The coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a drastic impact on international education, with thousands of students returning home from universities abroad to observe social distancing and study online. As the public health concern continues, students already enrolled and those planning to go abroad to study have been left confused, nervous, and wondering what to do next.
Despite the current circumstances, universities in the United Kingdom (U.K.) are preparing to welcome new students in 2020 and are formulating plans for 2021. Even now, international students have been provided with plenty of support during this period of remote learning, teaching, and assessment.
The U.K. is home to some of the world’s oldest and most renowned universities and colleges. Supported by its strong legacy, education in the UK has become a benchmark for other countries. Universities in the U.K. are consistently ranked highly in the world university rankings including the QS World Rankings, Times Higher Education Ranking, and Academic Ranking of World Universities. Furthermore, degrees earned from this country are globally recognized by employers all over the world.
In 2019, the U.K. government launched the new International Education strategy which aims to increase the value of education exports to £35 billion per year and also increases the total number of international students choosing to study in the U.K. higher education system each year to 600,000 by 2030. This builds on the U.K. government’s actions to help recruit and retain the best and brightest global talent.
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Through the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, U.K. universities are committed to supporting all students and are contemplating progressive changes in their education policies to make the country more conducive for international students. The U.K.’s former universities minister, Jo Johnson, the brother of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has already recommended doubling the duration of the post-study work visa from two to four years among a range of measures that would help the higher education sector overcome the shocks of COVID-19. He also suggested that the U.K. should seek to rebalance its mix of international students by doubling the number of students from India by 2024.
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In 2019, student visas from India were four and a half times what they were in 2016. Almost 50,000 student visas to the U.K. were granted to Indian nationals in the year ending in March of 2020. This was a whopping 136% increase from the year ending in March 2019! As a matter of fact, the number of Indian students has significantly increased over the last three years, reaching almost 22,000 in June 2019. Additionally, 96% of all Indian students who apply for a U.K. visa are successful — meaning the vast majority of those who wish to come to the U.K. are able to do so. Indians are currently the fastest-growing nationality for student visas in the U.K.
Recently, Prime Minister Johnson was quoted as saying that it is vital to send a clear signal that Britain is open and welcoming international students, with a “best-in-class student visa offer,” and that the government should “turbocharge” the competitiveness of the U.K. visa offer with the doubling of post-study work visas from two to four years.
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Furthermore, the U.K. in 2019 also announced a post-study work visa expanding opportunities for talented international students to build successful careers in the U.K. The visa will allow eligible students to work, or look for work, in any career or position of their choice, for two years after completing their studies. With the U.K. inviting students to apply and concerted efforts to make the educational environment more welcoming for international students, students can effectively plan their futures and continue to pursue their dreams of studying in the U.K.
Given the fact that the U.K. is actively accepting students, it naturally makes English- language assessment tests an important feature for students planning their studies abroad. One key prerequisite of applying to universities in the U.K. is clearing an English- language test that is fair, credible, and effectively tests your academic English-language skills, like the TOEFL iBT® test. The TOEFL iBT test does not just measure students’ language proficiency through 100% academic English content, it ensures that students stand out to admission officers by demonstrating that they are prepared to succeed in the classroom at U.K.’s best universities. It’s worth noting that the TOEFL iBT test is accepted for admissions at 100% of U.K. universities for those wishing to pursue study at degree level or above, including the prestigious Russell Group® universities. University admission based on your TOEFL® score meets the English-language requirements for your student visa. Gaining confidence in English through the TOEFL test, especially spoken English, can help you at a U.K. Border interview with an immigration official, if there is one.
ETS, the company behind the TOEFL iBT test understands the concerns of students who are unable to take an in-person exam at a test centre due to the public health concerns. Therefore, they quickly launched the TOEFL® iBT Special Home Edition test to ensure students can continue their educational journeys. The test enjoys the same global acceptability, flexibility, and pricing as the test taken in physical test centres, while ensuring that the test-taking process continues securely. Given that TOEFL scores are trusted and accepted by more than 11,000 universities in over 150 countries, the continuance of at-home testing has minimized disruption to life-changing educational opportunities and also further reinforced TOEFL as an assessment tool that constantly evolves to further meet the needs of students. The TOEFL® iBT Special Home Edition is now available through December 31, 2020.
Students need to be aware that their dreams of studying in the U.K. are still achievable despite the pandemic as the U.K. is making radical changes to ensure that it remains a preferred destination for students to pursue their studies abroad. Such changes have led to an increase in international applications which is also a result of the U.K. post-study work visa. With that, students can continue to prepare to pursue their education by completing the TOEFL iBT test — either in person at a test centre or at home — which will prove their readiness to succeed while applying for top universities in the U.K.
Related Reads
- The Future of IELTS, PTE, GRE & TOEFL exams in the face of COVID-19
- Benefits of the TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition Test during COVID -19
About the Author
Srikant Gopal is the Executive Director of the TOEFL Program at Educational Testing Service. He is a graduate of the Birla Institute for Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, India, and earned his MBA from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA. He has lived and worked in six countries, and has experience across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, combining marketing and business experience from companies like Procter & Gamble and Nestle with a passion for education and student development. Srikant is also a part-time educator and teaches a course on Economics and Ethics at the Philadelphia Ethical Society.
Commonly asked questions
There is no passing or failing marks in TOEFL exam. There is own minimum TOEFL score requirements for each university. Generally, a TOEFL score of 90 is considered average, while anything above 100 is regarded as good.
The application process at the University of Manchester can change depending on course chosen and level of study. The steps to apply for undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the university are given as follows:
UG Application Process:
- Student must apply through the UCAS common application portal.
- They can go to the website and select the course that they are interested in.
- Students are required to meet the eligibility requirements (Academic qualifications, English proficiency, etc.
- Once they have decided on the course, the important documents are to be submitted such as SOP, Transcripts and personal statements.
- You can track the application's progress through your given credentials by UCAS.
- Once the applicant submits the application to UCAS, it forwards to the University, and the admission teams carefully analyse the application document.
- The university will send you an offer letter once selected. Hence keep checking your UCAS portal for your application status.
Check out: tips to improve your SOP.
PG application process:
- Select the postgraduate course you are interested in from the University of Manchester.\
- Ensure you meet the entry requirements for the chosen program, as they vary depending on the course.
- Complete the online application by providing your personal information.
- Upload the required documents, such as Academic transcripts and proof of English language proficiency ( TOEFL/ IELTS). experience in your fields and references (depending on the course). You also may require Two LORs depending on the course.
- If your application is successful, you will receive an offer from the University of Manchester.
To make your admission better, check out the following: How Admission Officers Evaluate your application.
The University of the West of Scotland has five modern and diverse campuses in United Kingdom. The University has welcomed more than 3,000 international students which are representing 1/3 of the globe. They also have 130 European partners who are actively in global study and exchange options through the Commonwealth universities programmes. The University also offers study abroad opportunities for UWS who are eligible for the same and also have more than 20 transnational education partners worldwide which helps them deliver UWS Bachelors and Masters Degrees around the world.
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