Student Guide to Full Time Courses

If you are interested in studying in the UK, you can choose to study either full time or part time. Most universities offer foreign students the option at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Your decision affects how many years your course is and how many hours a week you are expected to study for. Here you will find information about full time courses, how much they cost and how to apply to them.

Why Should I Choose a Full Time Course?

Most students in the UK study full time courses, and there are a number of benefits to doing so. First of all, you gain your qualifications much faster than in part time study, meaning you can start a career and start earning money sooner. Though the work is more intensive than on a part time course, many students enjoy focussing completely on their studies rather than doing a paid job at the same time. Studying full time also often makes it easier to make friends with the other students on your course, as you see them more regularly during the week.

How long do Full Time Courses take Foreign Students?

Most full time undergraduate courses usually last three years in the UK. It varies slightly for each university but generally, each academic year starts in October and ends in June, and is split into three terms of 10-12 weeks long. At postgraduate level, full time Masters are usually one year long and PhD’s three years. However, the academic years are longer on postgraduate courses, often starting in October but not finishing till September. The exact dates of your course should be easy to find on the university website.

For courses which are full time, students are expected to spend the majority of their time each week studying for their course. The number of ‘contact hours’ (the time spent with tutors in lectures or seminars) each week in a full time course varies hugely depending on the university and course. Undergraduate Humanities courses generally have fewer contact hours, as, for example, for an English Literature course you could spend as few as 8 hours in lectures and seminars. In comparison, some undergraduate Science and Maths courses can include anything up to 40 contact hours a week. Postgraduate courses generally involve fewer contact hours as students are expected to be able to work on their own more. The time differences between courses are made up by the amount of work that students do away from contact hours- reading, writing, researching, revising and so on.    

How much do Full Time Courses Cost for Foreign Students?

As we are sure you know, foreign students have to pay significantly higher fees to study in the UK than home/EU students. The costs of full time courses vary depending on the course, the university and whether you are studying at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Undergraduate courses generally cost foreign students anything from £10,000 to £15,000 per year. The average course lasts three years, and so a foreign student can expect to pay anything from £30,000 to £50,000 in fees to complete an undergraduate degree at a UK university.

Most postgraduate courses generally cost a fairly similar amount per year, also starting at about £10,000. However, there are far more postgraduate courses that cost significantly more than £10,000. For example many Masters in Finance or Business can cost over £20,000 for one year’s study.   

To find out how much the fees are for the courses and universities you are interested in, have a look at our UK University Guide. It has information about all the most popular UK universities for foreign students, and you can find out about the costs of full time study at each individual university.  

Application Information for Full Time Courses

For almost all full time undergraduate courses, foreign students should use the UCAS website to apply. For more information about how to do this, visit our Student Guide to Applying to UK Universities. After you have applied, some universities may offer you a place on your course without ever meeting you, whilst some will want to interview you before they offer you a place. If getting to an interview would be a problem for you then make sure you check the application process for the universities you are interested in before you apply to them.

For full time postgraduate courses, most universities ask foreign students to apply directly to the university. Application forms can be found on the university websites, and for more information have a look at the Postgraduate section of our Student Guide to Applying to UK Universities.       

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