Going back to uk and stuyding
 

Hello I moved out of UK in the age of 6 and until now I never came back not even once I am a British citizen dual nationality holder and I was born in England, so I want to ask I would like to come back to England, London to study my undergraduate degree I am 19 years old and I will be coming back alone you can say me and my family we are going through some hard times and money is not really easily available so would like the government or maybe a bank help me or assist me like for a loan or a grant and which is cheaper living in dorm or outside and what good university you recommend for business in London. How much would it cost me per year including everything and do I have to do some documents as I have been away for so long?

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply:)

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

Hi there Calarz!

I did pretty much what you're interested in doing: coming back to the UK to study while parents remain in the states.

It's not easy, but it's definitely do-able:

First, you'll need to decide for yourself what University you're interested in, and not knowing the reputations of any is hard, but I searched by the course I was interested in. In my case it was journalism, so it narrowed it down a lot, and then I just picked a school that I felt had the best programme. If you start with the 'top Business courses in England' for example, you'll know soon enough what's going to be the right choice for you. And you can always post the schools you're thinking about and see what others say- have you got an account on the Student Room? I highly recommend- it's a great way to find out what schools are the best from a student's perspective, as well as how the application process works.

Next, I'm afraid the UK government will not help you unless you can prove that you were only out of the country temporarily. If you can't prove that (because your family has well and truly emmigrated), then you'll need to get a loan from the US to pay for your UK schooling. This isn't as hard as it sounds. You need to fill out a FAFSA and put down the school of your choice (in the UK). I think most of the larger universities will accept US loans, just be aware that it's nearly double the amount that you'd need in pounds. For example, my tuition room and board are about 20,000 all together, so it's costing 38,000 in USD. For me, it was a pretty okay choice, as the courses I looked at in the US were two years at 38,000-40,000 per year.

Things like that need to be taken into account when you're researching.

For the most part, living in halls will vary, but if you're going to study in London, it may well be cheaper than trying to find a flat! First see how much halls at your Uni will cost, then check sites like Gumtree and SpareRoom to see how much flats cost in your area. You then need to make sure you add this to your total cost so that you know how much you'll need to borrow on your loan. You may decide to work through school, and that's pretty simple once you've got a UK phone number, address, and bank account, but not before- especially not where students are concerned. Also keep in mind that you'll need references for most jobs, and it may be quite difficult to get a job in Marks for example, with a US teacher as your reference. Once you're here, that sort of thing is easier, but it's worth thinking about.

I'm off for now- but I hope this helps you with at least knowing where to start! Good luck!

-Tel

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

Thank you for replying

So I understand no loans for me; P haha and my other nationality is not American and the only one who can help is UK government with a loan lol

This really helped me out on where to start now thanks again.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

You might consider opening your search to European universities. Many teach in English (opens them up to international students, many of whom want to be taught in English), and many are less expensive than the UK.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

To tell you the truth I don't want to go to another country but I might give it a try as I am in a country that I am not a citizen in too.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

But with the EU, you are a citizen of France, Belgium, etc., effectively. And you are closer to the UK.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

ya of that I must think of, thanks for your replies.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

Hi again Calarz,

I'm sorry that your loan situation is more complicated, definitely get onto the Student Room- there's a load of people on there that have international status from all different countries and you're bound to find some more advise on how to deal with that.

That is the thing by the way, you'll be classed as 'overseas' if you can't meet that pesky 3-year residency rule (as mentioned before: if you can't prove that move is temporary, and you've not been in the country for three consecutive years before beginning at Uni).

It can extend to banks in some cases as well- so be careful! My bank wouldn't allow me the usual massive student overdraft because I was classed as 'overseas' by the university. Not all banks do this, but it's just something to keep an eye out for!

If you ever want any more advise, feel free to PM me. I've been floating around in the crazy international student system for over 6 months now :)

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

thanks for your reply again you really helped me out to understand my situation more:D I will definitely PM you If I have any further problems:p

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

It greatly depends where you are coming from.
Unless wealthy I would advise against London, for a number of reasons.

If impecunious then a good option is to work and earn money in Scotland and do OU at a maximum allowed workload so as to complete BA or BSc (Ordinary) degree in three years. http://open.ac.uk/
Also OU has some (not many) free courses so you can see whether you can successfully study the OU way without making any major commitments.

This means a hermit life for three years, working to earn money and studying and having little time for much else. But after that Scotland is pretty generous to residents of three years or more. If/when you go on to postgrad study that is.

Question is - can you land yourself a paying job in Scotland. At least the living is cheaper there while you are looking.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

The problem is that spending three years in the UK gaining an undergraduate degree does not count towards the residency requirement (so you'd still be classed as an international for the purposes of postgrad tuition/fees).

At least those are the regulations - some universities may not apply them rigidly and I successfully challenged them for one postgraduate student in a similar situation about 4 years ago. I don't think we'd be successful with the same challenge in the current economic climate - universities are clawing every penny they can.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

yes yes I see it's seems as a hopeless case in way thanks all for your replies.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

It does when it is with the Open University.

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

I was responding to a post about studying in Scotland - my comment was correct regarding Scottish universities. I'm not sure what the situation is regarding English universities (the same, I think), but maybe OU is different.

I believe the criterion is as follows (from the BE Wiki):

"Residence requirement

The residence requirement is 3 years ordinary residence in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, another EEA state, or Switzerland.
Residence for the purpose of receiving full time university education does not normally count."

Re: Going back to uk and stuyding
 

For a UK or EU citizen the difference is that with the OU your purpose of being in the country is to do work (or diligently seek work) and you can take an OU degree on the side. In three years (minimum to BA or BSc Ordinary unless there is prior credit that can be applied).

With the other Universities your primary purpose of residence is to study, and work is incidental (instead of the other way round).

Let me say it again, an option is to move to Scotland, take employment (part time minimum wage would do) and to take a maximum OU workload. With OU, fees are based on residence, not prior residence. Of course you won't get a student loan from HMG in these circumstances.