, you can ask your counsellor to give you details knowledge of them. It’s not like you can only apply to one university. In the UK, a student can make an application to 5 separate universities for the same programme or for a different programme at the same time. So choose some of your most preferred universities and apply to them.

Make a decision on which intake you wish to take.

In the UK, usually, there are three intakes available.  The September, January, and May intake. While studying abroad, a student can choose one of these 3 intakes. Of these three, the September intake is the most preferred one. When choosing the university, ask your counsellor if the university and course are open for your selected intake or not. The most desirable intake for the international student is the September intake as almost all the universities and courses are opened through this.

Start making applications

Now, when you select the intake, university, and course, start making applications for them. For application, you must fulfil the admission criteria. Provide all the documents orderly and send them to the university authority while making an application.

Arrange your bank statement.

When you want to study abroad, you must arrange a bank statement to show that you can afford your 1-year tuition fees and living costs in the UK. And the rule is that you have to keep the required money for at least 28 days in the bank. It would be better to arrange it earlier as when you apply for the visa you have to provide the bank statement documents as proof of fund.

Accept your offer letter

After making an application, if all the requirements get matched, then you will get an unconditional offer letter from them. Besides, you can get a conditional offer letter if your qualification is not sufficient to get accepted by the university. After getting a conditional offer letter, you need to follow the condition to make it unconditional.

On the other hand, if you get the unconditional offer letter, ensure the university that you are interested to study there. For that, you need to pay for the CAS deposit. The amount for the CAS should be half of the first year’s tuition fees. After that, you will get a CAS number which is mandatory for the visa application.

Apply for Scholarships

As studying abroad is a costly process, getting scholarships can be a huge relief. You can get a scholarship on your merit, a managerial scholarship and many more. Apply for the scholarship to cut off the expenses in the foreign land.

Apply for university accommodation

Studying abroad becoming a huge concern for the parents and study abroad aspiring students. The reason behind the tension is accommodation and living costs. Though the university has its accommodation system, if want to search for more options you can look for private accommodation in the UK. If you apply through AIMS Education, we can provide you with private accommodation in the UK as we have a partnership with amberstudnet- a private accommodation system in the UK.

Apply for the student visa

To study abroad, you must apply for a student visa and get a successful visa. You have to provide the required documents to obtain a visa. One wrong step or missed document can ruin your chance to get a student visa in the UK. So, take our professional counsellor’s help to do everything properly. 

You can apply for the visa six months before the course starts. The student visa will be granted for up to one month before the start date of the course. As an international student, if your study course is more than 6 months, you will be issued a 30-day or 90-day temporary travel visa.

Get ready to Fly

Congratulations! You are all set to fly. So before flying, make financial arrangements, insurance, accommodation, sim cards, open a bank account,  and learn about the country’s rules. Do research, and buy an air ticket that is comparatively cost less.

Pros and Cons of studying abroad

The final words

So, this is the information on studying abroad. Though some disadvantages, the benefits are always heavier than the cons. 

FAQ -Frequently Asked Questions