It's exciting to study and live in another country, but the planning stages may feel a bit daunting. Follow our simple steps to make your journey to the UK as smooth as possible.
Once you’ve applied for your English course, we recommend that you start to look at flights, as prices can vary for different airlines and at different times of the year.
The cheapest flight is not necessarily the best option: make sure that you check the luggage allowance for each flight. If you are taking a pre-sessional English course and progressing on to a degree course, it's likely that you’ll want to bring more luggage.
During summer, temperatures in the UK are usually around 17–25 degrees. It may get warmer in July and August, when temperatures on occasion can reach up to 30 degrees.
The temperature generally starts to drop towards the end of September, and may only reach 1–2 degrees by winter. It may even fall below zero from December–February. The days also start to get shorter from October. It usually gets dark about 4 pm.
Think carefully about what you pack, based on the time of year you will be coming to the UK and how long you will be staying. If you are coming for one of our pre-sessional courses and progressing on to a degree, it's a good idea to pack a mixture of clothes.
We recommend that you pack:
You won’t need to bring:
During your orientation programme, we’ll show you places where you can buy these items at a reasonable price.
We suggest:
We can give you information to help you arrange a taxi from all London airports. For more information, email [email protected].
If you would prefer to make your own way to the University by public transport we provide details of all transport options in our pre-arrival guide.
During your first few days in the UK there are a number of things you’ll need to do. These are listed below.