Study Engineering in the UK

Why study engineering at all?

The biggest reason you can have to study anything is that you like it. The second biggest of course is that your education will get you a professional standing. As far as getting a job is concerned, an engineer is placed better today than people in many other professions are. Primarily because – in manufacturing, which is one of the primary sectors of any economy – the number of opportunities for people other than engineers is falling rapidly, in proportion to the degree of automation. Manufacturing was both capital intensive and labour intensive until WWII. But thereafter, it started growing more capital intensive – with greater budgets being allocated to R&D, the newly anointed darling of the industry – but less labour intensive almost at the same rate, thanks to aggressive mechanization. That mechanization movement was driven not only by technical advances but also by safety regulations, which forced human beings to be withdrawn from many hazardous activities. As a natural consequence of that, we visualize manufacturing facilities no longer as a place where great wheels turn and great fires burn but as a place with a great key board, with many switches and displays. This type of manufacturing needs very few labourers but a great many engineers.

In addition to the new scenario in manufacturing, primary activities like mining or agriculture as well as tertiary activities like services – from amusement parks to airlines – now need a lot of engineers.

Why study engineering in the UK?

The industrial revolution that were to give the world of humans its current shape started in the UK sometime around AD 1700. From the technique of smelting iron to the steam engine, a raft of inventions conduced a great expansion of the factory system which had replaced manorial production about a century earlier. During the 19^th century, the UK was universally considered the world’s technological capital. Even the rise of Germany as a great industrial power – in the latter half of that century – could not change that perception. Although the UK lost that hegemonic position in the 20^th century, following the rise of USA and the Soviet Union as industrial behemoths, the UK continued to be a cradle of technological progress. Naturally, engineers find good jobs in the UK. However, that is not the reason why people from across the globe want to study engineering in the UK.

The reputation the UK has as a great country to study engineering in is based on the British tradition of technological self-sufficiency. It originated in a past when there was no international cooperation in the field of technology was imaginable, everything in the world of technology was a competition between different colonial empires and most countries had very little interest in technology. Therefore, due to impactful historical reasons, the UK has grown into a country that can train all the engineers its economy or defense needs, even if all of those engineers are not British by birth. This has been made possible through the science as well as technology, especially engineering of different sorts, in the country’s finest universities with a degree of seriousness people usually reserve for religion. These institutions, with generous backing from the government, tapping the vast pool of talent they can attract from the Commonwealth countries, have become engineering powerhouses.

Entry requirements

To get enrolled in an engineering course at a college, you need a minimum of two A levels, with three A levels and A/B grades required for the most popular courses. Entry requirements range from CCC to AAA, with the universities and colleges most commonly asking for ABB. Maths A level is normally essential, with many universities requiring or preferring a second A level in physics. As an alternative to physics, some universities may accept subjects linked to science, such as computing or design.

If your school report card is not in the IB format, it needs to be converted. You should be very careful with the conversion because the slightest mistake can make you guilty of misrepresentation which hurts your chances in a big way. Of course, our consultants can help you with the task.

If your marks are in percentage format, you need to have at least 80% in the aggregate and at least 75% in mathematics at the 11^th and 12^th grades.

In addition to the above, you also have to score at least 6.0 in IELTS or at least 90 in TOEFL or at least 58 in PTE.

The more popular the course, the higher will be all these requirements.

Cost of doing the course

Tuition fees range from GBP 24,000 to GBP 36,000 per annum for a 4 year bachelors course in engineering in a UK varsity. The cost of living will exceed GBP 1,000 a month even for a hermit but won’t touch GBP 2,000 unless you are a hedonist. Over and above that, you have to procure health insurance which is mandatory. So the total cost per annum varies from 40k to 50k in GBP.

Top universities to study Engineering in the UK

Top Engineering courses in the UK

Bachelors in Engineering or Bachelors in Science in Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering; Electrical and Information Sciences; Bioengineering; Chemical Engineering; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering; Computing, Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Design Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; and Materials Science are some of the top undergraduate engineering courses available in UK colleges.

Work while you study

As it is in most other western countries, foreign students are allowed to work part-time in the UK. An international student can work up to 20 hours per week during term-time and full-time during holiday breaks. But there are many restrictions and conditions one must fulfill in order to be allowed to work. Some of these conditions are set by the government and the rest are by the university where you will study. There are many universities which allow you to work only on campus and neither the university nor the government allows any student to work on any job if the student is less than 16 years of age. This puts the child prodigies who reach college very early at a slight disadvantage.

Most of the restrictions imposed by the government will be stated in the visa stamped on your Tier 4 passport (student visa for people above 16). So there is little chance that you will experience doubt while considering whether you should take up a certain opportunity or not.

Healthcare benefits for international students

International students are neither required nor actually need private medical insurance when studying in the UK. If you are applying for student visa, it costs just an extra £470 per year to gain access to the NHS, which is arguably the best nationwide healthcare system in the world. You pay this fee during your visa application and it covers free medical treatment (including emergency or hospital care, should you need it) and dental care at a reduced price at any NHS dentistry.

It is always a good idea to register with a GP (general practitioner) as soon as you have settled down. A GP is a doctor who deals with most general health problems. Most GP surgeries offer patients a choice of whether they see a male or female doctor. So female students need not see a male doctor.

Internships and placement opportunity

You will not be short of opportunities to intern in the UK itself while you study. Most of the internship opportunities are in the private sector though the government offers internships as well. Among the different sectors of industry that offer many internship opportunities to international students pursuing different engineering course are construction and manufacturing. Both these sectors offer internships in a variety of roles for students in many different engineering fields. However, companies in many other sectors offer internships too, albeit in smaller numbers.

Postgraduate study opportunity

UK universities offer postgraduate courses in every field of engineering that you can study at the undergraduate level at any UK university. In fact, as far as engineering goes, the post graduate and doctoral courses put together outnumber the undergraduate ones, at least in the top colleges.

Needless to say, the postgraduate courses in the UK are super specialized. If you study telecommunications engineering at the undergraduate level, you will probably study specifically radio frequency engineering at or some other subset of your undergraduate field at the postgraduate level.

How We Help 

Our experienced consultants will guide you throughout your journey in pursuit of higher education and admissions into your dream universities/colleges. In specific but not limited to, following areas of assistance is provided by our consultants:

• Complete Profile Evaluation
• Guidance on curriculum and subject selection for high school (A levels, IB, IGCSE etc)
• STEM Coaching - Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Business, Maths, Economics, English and many other subjects
• Preparation of different standardized tests - Undergraduate and Postgraduate
• Helping you to build your profile by guiding you on leadership skills, co-curricular activities, internship, online courses etc.
• Shortlist and finalize the best-fit college / university
• Research the right programs / courses for students
• Craft academic CV
• Brainstorm ideas for essays and personal statements
• Draft pointers for recommendation letters
• Scholarship and Financial Aid guidance
• MMI and Panel Interview Preparation
• Submission of the application form
• Follow up with the universities and updating the status of the applications
• Visa assistance and guidance
• Assistance on safe accommodation options
• Pre-Departure Guidance