International Student Guide

Macclesfield College/LZ6 welcomes applications from overseas students. The following information is intended to assist you in completing your application.

You may like to contact UKCOSA, The Council for International Education. The UKCOSA website features useful information for international students about studying in the UK .

UKCOSA : The Council for International Education
9 - 17 St Albans Place
London
N1 0NX

Telephone: + 44 (0) 20 7107 9922
(Monday - Friday 13:00 - 16:00 UK time)

Website: www.ukcosa.org.uk

What is Further Education?

"Further Education" or "FE" usually refers to education for students over the age of 16 who have left mandatory schooling. FE is usually concerned with courses that are below degree level. FE provides training for people of all ages for university entry, career progression and also offers a range of leisure courses for adult students.

There are over 500 colleges like this in the UK and you may find that they are sometimes referred to with different names such as Institutes, Sixth Forms, or Technical Colleges. Some Colleges specialise in certain areas; for instance Macclesfield College specialises in Aerospace Engineering. Each College will produce a prospectus which details the courses that they offer and it is good idea to look at this before you apply for a course. Many Colleges publish their prospectus on their websites.

Types of courses on offer at Macclesfield College

Academic courses: Such as GCSEs and AS Levels these courses can provide entry to university, please note that Macclesfield College only offer part-time GCSEs in English Language, Maths and Science (Single Award).

Vocational courses: NVQs, VGCEs, BTEC Nationals and other certificates and diplomas offered by specific awarding bodies. These types of qualifications are undertaken by students who wish to gain qualifications to go into a particular occupation or job. VGCEs and BTEC National Diplomas can provide entry to university and are full time courses. NVQs can be offered as part time or full time.

Advanced Diplomas: These full-time courses combine theoretical study with hands-on experience and can provide entry into university. They are based around a certain industry area, but do not restrict you to further study or emplyment in that area.

Access to Higher Education courses: This is an intense one year course specifically designed to gain a fast route to Higher Education for Adults.

Foundation Degrees: These are usually two year part time pre-university course which can be equated to the first two years of a degree.

Short courses: These are courses that last between approximately 1 - 12 weeks. They are part time and are offered in a range of subject areas. Some of these courses will result in certification and some will be leisure courses which do not result in certification.

How to apply to Macclesfield College/LZ6

Studying in Britain is an experience which we hope you will enjoy. At the same time we can only accept those students who meet the entry requirements for the chosen course of study. We therefore advise all intending overseas students to adopt the following procedure when applying for a place at our College.

A good place to start is the British Council office in your country, they will be able to advise you what courses are on offer in the UK in general and on applications for entry to the UK , their contact details are included at the end of this document.

Consider what qualifications you have already and how these may help you to meet the entry requirements for the course you wish to join. The UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre ( UK NARIC) can info rm you about the equivalence of overseas qualifications to UK qualifications. Their contact details are included at the end of this document.

Complete an application form, this will include personal details such as your name, address, date of birth and residency status as well as details on which course you wish to apply for and previous qualifications which you have gained.

Send your application and any supporting information such as copies of certificates for qualifications gained, please note it would useful to have these transcribed into English to speed up the process.

What do international students do about attending admission interviews?

It is common practice for Colleges to request that all applicants attend an admission interview before a place is offered on the course. It is currently possible for international students to visit the UK for a period of up to 6 months to make arrangements for their study. These arrangements could include the admission interview, accommodation, visiting the area etc. In these cases prospective students can be granted permission to visit the UK providing:

• They demonstrate commitment to undertake the course within 6 months of arriving in the UK
• The course they are interested in is suitable and they meet the entry requirements.
• The student intends to leave the UK when their studies end, or when their period of leave as a prospective student is ended.
• Students must have enough money to finance themselves without needing to work or claim "public funds". Students must also be able to support their own families if they come to the UK with them.
• If students are granted permission to stay in the UK to pursue their studies following the initial period they can then seek work, unless specifically told they cannot.

(These guidelines may be subject to change and all applicants are advised to seek advice from their own embassy regarding visiting a country to make arrangements for study)

What happens after the interview?

If you are offered a place and wish to accept, you must pay your tuition fees prior to returning the acceptance form that you will receive when you are offered a place. If you do not pay the tuition fee the offer of a place will be withdrawn. Payment by cheque for the full amount will be required and cheques should be made payable to ` Macclesfield College '.

On receipt of the cheque and subsequent banking, a confirmation of a place will then be made in writing to the applicant. This should be retained as applicants may be required to produce it for both British emigration and immigration purposes. It will be necessary for you to come to the College on the first day of enrolment if you are to claim your place, otherwise it may be offered to another student.

Immigration regulations

In accordance with British Government regulations, students accepted for a course of study must produce at the UK post of airport of entry a valid acceptance letter issued by the College at which the student intends to study and also a current passport. Students arriving in the UK will also be expected to satisfy the Immigration Officer on landing that their qualifications are adequate for the course they propose to follow. Students should be able to produce evidence that they are medically fit.

Overseas students temporarily resident in the UK who wish to enrol for a course of full-time study will be expected to produce a current passport or entry visa at the time of enrolment.

Fees and Finance

Students are accepted by the College on the understanding that they attend their particular course full-time and that any fees due are paid before the start of their course. In addition, examination fees have to be paid before the examination is due to be taken. Overseas students are not entitled to local authority grants and while in the UK they are expected to maintain and support themselves. Currently this would cost approximately £10,000 per year, which includes the college course fee. This cost should be regarded as a minimum. The British Council can advise in detail on this matter

Fees are subject to change each year, please contact us for more information. Fees should be paid before students leave their home country. When a prospective student arrives they must be able to satisfy the United Kingdom Immigration Officers, either by a bank statement or by a letter of credit, that they are able to support themselves while studying in the United Kingdom .

Studying in Macclesfield

In applying to this College we hope that you will have made enquiries regarding our geographical location. Macclesfield is situated in the county of Cheshire in the North West of England. It is approximately half an hour by train from the city of Manchester and just over two hours by train from London . To the east lies the Peak District National Park and to the west the many attractive towns and villages of Cheshire including the old city of Chester which contains many historical buildings. The town enjoys the typical English climate of warm but not hot summers with some rain, and winters which can be cold with snowfalls.

Accommodation

The College does not have halls of residence or student hostels. Suitable accommodation such as flats and rented rooms are available in Macclesfield but they are not plentiful. Students accepted for courses should therefore be prepared to live outside Macclesfield. If possible, students should ensure that satisfactory arrangements have been made by them for their own accommodation before they arrive in this country. The College cannot arrange accommodation for individual international applicants.

College Regulations

Students attending full-time courses of study are not permitted to enrol at another college for a similar, or other course of study without the permission of the Principal and are generally NOT permitted to take up employment without the permission of the British Government Department of Employment.

The College academic year lasts from September until the end of June.

Internal and/or external examinations are taken at various times during the year and each course may have varying exams to consider, this should be discussed with the tutor at the admissions interview.

Assistance is given to students who wish to make applications to universities.

Hours of attendance will vary depending on each course timetable but usually attendance will be required from 9.00 am to 4.30 pm , Monday to Friday.

Details of College holidays are available from College Reception or the Student Guidance Centre.

References for students leaving College depend upon regular attendance at all classes and the standard of work - written, oral and practical - achieved by the students.

English Language requirements

There are no classes exclusively for overseas students. All students admitted to the College should therefore be able to study in classes with students who have English as their first language. Applicants must consider that they may be studying at a reasonably high level in a second language, it is advisable that applicants prepare for this and do not start a course and find that they need to learn English at the same time as cope with the demands of their course. As instruction may include the dictation of notes and as students are required to study without supervision in her/his free time, (work which will include extracting information from relevant books, essays written by the student etc) it is important that the students' understanding of spoken and written English and her/his ability to express themselves in English should be of a high standard. For your guidance the requirements are as follows:

It is likely that the College will ask international applicants to undertake a language assessment or test before deciding on the appropriate level of course.

If an application is received from overseas then we will need very strong evidence that the student can fulfil our requirements by having passed the examination, and in addition having excellent references. No applications can be considered without a supporting reference and copies of qualifications. It is especially important for those students already studying in Britain to provide a Reference from the school/college they are attending.

The College accepts no responsibility for prematurely terminating the studies of a student who cannot demonstrate sufficient command of the English Language to meet the requirements of the course and the College will not be liable for any expenses incurred by the student arising out of her/his enrolment on the course.

Further information and guidance will be forwarded to each student whose application has been accepted.

Useful Contacts

The British Council
Education Enquiry Service
Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth Street
Manchester
M1 6BB
ENGLAND

Telephone: 0161 957 7755
Fax: 0161 957 7762
Email:

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UKCOSA
The Council for International Education
9 - 17 St Albans Place~
London
N1 0NX

Telephone: + 44 (0) 20 7107 9922
Website: www.ukcosa.org.uk

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UK NARIC National Academic Recognition and Information Centre

ECCTIS Ltd
Oriel House
Oriel Road
Cheltenham
Glos.
GL50 1XP

Website: www.naric.org.uk
Telephone: + 44 1242 258 621
Fax +44 1242 258611