ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΑΚΕΣ

When the time comes for you to go to university, the decision is not to be taken light-heartedly or on the spur of the moment. You should imagine your future, visualize your career and contemplate on your personal and professional accomplishments.

 “Where can I study and how do I go about it? Do I have the prerequisites to enrol at a British university?”

There is no doubt that doing a preparation course in the language of the country you have chosen to continue your higher education at, has the advantage of your being constantly  exposed to that language, facilitating your day-to-day communication and effectively raising your academic propensity.

Adjusting to the social environment of a country, in advance of your commencing your graduate studies, is a key success factor in your ongoing education, since you will already be familiar with the day-to-day way of life and not be preoccupied with niggling issues of adjustment. It allows you to devote considerably more time to your studies and to concentrate on your academic performance.

Thus, those who decide to follow a preparation course for the university in the country of their choice will have the comparative advantage of getting into their studies immediately since they will have already adapted to their new environment.

Preparation courses are held in either public or state educational institutions, with numerous alternatives and options depending on your preferences and requisites.

GREAT BRITAIN

Probably the most popular student destination, Britain attracts thousands of young people from around the globe to its hundreds of universities.

Universities with a heritage of hundreds of years, but also ones more recent and contemporary, are called upon to meet the educational requirement of the ever growing need for degrees in the professions of the future, by offering a range of courses and combinations of scientific disciplines that can cover even the most demanding student.

Bachelor level studies

Many students choose a British university for their first degree.

Following a standardized procedure, students declare their universities of choice through UCAS, the central organization for admission to Britain’s universities and colleges.

To attend higher education in Great Britain, besides the UCAS application, one needs to meet certain criteria. Entry conditions vary by university and per direction of study, but in general they are a combination of the following:

• National High school diploma
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
• A-Levels
• Foundation courses
• Access to Higher Education courses
• Certificate of knowledge of the English language (IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge English: Advanced, Cambridge English: Proficiency)
• Interview (where applicable)
• Certain universities may require their own ' Entry Evaluation' consisting of a specialty test.

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Since 1992, almost all higher educational institutions in the UK belong to a single category. However, due to their different history and different methods of financing are still structural differences between institutions which are commonly known as ‘old’ Universities and the former ‘Polytechnics’ and ‘Colleges’ known as ‘new’ universities. Most universities allow research and wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The ‘old’ Universities do not provide training, while many of the ‘new’ universities offer more practical degree schemes.

The most common way of attending a course at all levels of study is daily throughout the academic year (full-time). For the students that are working, universities offer part-time studies, i.e. a longer duration of studies. For students who cannot leave their country there are distance learning programmes offered by several British universities and at different levels of study.

DEGREE SCHEMES OFFERED

• Higher National Diploma - Diploma of Higher Education is offered by a large number of colleges and universities and they last for two years. The Diploma of Higher Education is awarded to those studying to become teachers. Holders of these diplomas can enter in the second year of university studies taking into consideration their grades and their specialty.

• Bachelor Degree is awarded to studies whose duration lasts 3-4 years apart from the medical, dental, veterinary departments in which attendance is completed in 5-6 years. Each student can study a subject specialist (Honours Degree) or two areas of expertise (Joint Honours Degree) or in some cases three or more (Combined Honours Degree). There is also a curriculum called ‘sandwich course’ lasting four years and includes internship of one year off campus.

ACADEMIC YEAR

The academic year begins in universities mainly late September to early October and lasts until the end of June. It is divided into three terms, but there is more and more the tendency  to divide it into two terms nowadays.

LIVING EXPENSES

The cost of living varies from region to region. In general one could expect that the student needs 5,500 – 6,000 pounds (€ 8,250 - € 9,000) per academic year. London is more expensive than all other British cities and the required amount could reach 7,000 – 8,000 pounds (€ 10,500 - € 12,000). These amounts do not include tuition fees - see next section.

As for accommodation, the student can stay in student accommodation in rooms or apartments. Universities operate offices and services (Accommodation Offices) for the care, support and settling of issues related to the stay of the students.

Many universities provide students with accommodation for the first year of their studies in dormitories while offering immediate access to student services - facilities. Also, the National Union of Students (NUS) has secured a reduction of prices on behalf of its members. With discounts of up to 50% on books, printed materials, food, clothing, travel and entertainment, the National Union of Students (NUS) card significantly reduces the cost of living.

MEDICAL CARE

The Greek students as EU members have full medical and hospital care throughout their studies. Also, all educational institutions have fully equipped health centers and specialised personnel who can also provide information on health issues.

Δ.Ο.Α.Τ.Α.Π. (Hellenic NARIC) is an organization supervised by the Hellenic Ministry of Education. It is responsible for the recognition of university or technological degrees that are awarded by foreign Higher Education Institutions (H.E.I.). The Hellenic NARIC is also responsible for providing information about educational systems and accreditation of Institutions in Greece and abroad.

List of recognised Higher Education Institutions (page in Greek - opens in a new tab)

List of recognised degrees in Great Britain (opens in a new tab)

WHAT DIRECT ENTRY IS

This is the direct admission to British universities through UCAS for candidate students who meet the criteria set by the universities they wish to study at.

Candidates are required to have the basic qualification of the Lyceum diploma (with or without the Pan-Hellenic examinations) or equivalent and do not have to do a Foundation Course or similar preparatory curriculum.

Also, candidate students must already have requisite certification in the English language to the level relative to each university. This is usually the IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge English-Advanced or Cambridge English-Proficiency. All certifications in the English language must be within two years preceding the application for admission to higher education.

UCAS APPLICATION

STEP 1 - Choosing courses

• Our office provides substantial advisory services so that we can together choose the appropriate study programme for you.- there are over 35,000 courses at over 300 universities and colleges to choose from.

• When we find a course you like, we will contact the university or college directly to check the minimum entry qualifications and English language requirements for the courses you are interested in studying.

• Our long experience, which already counts more than 50 years, is essential for the immediate and substantial help to track communication with British universities, the StudyTours name is for British universities synonym to unique quality in providing services in the field of university studies.

STEP 2 – Applying

• As specialised educational consultants, we help you to complete your UCAS application form, for up to five separate courses. This could be one course at five different universities or five courses at one university. We suggest you apply for a range of courses with different entry requirements so that you have options if your grades are better than, or not as good as you expected.
   
• As part of your application you have to provide a personal statement. This is your chance to tell universities and colleges why you want to study your chosen subject and why you would be a good student. Writing a good personal statement takes a long time, so we advise you to start your preparation early. We also undertake the full and professional guidance during the writing of the Personal Statement, in order for you to be able to express the skills and your advantages effectively and clearly. The Personal Statement is one of the most important elements of the UCAS application, so the guidance we provide is essential to assist you in writing.
   
• The last part of the application is the reference or letter of recommendation. This is often supplied by a teacher at your school, or if you have left school this can be supplied by an independent referee like a former teacher or employer.

   

There are deadlines to apply for different courses – we will check the various course information to see which one applies to you:

• 15 October – for universities of Oxford or Cambridge, or any course in medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine/science

• 15 January – for the majority of courses

• 24 March – for some art and design courses

• 30 June – applications received after this date will be entered into Clearing

• After we’ve sent off your application we can see how it’s progressing by logging in to our online system, Track.
  
  Through Track we can see when decisions are received from universities and colleges. If you don’t receive any offers, or decline the offers you do receive, you may be able to apply for an additional course through the scheme called Extra. In Extra, which runs from the end of February and early July each year, you will be able to apply for any course that still has vacancies.

• When the universities and colleges have received and considered an application, they will make their decision. If they make an offer it may be either unconditional or conditional. Unconditional means that the applicant has already met all the university’s or college’s academic entrance requirements. Conditional means that the offer has certain conditions, for example

Basic source of information: UCAS

The StudyTours staff provides substantive advice and guidance on university studies in Great Britain, and the StudyTours name and long experience of our company guarantee a secure place in universities or colleges in Great Britain. *
For a detailed list of universities, fields of study, departments of study and other important information for higher education in Great Britain, please contact us.
  * Terms and conditions apply.