Universities in the UK that are easier to get into?

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a sophomore at university in the U.S. I really want to transfer to a school in the UK (particularly London) but I don't have a super competitive profile. I ended up taking way too many classes my first year and messed up in a few so my GPA isn't too great (steady around a 3.0). I really want to transfer for undergrad in the UK, though, so I was wondering if anyone knew of any schools that aren't too hard for American students to get into. Though, obviously at the same time, I wouldn't want to go to a terrible school - just not one as competitive as UCL, ICL, etc.

Thanks for the help 

You would be liable for international student fees and would need to consider funding relating to this.

I think the issue is more about what you want to study and then maybe we could advise you where and at what universities to study.

What is important to you? A good school in terms of your subject area? A cheaper cost of living? Experiencing London, specifically, rather than other parts of the UK? Etc. etc.

And a sophomore is second year university, right?   

Not to discourage you but a friend of mine tried to transfer from an American school and was told that she'd need to start from year 1 because schools are so different. Same goes for me, I inquired about transferring from England to the US and was told I'd need to start over. Freshman to sophomore year is general ed right? In the UK everything is relevant to the area that you're studying (in my experience anyways).

The cheaper Universities that I found were in the Yorkshire region. The London schools are awesome but the fees for attending and living are outrageous. Also they are very competitive between students all over the world. Richmond international is quite easy to get into and it's an American school (located in London) so you may be able to transfer easily.

Like Maple said, it would be more helpful to know what you want to major in.

Good luck with your search!

Have you considered just doing a semester or 2 of a study abroad program through your current university?

These links may help you:

http://www.ucas.ac.uk

http://www.prospects.ac.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/universityguide

Most undergraduate degrees in the UK are honours degrees, three years long and focus solely on your field of study.

I'm currently a sophomore at university in the U.S. I really want to transfer to a school in the UK (particularly London) but I don't have a super competitive profile.

In general, US freshman/sophomore classes are, to an extent, considered similar to the classes that UK students take from age 16-18 (known as A-levels)... it's hard to say for sure, because it depends on the classes you took and the level of study (i.e. if you took AP or college level classes in high school, this may also be considered equivalent to A-levels), but if you wanted to study in the UK, you might find you have to start a degree from scratch as a first-year student.

The way that UK degrees work is that students apply to study a specific degree programme in a specific department, i.e. English, Mathematics, Geography, etc. (I applied for 'Physics with North American Study' at Exeter University, 'Physics with Astrophysics' at Birmingham University, 'Physics' at Oxford University and 'Physics with Space Science' at Southampton University) and they take classes in only that subject for the entire three years. The first year of the degree doesn't count towards the final degree grade at all (but you must pass all the modules with at least 40%... if you fail a class, and also fail or don't do the re-take exam, then you have to repeat the entire year) and then the second and third year grades are split either 50-50, 33-66, 40-60 or similar. You don't tend to get much choice as to what classes you take within the degree programme either (at least, I didn't in my degree)... the first year is standard for pretty much everyone on the course and then there may be some choice in the second and third years. In the third year, most students will under take a long research project/dissertation project which is written up in thesis form at the end of the degree. A couple of other things that are different from the US system: When you enroll at the university, you enroll for a whole year and for the degree programme... then you will be told which classes you will be taking. You don't register for individual classes and you can't just sign up for classes in any department.

As an example of how things transfer between the US and the UK: I did a Physics degree in the UK and in my second year, we had a US study abroad student in our classes. He was a junior in the US, but was put into second-year classes in the UK. For the third year of my degree, I studied abroad in the US... I went from second year classes in the UK to senior and graduate-level classes in the US.

Try Reading University. I have been looking at LLM programmes and their fees are only 20% of those at LSE and Kings. The grades required were slightly lower too. 

And a sophomore is second year university, right?  

Yes mapleleafgirl72, sophomore year is second year or 30-60 credits. 0-30 is freshman, 60-90 is junior and 90-120 is senior  

Prentice, I would suggest that you read my post here: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=56341.msg800604#msg800604

I would also suggest that you look through the Times university ranking list here: http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php

Yes mapleleafgirl72, sophomore year is second year or 30-60 credits. 0-30 is freshman, 60-90 is junior and 90-120 is senior  

I have never heard about the number of credits and how they relate to years of study in the US - add that to my confusion!  I actually can't remember the Canadian equivalent (credits = years), that is how long ago I was at university in Canada. We just have 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4rth year. Simple! 

To the OP, we'd still be able to help you better if you let us know what you want to study and what your primary purpose is for wanting to study in the UK.

We just have 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4rth year. Simple! 

The UK is similar (1st, 2nd, 3rd year) - each year is 120 credits, but you either finish the year with 120 credits or you fail the year... you can't go on to the next year until you have passed all 120 credits (between 4 and 8 classes per year, depending on whether they are 1-semester or 2-semester courses). At my university, the break-down was 10 or 15 credits for a 1-semester course and 20 or 30 credits for a 2-semester course (depending on degree subject modules/credits breakdown), with the final year dissertation being about 30 or 40 credits.

The US system is a bit more flexible.  Credits are awarded per class, based on the number of hours per week it meets.  So for example if you have a class that meets for three hours a week it is worth three credits.  Students can normally take between 12 and 18 credits each semester, so they have some control over how quickly they finish their degrees.  Freshmen are students with 0-30 credits, sophomores have 30-60, juniors 60-90, and seniors 90+.  Credits can also be earned before starting university, via AP exams or occasionally by placement testing.  In Wisconsin, all students of the public university system have to take a placement test for English, Math, and a foreign language.  If you test really high in any of those you could get credit for introductory classes without having to take them.  I tested into French 202 (the fourth level, 101, 102, and 201 being the first three) so when I had passed that class, I got credit for the three preceding ones.  That plus the credits I got for my AP scores meant that I was a sophomore (had earned more than 30 credits) by the end of my first semester. 

In Canada, at least when I studied there, it was also credit numbers per class and dependent on the degree you had to take specific types of classes at specific levels and then there was a certain degree of electives. Sounds like a combination of British and American systems and its' own thing (and sometimes French, depending om the province, as education is not uniform). How credits are allocated I think also varies by province or territory and equivalencies for transfers has been figured out between universities across provinces and territories.

In terms of funding do they expect you the student to pay your fee's? Or can you claim student loans to cover it just like studying in the US?

International students don't qualify for any loans or grants from the UK, but it is possible to get US student or private loans to pay for studies in the UK (there's a fair amount of info on getting US student loans on this board).

In order to be granted a Tier 4 Student visa, you need to show that you can cover 1 year's worth of international tuition fees, plus £600 in living costs for each month if you'll be studying outside Central London up to 12 months' worth (£800 for each month if you will be studying inside Central London).

In all, you're looking at needing somewhere around £20,000 (or about $31,000) either in personal funds (which must be in your bank account for 28 days before applying for the vise) or by way of US loans (in the form of a loan letter) in order for a student visa to be granted.