Birkbeck, University of London

Overview

Birkbeck is recognised as being a ‘global elite’ university, ranking among the top 1 per cent of universities worldwide. Students from over 120 countries study with us.

Birkbeck is a world-class research and teaching institution, a vibrant centre of academic excellence and London’s only specialist provider of evening higher education.

Why choose Birbeck?

Get involved

Birkbeck is proud to have a number of strategically important partnerships with some of the world’s leading universities.

All of Birkbeck’s international partnerships have been designed to allow the free exchange of ideas and to promote training for academic staff, whilst progression agreements have been articulated to allow overseas students to combine their studies with a degree at Birkbeck.

Fees

We know that financial issues are an important part of your decision about where to study. That is why we offer all our students flexible payment plans without any hidden administrative costs.

Full-time international tuition fees

Following is an indication of full-time international tuition fees for 2014/15according to level of study and subject area.
- Undergraduate degrees: £13,000 per year
- Master’s taught degrees: £12,975-£14,775 per year
- ‘Premium’ Master’s taught degrees: £17,500-£19,975 per year
- Master’s research programmes: £11,995-£14,775 per year
- MRes Functional Neuroimaging: £20,475 per year
- MPhil/PhD: £11,995 per year

Entry requirements

Master’s degrees:

For most Master’s degrees, we require the equivalent of a UK Bachelor’s degree (class 2.1 or 2.2 with honours). You must also meet our minimum English language entry requirements.

Our approved agents in your country may also be able to advise you on the equivalence of your qualification.
If you do not know the equivalence of your qualifications, please include as much information as you can in your application, and we will make an assessment of your eligibility.

MPhil/PhD degrees:

for most MPhil/PhD degrees, we require the equivalent of a good UK Master’s degree.

You must also meet our minimum English language entry requirements.
Our approved agents in your country may also be able to advise you on the UK equivalence of your qualification.
If you do not know the equivalence of your qualifications, please include as much information as you can in your application, and we will make an assessment using our knowledge of different education systems, case studies, and by referring to external benchmarks.

How to apply

Birkbeck offers full-time courses to international students at a variety of levels, in a wide range of subject areas. This section contains all the information you need to apply for your chosen course, including who you can speak if you have any questions about your application.
- Undergraduate courses: you need to apply for our full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS.
- Postgraduate courses: you can apply for your postgraduate course online through the course description for your chosen course.
- MPhil/PhD study: before you apply for an MPhil/PhD degree, you will need to establish that one of our academics is able to provide appropriate supervision for your research. Once you find a potential supervisor, you should contact the department they are based in to check to see whether they are able to provide appropriate supervision for your research.

Benefits and services

As a Birkbeck graduate you have access to a range of regularly updated benefits and services.

To continue getting the most out of being a Birkbeck alumnus all you need to do is keep us informed of your current address by updating your details when you move and we will contact you with latest news, events, updates and offers.

10% tuition fee discount on Birkbeck postgraduate courses

Birkbeck is offering a 10% discount on tuition fees to all Birkbeck alumnienrolling on any master’s degree starting in 2014/2015.
To take advantage of this offer, you must have completed an undergraduate degree from Birkbeck, University of London.
When you complete enrolment online you will be asked if you want to take advantage of the alumni discount. No additional proof should be required, since we will already have a record of you having completed an honours degree with us.

Working during your studies

Our evening teaching model gives Birkbeck students the opportunity to do part-time daytime work. Not only does this help you to manage your finances while you are studying, but also enable you to gain experience of the UK workplace and working practices.

Tier 4 (General) Student visa permits students to work with some restriction while studying in the UK. The restriction is stated in your visa which is normally one of the following:

Able to work as authorised by the Secretary of State
No resource to public funds. Work/Business as in Tier 4 rules
Work 20 hrs max in term-time
Work 10 hrs max in term-time

However, if you are in the UK as a Student Visitor or Visitor, you are not permitted to work. This includes paid or unpaid work and work placement.

If your programme is degree-level or above, i.e. Bachelor’s or Master’s or Research degree, you are permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term-time. If your programme is below degree-level, e.g. Diploma in Law, you are permitted to work a maximum of 10 hours per week during term-time. However, you can work full-time during vacation.

Although as a student you can take most kinds of work, you must not:

be self-employed
be employed as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
be employed as an entertainer
take a permanent full-time job

You should understand that full-time study at Birkbeck is intensive. To be sure that your course work won’t suffer, please talk to your course tutor if you are thinking about working during your studies.