Frequently Asked Questions
No. GREAT Scholarships are partial funding only. You get £10,000 towards tuition fees. That covers roughly 25-30% of a typical Master's at a Russell Group university. You still need £20,000-50,000+ from your own resources for the remaining tuition, living costs, visa, and NHS surcharge. Full GREAT Scholarship details.
Total cost for 1 year: £31,000-57,000. That's £15,000-42,000 tuition + £12,000-18,000 living costs + £1,266 visa & NHS. Even with a GREAT Scholarship (£10,000 off), you're looking at £21,000-47,000 out of pocket. Use our calculator.
The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is a mandatory fee to access the NHS. It jumped from £470 to £776/year for students in February 2024 (a 66% increase). You pay for your entire visa duration upfront. Full NHS surcharge guide.
No. British Council is an information hub, not a scholarship application portal. For GREAT Scholarships, apply through the university website. For Chevening, apply at chevening.org. For Commonwealth, through the CSC. Full application guide.
It varies wildly: 6.0 overall for some programmes, up to 8.0 for others. Russell Group Master's typically require 6.5-7.0. Always check your specific programme. British Council co-owns IELTS — a conflict of interest worth knowing about. Full IELTS guide.
Yes! They're completely separate programmes with different application processes. Chevening goes through chevening.org. GREAT goes through university websites. You can and should apply to both (and Commonwealth too, if eligible). Diversifying your applications is the smart strategy.
You need remaining tuition + 9 months of living costs. London: £1,483/month (£13,347 total). Outside London: £1,136/month (£10,224 total). This must be in your account for 28 consecutive days. Full visa guide.
CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) is a digital reference number from your university. You need it to apply for your Student visa. Most universities require a £2,000-2,500 deposit before issuing one. After selection process.
It depends. With a fully funded scholarship (Chevening, Commonwealth): absolutely. Top-10 university in your field: probably. Self-funding £40,000+ at a mid-ranking university hoping to stay in the UK: think twice. The Graduate Route is being cut to 18 months, and most graduates return home. Read the honest analysis.
Yes, 20 hours/week during term time, full-time during holidays. At minimum wage, that's about £976/month. In London, that barely covers rent. Don't count on part-time work to fund your studies. Full part-time work guide.
The Graduate Route gives you 2 years to work (18 months from 2027). But converting to a permanent visa requires a Skilled Worker sponsor and £38,700+ salary. Most international graduates don't manage it. Read the full analysis.