At the mention of Scotland many people have the following associations with this country: dense fogs and amazing beauty of nature, education of high quality, the opportunity to spend the summer combining study and rest. In this country are the leading universities with world history, which each year rank high all over the world - in Scotland pay special attention to education and seek to separate their national education system from English.
Benefits of studying in Scotland
- The cost of living is lower than in the UK;
- high quality of life;
- obtaining a certificate of a prestigious university of international design;
- chance to receive a scholarship to cover the costs of education;
- more intensive curriculum than in the educational institutions of England;
- picturesque nature;
- impeccable quality of linguistic courses;
- Flexible system of education, which allows you to choose additional items yourself.
Organization of education in Scotland, the national educational system of education
- Pre-school education - there are no kindergartens in the country: for children from 3 years there are special preparatory courses with instruction in basic subjects where children study assiduity, singing, dancing, drawing, reading, math and spelling.
- Primary school is designed for students from 5 to 12 years: the ranking system is alphabetic from A to E, knowledge control is conducted using tests on basic school subjects.
- The secondary school is designed for students from 11-12 years old. Secondary education is designed for a period of 4 to 6 years, and at the end of the class, students take an exam for a certificate of secondary education, receive a Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE Standart Grade), which is considered to be an analog of the GCSE .
- The high school finishes with a Higher Grade certificate: it allows the students to enter the universities of Scotland and is the equivalent of the first year of A-Level education. In order to enroll in UK universities or elite universities in Scotland, you need to get the Advanced Higher certificate, which corresponds to the second year of A-Level education.
- In colleges receive vocational education in a number of specialties after graduation from 16 years of age. The Higher National Certificate is issued after one year of college, after 2 years - Higher Education Diploma. At the end of the college, students have the opportunity to enroll in a higher education institution immediately for 2 or 3 years.
- An analogue of colleges can be the English Foundation educational program or the international pre-university program of Scotland - SIFP, which helps prepare students for higher education.
- For foreign students, before entering a university, you must take Foundation or A-Level courses, which are available in most colleges. Sometimes universities provide their own preparatory programs for students - a condition may be an obligatory further admission to this institution.
- The undergraduate program provides education for 4 years for higher education: half of the course students study basic subjects, the remaining time engaged in core disciplines.
- Postgraduate education can be obtained at the magistracy - the duration of education will be only 1 year.
At the Fettes College in Edinburgh, students from 7 to 13 years old can attend primary school - this prestigious and elite boarding school has the status of IB World School, has many outstanding graduates. The cost of education is from 7,530 £ / trimester.
For example, in Scotland there is a school for girls from 15 to 18 years old Kilgraston School with Scottish Highers senior program: education with features of the Scottish and British system, the curriculum is drawn up by the educational system to prepare for admission to elite and popular universities. One year of education costs 13,928 £.
Additional education
About to be bogged down in Scotland it is possible even in the summer, when summer and linguistic programs for students are available. List of educational institutions with programs for the summer:
1) The St Andrews University Oxford Royal summer camp in St. Andrews on the North Sea is Scotland's oldest camp, which is deservedly proud of successful and famous alumni. Courses for the summer are developed :
- English;
- medicine;
- jurisprudence;
- architecture;
- leadership;
- academy of cinema;
- business leadership;
- engineering.
The average cost of one of the above programs is: 4,495 £ / 2 weeks.
2) The Herriot-Watt University summer camp is organized by the international company Oxford International at the University of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Students from 10 to 17 years old go to the camp for a summer program in English to improve their linguistic skills. The price of the language course is 1,558 £ / 2 weeks.
Submission of application for admission to higher educational institutions for academic program
Applications for admission to universities students are submitted through the UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions service), which simplifies and facilitates the process of filing documents for future students. It is a centralized company that allows you to submit up to 5 applications for studies on bachelor or master's programs. For admission (in addition to passing a pre-university program) it is important to have a high level of English: educational institutions have the right to independently set the minimum score for linguistic examinations for admission.
The cost of studying in Scotland for students
Primary and secondary classes for the Scots are sponsored by the state, but at universities foreign students and even local residents study on a fee basis, but it is possible to get a scholarship and cover their expenses in part or in full, foreign students can claim this bonus. The institution can not give out cash, it will simply deduct them from the cost of education.
An interesting fact about the national education system - sometimes universities give a delay in paying to the local population: this entitles the student to pay for his education only if their salary is above a certain amount. If the salary is below this value, the student is released from the payment for studying.
Citizens of the European Union have the right to study in Scotland for free.
Accommodation while studying in Scotland
Schools are boarded in Scotland, which allows students and students to immerse themselves in the cultural and language environment, live with other students in comfortable rooms, make more new acquaintances and have fun. Often campuses for students are located in small student campuses, where everything is necessary for living, learning and leisure.
How to get a visa for work and stay in Scotland
After graduation, foreign students have the opportunity to work and stay in the country through the program Fresh Talent: WORKING IN SCOTLAND SCHEME - it allows 2 years to work without obtaining a work permit or have your own business. For close and native graduates, the program admits residence in Scotland provided they are provided by the participant in the program.
