Institution Types and Credentials   |   Structure of Education System

Admissions to Higher Education   |   Grading System

Institution Types and Credentials

Types of higher education institutions:
University
Open University
College and Institution of Higher Education
Open College
College of Technology
Teacher Training College
Institute

School leaving and higher education credentials:
General Certificate of Secondary Education
General Certificate of Education Advanced Level
General Certificate of Education Advanced Supplementary Level
First Diploma
Higher National Certificate
National Diploma
Higher National Diploma
Certificate
Diploma
Diploma of Higher Education
Foundation Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's Honours Degree
Master's Degree (taught)
Postgraduate Certificate of Education
Postgraduate Diploma
Master's Degree
Master of Philosophy
Doctorate
Higher Doctorate

Structure of Education System

Pre-higher education:
Duration of compulsory education:

Age of entry: 5
Age of exit: 16

Primary
Type of school providing this education: Combined Junior and Infant School
Length of program in years: 6
Age level from: 5 to: 11

Basic First Stage
Type of school providing this education: Infant School
Length of program in years: 2
Age level from: 5 to: 7

Basic Second Stage
Type of school providing this education: Junior School
Length of program in years: 4
Age level from: 7 to: 11

Comprehensive
Type of school providing this education: Comprehensive School
Length of program in years: 5
Age level from: 11 to: 16
Certificate/diploma awarded: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

Secondary
Type of school providing this education: Secondary Modern
Length of program in years: 5
Age level from: 11 to: 16
Certificate/diploma awarded: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

Academic Secondary
Type of school providing this education: Grammar School
Length of program in years: 5
Age level from: 11 to: 16
Certificate/diploma awarded: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

Technical
Type of school providing this education: CTC (City Technology College)
Length of program in years: 5
Age level from: 11 to: 16
Certificate/diploma awarded: General Certificate of Secondary Education (CGSE)

Sixth Form
Type of school providing this education: Sixth Form
Length of program in years: 2
Age level from: 16 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: General Certificate of Education Advanced Level/General Certificate of Education Advanced Supplementar

School education:
Primary education may take the form of combined junior and infant schools and therefore lasts for six years or a first stage covering infant schools (two years) and a second stage covering junior schools (four years). Secondary education covers schooling from the age of eleven to the minimum school leaving age of sixteen. Pupils follow a common curriculum leading to the GCSE which has replaced the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level. At some schools, pupils may stay on at a school sixth form for a further two years when they sit for the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A Levels) or the General Certificate of Education Advanced Supplementary examinations (GCE AS examinations), or vocational courses leading usually to General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs)). Further education colleges also offer these courses.

Higher education:
Higher education is provided by three main types of institutions: universities, colleges and institutions of higher education and art and music colleges. All universities are autonomous institutions, particularly in matters relating to courses. They are empowered by a Royal Charter or an Act of Parliament. As a result of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the binary line separating universities and polytechnics was abolished and polytechnics were given university status (i.e., the right to award their own degrees) and took university titles. The Council for National Academic Awards was abolished, leaving most institutions to confer their own degrees. Higher Education Funding Councils were created for England, Scotland and Wales, replacing the Universities Funding Council and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council. Most universities are divided into faculties which may be subdivided into departments. Universities UK examines matters of concern to all universities. Many colleges and institutions of higher education are the result of mergers of teacher training colleges and other colleges. The Department for Education and Skills is responsible for all universities. Students have to pay a maximum fee of £1,075 a year (2002-2003).

Non-university higher education institutions also provide degree courses, various non-degree courses and postgraduate qualifications. Some may offer Higher Degrees and other qualifications offered by most non-university higher education institutions are validated by external bodies such as a local university or the Open University. An institution can also apply for the authority to award its own degrees but it must be able to demonstrate a good record of running degree courses validated by other universities. Institutions can apply for university status but must satisfy a number of criteria, including the power to award its own first and higher degrees. Some higher education is also provided in further education institutions. This provision is funded by the Higher Education Funding Councils and the Department of Education Northern Ireland. The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 allows for the transfer of further education institutions to the higher education sector, if 'the full-time enrolment number of the institution concerned…for courses of higher education exceeds 55% of its total full-time equivalent enrolment number'. A new national body, the Institute of Learning and Teaching, is being established in 1999 to set up an accreditation scheme for higher education teachers and to encourage innovation in teaching and learning.

Main laws/decrees governing higher education:
Decree: Education Reform Act Year: 1988
Decree: Further and Higher Education Act Year: 1992

Academic year:
Classes from: Sep to: Jul
Long vacation from: 1 Jul to: 30 Sep

Languages of instruction: English

Stages of studies:

Non-university level post-secondary studies (technical/vocational type):

Non-university level:
Non-university level post-secondary technical education is provided by technical colleges, colleges of further and higher education and accredited independent colleges which offer a large number of vocational courses leading to a professional qualification. The Business and Technology Education Council offers many vocational courses leading to the BTEC First Diploma (one year, full-time) or to the BTEC National Diploma (two to three years, full-time). A Higher National Diploma is conferred after three years' study by the Business and Technology Education Council. As regards professional education, the professions have laid down their own professional qualifications (some thirty major professional bodies exist).

University level first stage: Undergraduate stage:
This stage lasts for three or four years and leads to the award of a Bachelor's Degree in Arts, Science or other fields (Technology, Law, Engineering, etc.). In some Scottish universities the first degree is a Master's Degree. The Bachelor's Degree is conferred as a Pass Degree or an Honours Degree where studies are more specialized. The Bachelor's Honours Degree is classified as a First Class Honours, a Second Class Honours or a Third Class Honours. In some universities and colleges of higher education, a two-year course leads to a Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE). This is a recognized qualification in its own right. Some universities have adopted the credit-unit or modular system of assessment. In some universities students must follow a foundation course before embarking on the course leading to the Bachelor's Degree. Students of foreign languages are sometimes required to study or work for an additional year in the country of the target language. Sandwich courses generally involve an additional year's work experience. Some institutions have introduced accelerated two-year degrees which require students to study during the normal vacation period. It is now rare for the class of degree to depend entirely on student performance in final examinations. Most institutions base a component of the degree class on examinaions taken during the period of study, especially those taken at the end of the second year, and many also use some form of continuous assessment.

University level second stage: Master's Degree, Master of Philosophy:
Study at master's level is at the forefront of an academic or professional discipline. Students must show originality in their application of knowledge and advancement of knowledge. The normal entry requirement for a Master's degree is a good Bachelor's degree. A Master's degree is normally studied over one year. Some Master's programmes, including the M.Eng, are integrated in undergraduate programmes and result in a postgraduate qualification, not an undergraduate one, after four years of study.At a university, after two years of additional study and the successful presentation of a thesis, students obtain the Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) degree.

University level third stage: Doctor of Philosophy, Higher Doctorate:
After usually three years' further study beyond the Master's Degree, the candidate may present a thesis for the Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil. or Ph.D.).A further stage leads to Higher Doctorates which may be awarded by a university in Law, Humanities, Science, Medical Sciences, Music and Theology after a candidate, usually a senior university teacher, has submitted a number of learned, usually published, works.

Teacher education:

Training of pre-primary and primary/basic school teachers
Primary school teachers must hold a first degree and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education awarded by a university or college of higher education. Alternatively, they must hold a BEd Degree and have a qualified teacher status which can be obtained after successful completion of an approved course of initial teacher training (ITT). The main types of ITT courses are the one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education course or the Bachelor of Education (BEd) course.
Training of secondary school teachers
Secondary school teachers must hold a first degree and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education awarded by a university or college of higher education. Alternatively they must hold a BEd Degree and have a qualified teacher status which can be obtained after successful completion of an approved course of initial teacher training (ITT). The main types of ITT courses are the one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education course or the Bachelor of Education (BEd) course which normally lasts for four years.
Training of higher education teachers
Higher education teachers normally hold a higher degree.

Distance higher education
The Open University offers instruction for part-time study for degrees and other courses by correspondence, supplemented by radio and television broadcasts, residential summer schools and an extensive counselling and tutorial service which operates through local study centres. Three main types of courses are available: undergraduate level courses, postgraduate courses and study packs. They are offered as part of Certificate, Diploma or Degree programmes. Undergraduate students take a series of courses which are worth one half or one full credit. A one-credit course is estimated to require 350-400 hours of study. An Ordinary Degree BA or BSc is awarded to students who have obtained six credits; an Honours degree (BA or BSc Honours) to students who have obtained two of these credits at the higher levels of study. Students may choose from a selection of 134 courses at four levels of difficulty. Up to three credits may be allowed for previous qualifications such as an initial teacher training qualification or a Higher National Diploma. The Open College offers vocational and professional training often leading to recognized qualifications. The Open College of Arts, set up in 1987, is affiliated to the Open University. It aids students of the arts who wish to study at home. It receives no government funding but as a registered charity it receives donations from other organizations.

Lifelong higher education
Extra-mural education is provided by universities or other institutions of higher education to adults living in the region served by the institutions and who do not belong to the regular student body. Higher education institutions may also choose to offer courses that are specifically intended to meet the needs of the local community. Thus they may offer part-time courses providing professional updating which people attend on day-release from work or attend in the evening, or leisure courses on local History or Geography, or Language and Literature classes.

Higher education training in industry
There are sandwich courses in which an undergraduate course is incorporated with periods of industrial training. The duration of study for an Honours Degree is four years. Admission conditions vary enormously and courses are offered only in universities which were formerly colleges of advanced technology.

Other forms of non-formal higher education
Foundation degree programmes were finalized in autumn 2000 for the first students to begin the courses in 2001. Foundation degrees are employment-related higher education qualifications designed to equip students with work-related skills.The sectors include construction, creative industries, e-business, e-commerce, finance, information technology and law. Foundation degrees have been designed with employers to provide an employment base at associate professional and higher technician level. They are awarded by universities and higher education colleges. A Foundation Degree can be used as a starting point for further study, either a related Honours Degree or further professional development in the workplace. There are no specific entry requirements and it is up to the college or university providing the degree to decide if a candidate is eligible.

Admissions to Higher Education

Admission to non university higher education studies

Name of secondary school credential required: General Certificate of Education Advanced Level
Name of secondary school credential required: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Admission to university-level studies

Name of secondary school credential required: General Certificate of Education Advanced Level
Minimum score/requirement: 2/3 passes at A-level
Name of secondary school credential required: General Certificate of Education Advanced Supplementary Level
Other admission requirements: School report and interview. Universities may also impose their conditions, such as a certain combination of passes or a particular standard achieved in subjects taken at A level.

Foreign students admission

Definition of foreign student: A foreign student is a person who is enrolled at an institution of higher education in Great Britain but is not a permanent resident.
Admission requirements: Foreign students must hold qualifications equivalent to the United Kingdom General Certificate of Education with five or six passes including two at Advanced level.
Entry regulations: Passport, a visa and evidence confirming their registration in full-time courses and evidence of funds.
Health requirements: Students who come from countries outside the European Union need a medical certificate
Language requirements: Students must have a good knowledge of English. English courses and English-as-a-Foreign-Language courses are available in the private/state sector.

Application procedures:
Apply to individual institution for entry to: For access to postgraduates studies.
Apply to national body for entry to: For undergraduate studies.
Apply to: Universities and College Admission Service (UCAS)
Fulton House, Jessop Avenue
Cheltenham
GL50 3SH
United Kingdom
Tel: +44(1242) 22-24-44
Fax: +44(1242) 22-16-22
WWW: http://www.ucas.ac.uk

Recognition of studies & qualifications:
Studies pursued in foreign countries (bodies dealing with recognition of foreign credentials):
National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC), ECCTIS Ltd
Head: Cloud Bai Yun, Head of UK NARIC
Oriel House
Oriel Road
Cheltenham
England GL50 1XP
United Kingdom
Tel: +44(1242) 260-010
Fax: +44(1242) 258-611
EMail: naric@ecctis.co.uk
WWW: http://www.naric.org.uk

Deals with credential recognition for entry to: University and Profession
Services provided & students dealt with: Recognition and equivalence information.

Multilateral agreements concerning recognition of foreign studies
Name of agreement: Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in Europe
Year of signature: 1979

References to further information on foreign student admissions and recognition of studies
Title: British Universities Guide to Graduate Studies
Author: Association of Commonwealth Universities
Title: Commonwealth Universities Yearbook
Author: Association of Commonwealth Universities
Title: Higher Education in the United Kingdom
Author: British Council/Association of Commonwealth Universities
Publisher: Longman Group Ltd
Title: International Comparisons
Author: UK NARIC
Publisher: UK NARIC
Title: Studying and Living in Britain: the British Council's Guide for Overseas Students and Visitors
Author: British Council
Publisher: Northcote House in association with the British Council

Grading System

Usual grading system in secondary school
Full Description: Alphabetical system A to E. A: excellent/outstanding; B: above average; C: average; D: below average; E: failing.
Highest on scale: A
Pass/fail level: C/D
Lowest on scale: E

Main grading system used by higher education institutions
Full Description: Alphabetical system A to E. A: excellent/outstanding; B: above average; C: average; D: below average; E: fail.
Highest on scale: A
Pass/fail level: D/E
Lowest on scale: E

Other main grading systems
Numerical system.

List of Universities and COLLEGES in UK