International Students
SED welcomes students from all over the world,.
The School is a genuinely multinational environment, with students hailing from across the globe, incuding Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Carribean, Europe (and of course also the UK).
We believe that Manchester provides an excellent environment for studying and living for students from outside the UK.
Students coming to Manchester from overseas want to study on courses where the international dimension is integral to the learning experience, but they are also often interested in learning from the British experience. We believe that postgraduate study at SED gives students the opportunity to do both those things.
Our teaching uses examples drawn from many countries – including from our international students' own rich experience. Our academic staff have worked and researched both in the UK and overseas, and that experience feeds into our teaching and research supervision. Indeed, our staff are as international as our teaching, with Asia, North America, AFrica and mainland Europe as well as the UK all represented in our teaching body. All of this contributes to enabling our international students to apply what they have learnt here in their own countries when they return.
For more information on being an international student in Manchester, visit International Postgraduate Students at the University of Manchester.
For academic and English language entry requirements, please refer to individual course pages.Important information for international applicants to The University of Manchester
Tier 4 Points Based Immigration System
In March 2009 the UK government introduced a Points Based System (PBS) for immigration. Tier 4 of this system affects international students from outside the EEA/EU applying for entry clearance/a student visa to come to the UK and is intended to produce a more transparent and objective application process to benefit all parties. Under this system, applicants will need to be sponsored by an institution which is registered as an Official Sponsor.
Further details of the Points-Based System can be found on the University website.
English Language
For undergraduate or postgraduate degrees, Schools will be able to assess and verify an applicant’s ability in English language for the purpose of admissions. Assessing this will be in the usual way by means of a Secured English Language Test (SELT) i.e. TOEFL, IELTS or Pearson Test. A SELT test is valid for 2 years prior to the start of the academic year of entry, after which a new test will be required. For countries previously accepted on the basis of English being the Language of Instruction further evidence to assess this to a specific level acceptable by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) is now required.
A document explaining this can be downloaded from the UKBA website.
The table below shows acceptable certificates and grades that applicants are required to provide as part of their initial application. Should a qualification not be seen on the list below applicants can raise any concerns about this directly to the school. sed.admissions@manchester.ac.uk
Applicants who do not provide this evidence may not be granted Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for visa applications.
It should be noted that these certificates and grades relate to 2011-2012 entry, a final decision has not been taken by the UKBA about these requirements for 2012-2013, therefore it may be that we need to request additional proof of English proficiency from applicants at a later date, to ensure you can be issued with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
| Qualification | Minimum grade required |
|---|---|
| Cameroon General Certificate of Education | C |
| Caribbean Examinations Council Secondary Education Certificate | C |
| India Standard XII | 65% |
| Kenya KCSE | C |
| Malawi School Certificate of Education | 1 - 6 |
| Nigerian Education Council Certificate (NECO) | C5 |
| South Africa - National Senior Certificate | C |
| Tanzanian National Examination | C |
| Ugandan Certificate of Education | 6 |
| West Africa Education Certificate (WAEC) | C6 |
| Zambia - General Certificate of Education | 1 - 6 |
| Zimbabwe - CIE - IGCSE Eng Lang | C |