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Studying in Scotland: Financial Support & Entry Requirements
by Andra Groza
A lot of us know how hard it is to be born in a country where education isnt the best you can get. You get through primary school, through secondary school and then, somewhere in the middle of your high school years you stop and ask yourself whether you want something more or not.
Of course you do, but not in the same country. But then, the difficult question comes up: am I able to study in a different country? Is there a possibility of doing such thing? Can I afford it? And, even more important, where do I go?
A few years ago, I was in the exact same situation. And coming from a middle class family that couldnt afford too much, I didnt have the freedom to go wherever I wanted to and not take into account the financial aspect. Well, I can now proudly say Im in my 3rd year of studying abroad in Aberdeen, Scotland. Next year this time, you could be studying abroad too. There are just a couple of things you need to know and steps to take before that.
Financial Support
Fortunately for the ones who cannot afford paying for the tuition fees that the universities from all around Europe ask for, the Scottish Government offers funding from students coming from the U.E. upon acceptance at a university. After being accepted you just need to apply at SAAS (an agency working for the Scottish Government) and within not too much time this agency will give you a so called award which will cover the cost of the tuition fees.
To be eligible to apply for payment of EU tuition fees, there are a couple of conditions that have to be met, such as:
- You have to be an EU national;
- You have to be taking a course of full-time study in Scotland and also plan to graduate in Scotland (they will not pay for tuition fees if you are studying in Scotland as a part of the course at your home institution)
- You havent already got a degree for which you received financial support from your home country or another EU member state).
A great thing about SAAS offering financial help in paying your tuition fees is the fact that it isnt a loan, which means that after graduation you dont have to give the money back.
Entry Requirements
From my own experience, acceptance at universities is usually based on your results from during high school and from the exams at the end of it. It might be slightly different for students coming from other countries (because the educational system is not the same), but the idea is the same: your previous academic performance does matter the most. The level they expect is not extremely high, you dont have to be a straight A student in order to be accepted, you just have to be somewhere above medium. To give a concrete example, on a scale from grade 1 (which is the lowest) to 10 (the highest), they asked for at least an 8 at the exam of the end of high school.
On top of these academic results, you need to have taken a test which can demonstrate your English proficiency, such as Cambridge, TOEFL or IELTS. Personally, I didnt have the Cambridge one, but had the TOEFL, which is perceived as good as the first one.
Another thing that the university takes into account is your extracurricular activity. Because they believe that what you do outside the school defines you a person as well. Being part of a sport club, a music one, having done volunteer work, having participated in any kind of competition are all extremely valuable things. Just make sure you keep a proof of everything (such as a diploma or a certificate) so you can show youve done all those things.
On top of all of these, you will usually need two letters of recommendation from teachers or any person who might have a trustworthy word in recommending you as an honourable candidate.
These are basically the initial steps you need to take. Of course, deciding which university to apply for is an equally difficult decision, but knowing that is possible to study abroad in Scotland without having to pay for tuition fees yourself is the first and most important step.
Explore Scotland
Are you thinking of studying in Scotland but you have no idea where to start? Maybe one of the following universities is just the perfect one for you! Alternatively you can just start searching on your own right ahead!
Queen Margaret University
The Queen Mararet University is located in beautiful Edinburgh - maybe one of the nicest places to study in Europe! The university has a widely recognised expertise in the areas of health and rehabilitation; sustainable business and creativity and culture and offers interesting programmes in that area such as International Health, MBA or Festival Management for example.
The University of Edinburgh
Also located in Edinburgh and founded in 1582, the University of Edinburgh is one of the largest and most prestigeous universities in the UK. In its three colleges containing a total of 21 schools, a large variety of programmes are offered covering everything in the range of a Master in Public Policy (MPP) to a Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programme for Offshore Renewable Energy.
Glasgow Caledonian University
Of course Scotland does not only exist of Edinburgh! The Caledonian University is located in modern and vibrant Glasgow offering world-class facilities on a high-tech campus. It was awarded as "Best international student experience in the UK" and offers a wide range of exciting and innovative programmes such as 3D Design for Virtual Environments, Sustainable Energy Technologies or Voice Over IP and Unified Communications.
University of Strathclyde Business School
The University of Strathclyde Business School (SBS) is located in Glasgow as well and offers high quality education in the area of business and management. The university offers a large programme portfolio offering Master's degrees as well as Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates. Popular programmes are their Master in Business Administration (MBA) a Master of Science in Business Analysis and Consulting and a Master's in Human Resource Management.
The author
Andra Groza
is originally from Romania, currently studying Media Studies at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen (Scotland) and did an Erasmus exchange in Rotterdam, The Netherlands