Our newly created “Admission Insights” articles aim to bring greater attention to international universities as viable options for students. While we’ve traditionally focused on US colleges, it’s also become clear that tremendous opportunities exist beyond our own borders that are worth a closer look. Here, through a series of interviews with admission officers, we provide key details about their schools and links where you may find more information.
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1. Please share a brief overview of University of East Anglia.
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is an internationally renowned university based in a campus that provides top quality academic, social and cultural facilities to over 17,000 students across a diverse range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate degree courses.
Since its foundation in 1963 the University’s commitment to achieving international standards of academic excellence has seen it placed in the UK Top 25: The Times/Sunday Times 2020 and Complete University Guide 2020; and the World Top 200 Universities: The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020.
The UEA campus is located in 320 acres of rolling parkland just two miles from the centre of Norwich, the Cathedral City, and England’s first UNESCO City of Literature. Norwich is just 90 minutes from London and boasts eight theatres, five museums, four cinemas, two cathedrals, and a castle, as well as modern developments such as The Forum, Millennium Library, and regional BBC studio. We’re also a leading member of Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of researchers in the fields of environment, health, and plant science.
2. What is typically your percentage of enrolled international students?
UEA has a student population of 16,000 and is home to more than 4,000 International and EU students from over 120 countries.
3. Are there any special requirements for international students versus domestic? If yes, please share them. e.g. In the US, we require a TOEFL score or equivalent.
For Postgraduate Degree Courses application, we`ll be looking at different international academic qualifications and scores as equivalency to UK 2:1 and 2:2 Bachelor degrees, and an IELTS result, or any of the equivalent English language qualifications, is required.
For Undergraduate Degree Courses application, we`ll be usually looking at the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or A-Level results. Using any other international qualifications for applying to our UG degree courses will be assessed by admissions team in a case-by-case basis.
4. What resources are available at your school to help support international students?
We have our own international student service provided from the relevant department.
5. Do you offer financial assistance or scholarships for international students?
Yes we certainly do have.
6. Based on what you know of US universities, what would you say are some of the primary differences between the UK and the US?
The US education system is more flexible—students don’t have to declare an area of study until year two. In the UK, students must know what they want to study and apply directly to that program. Professional programs (Medicine, Law, etc.) in the UK are done right after secondary school rather than after completing an undergraduate degree. Regular degrees in the UK take three years to complete. I believe the tuition and fees for international students in the UK are more affordable, but this is going to depend on scholarships and individual university costs.
7. What would you say is unique or stands out about your university among others?
UEA has good industrial links at East England for different subject areas of study. Some featured courses are at the flagship place among our UK competitors: Creative Writing, Brand Leadership, PT/OT, Behavioral Economics and Competition Policy, Development Studies, Environment Science, Medicine, Film and Television Studies.
We’re highly regarded for Student Satisfaction (top 5 in the UK over the past 15 years) and International Student Proportion. We’ve earned the Gold level of Teaching from 2017 – 2020. Our home city of Norwich was nominated as “Best Place of Living in the UK’ over the past three years (TIMES). Our university is safe, affordable, multicultural, and is in a good location with convenient transportation to other places in the UK and to EU (we`re close to Amsterdam).
UEA also features the world-famous Sainsbury Centre and hosts an International Literary Festival, which has included famous names such as Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Anne Enright (all alumni of UEA’s Creative Writing course).
8. Have you found that graduates are well prepared for the international workplace upon completing their degree?
We do provide career support for our students on campus via the Career Central. Their service covers both the career prospects in the UK and those back in their home countries. More details are available on our site: https://www.uea.ac.uk/careers/what-we-do
*For more information, be sure to visit our University of East Anglia Profile