Archive for month: December, 2022

You’ll also find information and a scholarships database on their website. The main scholarship schemes available for international students include British Education Scholarships, Commonwealth Scholarships, Foreign Office Scholarships, and Overseas Students Research Awards.

British Education Scholarships are prestigious awards enabling talented international students to study in the UK at Q₃₁ postgraduate level. Only students studying for at least one academic year are eligible. About 2,000 new scholarships are currently awarded each year and there are plans to expand the programme further. There are 3 types of scholarship. The first is a full award, where all the fees, a living allowance, and travel to and from the UK are paid for. Then there is a Q₃₂ fee-only award, where all or part of the fees are paid. Finally, there is a partial award, where a combination of the fees and the allowances are paid. The value of the scholarship will vary, depending on the type of the award, the length of the course, and the country from which the student comes, but it is up to a maximum of Q₃₃ 20,000 pounds. Contact the British Council or the British Embassy in 12 your own country for details. You must be resident in your home country when you apply.

Commonwealth Scholarships are awards mainly for postgraduate study, although funding for undergraduate study may be possible if there are no suitable undergraduate courses in your home country. You must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country, including the UK. A university degree, or equivalent, is usually required. Apply to the British Council Q₃₄ office in your country. You must be resident in your own country when you apply. About 3,000 of these scholarships are awarded each year and their value ranges from Q₃₅ 5,000 to 15,000 pounds.

Foreign Office Scholarships are a joint initiative by the Foreign Office and certain UK higher education institutions. The awards are normally given for Q₃₆ taught postgraduate courses. In rare cases, an award may be made for undergraduate study if the course is not available at an institution in your home country. They are funded by the Foreign Office and participating UK higher education institutions. You must normally be under 35 years of age. You must be resident in a developing country, and you must not be currently employed by your government or by an Q₃₇ international organisation– You should be planning to study a subject related to Q₃₈ development and be fluent in English. Apply directly to one of the participating institutions. You can ask for a list of participating institutions from the British Embassy in your country or your local British Council office.

Only about 500 of these awards are made each year and their value ranges from 7,000 to 12,000 pounds. Overseas Students Research Awards are awards for full-time postgraduate study, for a period of one year. They make up the difference between home and overseas students’ Q₃₉ fees. They are funded by the Q₄₀ Ministry of Education. You must be a postgraduate research student at a publicly funded higher education institution in the UK. You will need to demonstrate academic merits and research potential. Application forms are available from UK higher education institutions, so contact the one where you want to study. For further information, contact the OSRA office via their website – www.osra.org. Actually, you can email them at osra@osra.org. On average, 1000 of these scholarships are awarded each year and the maximum amount is 25,000 pounds per scholarship.

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In most cases, you will have an ‘assured short-hold tenancy’ which means that your landlord cannot ask you to leave without a good reason during the Q₁₂ first six months. Although these rights offer you some protection, it is still your responsibility to check the tenancy agreement thoroughly and make sure you agree with the terms. Do not sign the tenancy agreement if you do not know what all of it means. If you do not fully understand your rights, show your tenancy agreement to an advisor in the accommodation office or student welfare office at your university or college and ask for help. You can also get help from a housing advice centre, law centre or citizens advice Bureau. When you do sign the tenancy agreement, make sure you get a Q₁₃ copy to keep for yourself, in case you need to check any details later on. The landlord may also, ask you to sign Q₁₄ an inventory: a list of all the items in the property – pieces of furniture, kitchen items, etc. If so, make sure you get a copy of this as well. Check that it is correct and that any existing damage to these items is included before signing it. If your landlord does not provide an inventory, you should make one yourself and send a copy to the landlord.

Let’s take a look at payments. Q₁₅ Before you move into private accommodation, you will probably be asked to pay a deposit equivalent to one month’s rent. Make sure you get a receipt for any deposits or fees you have paid. Q₁₆ When you leave the accommodation, if you have paid all your bills and caused no damage to the property, your full deposit will be paid back to you. If you are renting through an accommodation agency, you may also be asked to pay fees for preparing tenancy agreements and administration. You should also keep a written record of all the rent payments that you make, as you make them. If you have a dispute with your landlord, or you get behind with your rent, you should get advice as soon as possible. Remember that if you live in the same building as your landlord, or you have a room in a student or youth hostel or university/college accommodation, then this will affect how secure your tenancy will be. If you do not share any living space with the landlord or a member of their family, apart from means of access like an entrance hall or a staircase, or are a student living in halls of residence, or any other type of accommodation where an educational institution is the landlord, you will have basic protection from eviction. Q₁₈ Your landlord will have to end your tenancy first, either by waiting for the end of the fixed term you agreed for the tenancy or Q₁₉ by giving you at least four weeks’ written notice in writing to quit or Q₂₀ through getting a court order before you have to leave. If you share living space – for example, a kitchen, living room or bathroom – with your landlord or are in a student or youth hostel, you will be what is termed an excluded tenant, which means that you are outside the protection of the UK law which regulates tenancies and will not have security of tenure. All the landlord has to do to evict you is to give you notice, although they must give you a reasonable amount of time in which to leave.

If you have problems with accommodation, contact the accommodation office or students’ union at your university or college. If you need specialist or legal help, contact a law centre in your local Citizens Advice Bureau who will be able to tell you your rights as a tenant and the rights of your landlord.

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