The United Kingdom is an island country located off the northwestern coast of Mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital and largest city is London, the fourth-largest in Europe and second-largest in the European Union, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres with an urban area population of 10.3 million. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.

With an area of 243,610 square kilometres, the United Kingdom itself is not quite half the size of Spain, or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Oregon. The UK is separated from Continental Europe by the English Channel. It has a population of 65.1 million people (in 2015). The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary​democracy. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952. The UK has a partially regulated market economy. Based on market exchange rates, the UK is today the fifth-largest economy in the world and the second-largest in Europe after Germany.

The United Kingdom is an island country located off the northwestern coast of Mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital and largest city is London, the fourth-largest in Europe and second-largest in the European Union, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres with an urban area population of 10.3 million. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.

With an area of 243,610 square kilometres, the United Kingdom itself is not quite half the size of Spain, or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Oregon. The UK is separated from Continental Europe by the English Channel. It has a population of 65.1 million people (in 2015). The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary​democracy. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952. The UK has a partially regulated market economy. Based on market exchange rates, the UK is today the fifth-largest economy in the world and the second-largest in Europe after Germany.

An impressive 71 UK universities feature in the QS World University Rankings® 2018 (second only to the US in popularity as a study abroad destination), and four institutions are currently ranked within the global top 10. The UK undertakes 5 per cent of the world's scientific research and produces 14 per cent of the world's most frequently cited papers.

The University of Cambridge is currently ranked fifth in the world, while the University of Oxford is sixth, followed by UCL (University College London) at seventh and Imperial College London in eighth place.

King's College London (KCL) and the University of Edinburgh are also in the global top 25 (sharing 23rd place), while the University of Manchester and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) are within the top 40. A total of 16 UK universities appear in the top 100, and another 12 make the top 200.

Universities in all parts of the UK have a worldwide reputation for high quality teaching and research, as evidenced by global rankings such as the QS World University Rankings and THE Global Rankings.Most popular subjects for international students in the UK are Business Studies, Accounting and Finance, Law, Economics, Art and Design, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Politics, Electrical Engineering and Biological Sciences.

The latest figures from the OECD show that one in ten of the world's international students study at UK universities.  Hosting over 500,000 international students, the UK is the world’s second leading study destination (after the US).

Chinese students were the largest group of international students from countries outside of the European Union (EU) studying in the UK making up almost 25.7% of the total international students, according to data released by Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited (HESA), 2014–2015.

Hong Kong students were the second largest group, comprising 9.9% of international students, followed by Malaysia 8.8%, Nigeria 4.6%, Singapore 4.2%, India 4.1%, United States 3.5%, Norway 3.0%, Canada 2.0% and Saudi Arabia 2.0%.

UK is quite a unique place. Thousands of families from around the world have decided to live in UK, which gives it a rich, multicultural atmosphere that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. Every year, over 200,000 international students decide to study in UK. You’ll get to mix and meet people throughout the world, and your experience will be even richer because of being able to interact with so many different types of people. You’ll get insights into other countries and cultures, and learn a lot more than you may have been able to in your home country.

The UK is known for its multicultural society, with all religions and faiths represented in some way. With a racial, ethnic and religious jumble, the UK is very open to new traditions and cultures – something that is a great thing for students from other countries! You can also be sure that a place of worship will be easily accessible for most major religions

You can work for up to 20 hours a week while you study in the UK. 

For non-EU students, the rules of moving from a student visa to a work visa are pretty strict. Essentially you’ve got to have a graduate job, with a graduate salary, with a licensed Home Office employer.

These criteria are hard to meet. For starters, the graduate salary needs to be a minimum of £20,800, which for a first job is pretty difficult, especially outside of London.  

Employers who are able to sponsor workers to work in the UK under both Tier 2 (for full- and part-time work up to five years), and Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Government Authorised Exchange) are listed on a register of licensed sponsors.

With Tier 2 being the main visa route for those interested in working in the UK after their studies finish, students may look for potential employers licensed to employ migrant workers under this Tier. A number of employers will often state whether they are able to sponsor non-EEA workers in their job descriptions or application materials.

Links:

Online student visa application

Other helpful resources: biometric verification

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Fee: £328

Interview required:  Yes

Time frame for visa acceptance:  2-4 weeks