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range from £6,500 for arts courses, to over £29,000 for a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Once accommodation and other


living costs are added in, overseas study in the UK can begin to look very expensive. That said, having a UK university on one’s CV off ers the benefi t of a known commodity with an enviable academic reputation – all of which acts as solid credentials for graduates seeking employment or further study in a myriad of potential sectors across the world. So what are some of the key,


practical funding issues and tips that recruiters are highlighting to their international prospects as an incentive to make the UK stand apart from the rest of the world? At the top of the list are tips such as


carefully studying universities’ individual departmental websites for any unique funding off ers, applying early and carefully checking important deadlines, and exploring specialist opportunities for scholarships and other fi nancial support initiatives. While there are some sources of funding


available in the UK, international students are fi rst encouraged to investigate what might be available in their own country, sometimes through regional or national government initiatives. They should also contact their closest British Council offi ce. Leading schemes for international


postgraduates include the British Chevening Scholarships. Funded by the UK government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Offi ce, over 30,000 scholarships have been awarded to international students at UK universities in the last 26 years, but competition is intense. As with all funding initiatives,


prospective students should be encouraged to apply early, particularly for awards made by HEIs themselves. Funding can include travel costs to and from the UK, tuition fees and living expenses, while application deadlines are often in April and May for the following academic year.


International in action As part of their recruitment drives, it pays for leading universities to distinguish and raise the profi le of their international credentials, relationships and activity. De Montfort University (DMU) in


Leicester is one such institution, arranging a welcome week for international students ahead of Freshers’ week each September and providing a host of activities to help


ABOVE: University of Leicester


international students make friends and get their bearings on campus and in the UK. The university recently opened its


Leicester, UK-based Confucius Institute, promoting Chinese language and culture. The initiative was supported by one of China’s leading education institutions, the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), which is working in partnership with DMU to promote world- class teaching and research. Hong Kong- based international business conglomerate Sunwah Group is another partner making a signifi cant contribution. The Confucius Institute Headquarters, in


Beijing, has made a fi nancial contribution towards the set-up of the DMU institute and has also donated 3,000 books to aid study and research. The partnership was formed thanks to the work of DMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard, with the help of the University’s Strategic and International Partnerships department, led by its director James Gardner, department head Esther Dudley and Dahai Gao. Professor Shellard commented: “You


ignore the rapid growth of the Chinese economy at your peril. By working with the Confucius Institute Headquarters and USTB we are seizing opportunities to boost teaching and research, add to the overall student experience at DMU and create exciting job opportunities for our graduates.” Birmingham City University is another


high-profi le HEI taking pride in showcasing its strengthening international talent and industry links, most recently participating in a high-tech festival in India. The University played a signifi cant role in


the recent Shaastra annual intercollegiate technical festival held in the city of Chennai from 3–7 January 2014. Each year the event at racts the elite of India’s high tech and the latest edition was hosted by IIT Madras,


one of the leading institutions in the fi eld of Engineering and Technology in India. As a sponsor of the event,


Birmingham City University joined some of the most important international education agencies across the world, including Education USA, Campus France, NUFIC Holland and the German International Education Service – DAAD. Birmingham City University


has also just opened an offi ce in New Delhi to support the international recruitment of prospective students, as well


as the development of new strategic partnerships in the country. The University of Leicester,


which possesses a strong track record on international relations and activity has interestingly seen its own Students’ Union initiate a call on vice-chancellors and UK principals to agree to a fi xed rate for international fees, protecting students from unanticipated course charges. Outlining the reasoning behind its


campaign, the Students’ Union states: “Each year up to 175,000 international students in our campuses fi nd their fees increase, often without notice, reason or support. “Many international students don’t know


when they apply that this will happen, and are told during their degree that the total cost has gone up by an amount with often no link to infl ation or costs. “This is impossible for them to plan or


budget for and often causes hardship from a group of students with lit le or no access to fi nancial support.” A similar initiative launched by the


University of Edinburgh’s University Students’ Association also reportedly found that some international students were unable to travel home to see their families or aff ord course resources when fees rose unexpectedly. Cranfi eld University, meanwhile,


which teaches exclusively at postgraduate level and at racts around 750 doctoral and 3,600 master’s students from 100 diff erent countries, many of whom study while still in full-time employment, anticipates the challenges of internationalisation more than most. While its MBA and MSc programmes


are taught at Cranfi eld's UK campus, tailored in-company programmes are taught all over the world, benefi ting a further 20,000 students on professional development courses, many of whom are funded by their employers. EDQ


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