University College Birmingham

Overview

With origins dating back to the early 20th Century, UCB is an industry focused institution offering some of the best practical learning resources in the world to support courses. We offer 4 training restaurants, numerous food production kitchens, bakeries and a health and spa centre, together with extensive IT and library facilities. UCB possesses its own language school and English as a Foreign Language Centre, the latter of which offers academic English classes to our students and a free English language checking service for all written assessed work undertaken. We also have an Academic Learning Centre and offer workshops covering all the areas of the curriculum offered. In 2014, UCB’s new campus opens which will offer further state of the art facilities.

Why choose Brunel University?

Key features

Brunel is proud to be home to over 2,500 international students from over 110 different countries who play an essential part in creating our diverse and cosmopolitan university.

Research is at the heart of everything Brunel does, underpinning and enhancing the teaching of our degree programmes. The 2008 RAE ranked 82% of its research as being of international standing.

Brunel is committed to producing the professionally minded and skilled graduates that employers want. Its award winning Placement and Careers Centre (PCC) has over 30 staff, including a dedicated International Students Careers Officer.

Brunel University was ranked 1st in London, 6th in the UK, and 35th Worldwide (2012 Times Higher Education, “100 Under 50” rankings) ‧ Brunel was ranked in the upper quartile for overall satisfaction in 12 subject areas, including 4 subjects in the sector top 10 ‧

Brunel Business School has won the Times Higher Education Awards Business School of the Year 2013.

Location

Brunel is located in Uxbridge, a compact and friendly town on the edge of West London. Uxbridge town centre is just a 20 minute walk or short bus ride from the heart of the campus, and is packed with more than 300 shops, a multiplex cinema, dozens of bars and restaurants. From Uxbridge underground station, it is a straightforward journey into the centre of the capital.

Admissions Enquiries

The Admissions Office deals with all undergraduate and postgraduate applications and admissions to the University.

The Admissions Office aims to:

develop and implement the University’s admission policy;
ensure that all applications and admissions at undergraduate and postgraduate level are dealt with in a friendly, effective and efficient manner;
enable decisions to be made promptly on all applications.

Fees

Update – The UK Visas and Immigration have announced changes to the Maintenance Requirements for Tier 4. In addition to the first year’s Tuition Fees, from 1st July 2014, when applying for a visa for Brunel University, you must show you have living costs of £820 per month for each month of your course (to a maximum of 9 months, or£7,380).

If you have applied to live in on-campus accommodation, the maximum amount you may deduct from the living costs part of your visa application’s Maintenance Requirement will now be £1,200.

How to apply

Students who are applying to study abroad at Brunel independently should email the Study Abroad Manager directly to receive a link to the online application form.

Students who are applying through an existing partnership agreement must be nominated by their home institution in order to take part in the study abroad programme. Once you have been nominated, you will be sent a link to the online application form by email.

In order for us to consider your application, you must also submit all the supporting documents by the deadline shown on the course fees page. Below please find list of documents required:

English language qualification (if applicable)
Documentation of finance (£800/month or £7,200/year for maintenance costs plus applicable tuition fees)
Official academic transcript of records
Copy of valid passport ID page
Letter of recommendation
Personal statement
Module selection form

Please use the module selection form to make provisional module choices from the list of available modules. You will need to select 3 modules per term. We advise you to select a few alternative modules since we cannot guarantee that you will be able to register for your first choice of modules. You will be able to discuss your choices and amend your modules if necessary at registration.

Entry requirements

All applicants must be a current student at an overseas university or college of higher education and have completed at least one year of study at their home institution. The minimum academic requirement is a GPA of at least 2.8 out of 4.0 (or equivalent).

All students are required to meet the University’s minimum English language requirements by taking either an IELTS or another recognised English language qualification at an appropriate level, unless they are a native of an English-speaking country.

UCB’s international reputation is such that we attract students from around the globe. Indeed, from a student community of 8,000, our international students number around 1,500, drawn from nearly 80 countries. Many of our students live in our student village, The Maltings, situated just 10 minutes walk from the main campus and in close proximity to the City’s main shopping areas, nightlife and part-time job opportunities. We provide an extensive range of support facilities for all our international students, including careers and employability, industrial placements, Unitemps (our part-time work employment agency) and health services, whilst our Student Services Department and International Student Centre is always available for help and advice.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SOCIETY

To improve the international students’ experience we have formed an International Students Society which offers an extensive list of social programmes throughout the academic year.

Attending these events is also an opportunity to share experiences, network and integrate with fellow students. During the year the International Students Society provides a variety of visits, activities and social events including visits to some of the UK’s most popular heritage and tourism attractions. The visits are partially subsidised by UCB to provide all international students with the opportunity to participate in the events.

Membership of the society costs £10 which will cover you for the whole year or £5 if your programme of study is for one semester only.

During your first weeks at UCB life can be very busy with lots of things to organise, which is not always easy in a new city environment and also a new country. So we have made sure that joining the society is an easy process for you. All you need to do is come down to the Guild Offices on the ground floor in Summer Row to pay your membership fee whether it’s for a full year or half a year.

The programme of events organised for this academic year will be distributed during the international students orientation week.

Good luck with your studies and I look forward to meeting you.

Professor Melvyn Pryer

Director, International Student Centre