Great Britain is a country famous for its high-quality education, which is why thousands of young men and women from around the world strive to enter the universities of England every year. They all want to get serious prospects for prestigious employment and a good career.

British education is taken as the standard of the modern classical system of acquiring knowledge, and a huge number of people want to study there. Therefore, many educational institutions of the country are ready to admit foreign students.

Depending on the stage at which a foreigner joins the British education system, several different programs are offered, and in this article, we will try to describe them in detail.

British educational programs for foreign students

To enter a British university, any applicant, regardless of which country he is a citizen of, needs a document on secondary education (in Russia it is called a certificate) - and only those with high results can count on success. However, even with excellent academic performance, admission is almost impossible without prior preparation.

For early immersion in a different educational system, foreigners are offered pre-university training programs that can be taken on the territory of their country, without being distracted by issues related to living in a foreign land.

• iGCSE (GCSE) — a one-year plan of preparation for admission to a British high school, for children aged 15-16 who graduated from Year 9 or as an external student in Year 11. The program involves an in-depth study of five to eight subjects and intensive English lessons, its purpose is an early acquaintance with the requirements and characteristics of the British education system. Obtaining an iGCSE certificate is upon passing the exam. The main advantage of the program is the less strict requirements for applicants.
• A-Level — two-year courses for schoolchildren from 16-17 years old, combining the completion of secondary education and preparation for entering the university. This is a national program with the study at an in-depth level of three or four subjects chosen by the student, which involves annual testing (AS-Level - at the end of the first academic year, and A-Level - at the end of the second). It is a highly specialized program and is recommended for young people who have clearly defined their speciality and university. The certificate is recognized all over the world.
• IB (International Baccalaureate, or International Baccalaureate) - a kind of school completion program, involving the study of up to six subjects (as a rule, these are three at the regular level and the same number at the advanced level). After passing the exams and the final essay, students receive a certificate recognized in more than 50 countries around the world.

Thus, A-Level and IB are options for the British certificate of complete secondary education and qualifications for admission to a higher education institution. There is also a less popular Pre-U Cambridge, which is a kind of hybrid of these two programs (a choice of three of the proposed subjects for their in-depth study over two years).

The specificity of preparation for seekers with complete secondary education

Those who aim to obtain a high school diploma in their home country with subsequent admission to British universities face problems related to age restrictions. In Russia, school education takes 11 years - a year less than in the UK, where it is impossible to become a student before the onset of the majority.

17-year-olds have the opportunity to devote this year to pre-university training within the framework of a special Foundation program, which has three duration options, depending on the student's level of English proficiency (for those who know English at a good level, at an average and low level, respectively):

• shortened - 6 months;
• regular - 9 months;
• reinforced - 12 months.

The advantage of choosing this self-study program is determined by the existing agreement with the universities (one specific or several to choose from) to recognize the successful results of the Foundation as a guarantee of admission to the ranks of students.

A young man/girl often chooses to enter the higher educational institutions of their country, and after the first year, they continue their studies abroad.

For such a case, a special International Diploma program has been developed - 9 or 12 months of studying for mastering the knowledge of the first year of a British university (it is also called International Year One). An important advantage is the ability to change specialization within the program.

Also, for foreign citizens in English universities, it is possible to study at the second stage of higher education (Pre-Masters and Graduate Certifiсate / Diploma programs, for which a bachelor's degree and confirmation of a high level of English proficiency is required - 90-110 TOEFL and at least 6,5 IELTS).

The British school CIS International School, which has been successfully operating in our country for a long time, will help you learn more about entering a British university from Russia - call us asap, because missed deadlines for submitting documents and other oversights committed due to lack or inaccuracy of information, can postpone the fulfilment of the dream of a decent education by at least a year.