Advice

The Saltire Scholarships are a Scottish government funding scheme for international students who wish to pursue a master’s degree in Scotland.

The scheme offers up to 50 awards of up to £8,000 towards tuition fees for any one year of full-time study on a postgraduate master’s programme at any university in Scotland.

The scholarship is open to students from Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Pakistan and the US.

The University of Birmingham in the 2021/22 academic year.

The scholarship is worth £3,000 and will be deducted from the successful candidate’s tuition fees.

In order to be eligible, students must have received admission to a master’s programme at Birmingham for the 2021/2022 academic year, be domiciled in one of the eligible Commonwealth countries, and be classed as an overseas fees payer. 

If you’re applying for an English-speaking university as a non-native speaker, you’ll need to demonstrate your English language proficiency through a test such as the Duolingo English Test.

First introduced in 2016, the Duolingo English Test can be taken online, on demand, with no appointment necessary. It takes one hour to complete, costs $49 (around £36) and results will be sent to you within two days.

The UK is a great place to be an international student, but many people are put off by the cost. While you need to consider carefully how you will fund the big costs of your degree, such as tuition fees and rent, there are also a number of “hidden costs” that many students will overlook, such as travel, eating out and taking trips with student societies.

Luckily, there are lots of tips and some great advice out there to help students save as much money as possible while still getting the most out of their study aboard experience.

A university agent guides you through the entire process of choosing and applying to university, from helping you with your college application to assisting with visas, travel and accommodation. They can be a great resource for students, especially any international students daunted by all process of applying to university in a different country.

The US secretary of state has announced an exemption to Covid-19 travel restrictions for international students starting from 1 August.

The national interest exemptions (NIEs) will now be extended to international students from all countries with valid F-1 and M-1 visas intending to begin or continue an academic programme commencing 1 August 2021 or later.

For many students, their time at university will be the first time they have had to understand how to manage their own money. Sometimes it isn’t as simple as living on the basics to keep your finances in order – you could spend a week spending on only the absolute essentials and still find you’re running low on money by the time your rent is due.

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings highlight the important role that universities can play in tackling the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 17 SDGs cover a range of global issues, from climate action to gender equality.

You might be interested in studying at a university that is more “sustainable”, but what exactly is a sustainable university? And what does it mean for you as a student? 

Higher education is – thankfully – in a moment of transition. After the murder of George Floyd last year and in response to the continued push of the Movement for Black Lives, universities around the world are responding by pledging a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Some are even going so far as to declare themselves “anti-racist universities”, which is a welcome change.

Budgeting is not the most exciting topic, but financial well-being is critical to your overall university experience.

Recent research commissioned by financial education resource Blackbullion found that nearly half of students have considered dropping out of university or deferring by a year because of financial barriers, which has only been exacerbated by Covid-19.