University College London

Services for International Students at UCL

International Office
The UCL International Office located on the 1st floor of the South Wing can assist with practical welfare advice. The office is open to students from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Prior to the start of the first and second terms, the International Office holds an Orientation Programme for overseas students, designed to help you find your way around and settle in. An electronic newsletter, International Student News, is produced once a term to keep you up-to-date with issues affecting International Students.

Personal Tutor
A member of academic staff in the department will be available for you to seek advice from, usually by appointment or during scheduled tutorial hours. If you are an undergraduate you will be allocated a Personal Tutor but departments also have Departmental and Faculty Tutors that you can see. Support for graduates is usually provided by the programme tutor and as a graduate student you will also have access to the services provided by the UCL Graduate School. Contact your department to find out who your tutor is, when they are available to see you and how they can help.

The Student Counseling Service located on Taviton Street offers support if you are facing emotional problems. You can talk to a counselor about anything that is causing you to feel worried or distressed. The counseling service is entirely confidential and offers a range of services from one-to-one sessions with a qualified counselor to group therapy and self-development workshops.More information about working in the UK can be found on the UKCISA website, or you contact the International Office or the UCL Union Rights and Advice Centre. You can search for a wide range of work opportunities through the UCL Union Workstation and the UCL Careers Service.

For more information please check the University of Central London Website.

Careers advice for international students

Looking for work, internships or voluntary opportunities? Need advice on your career? Then this is for you!
UCL Careers Service is dedicated to providing professional and impartial career management support to all UCL students. Please see the Careers Service website for a full list of our services, or scroll down to view the services most popular with international students:

Finding Jobs and Internships
UCL International JobOnline:
Are you looking for opportunities outside the UK; in your home country or in countries where you are work eligible? Discover opportunities outside the UK, including full-time, part-time, vacation and voluntary positions with International JobOnline. This service is available exclusively to UCL students and staff.

UCL JobAlert:
Register now with UCL JobAlert - the official careers email service for UCL students and graduates! It brings you job vacancies, exclusive news, advice and first notification of all events run by The Careers Group and by UCL Careers Service, targeted to your preferences. All you need to do is register online and we will do the rest.

UCL JobOnline:
Full-time, part-time & vacation, internship, voluntary, work experience and graduate scheme opportunities mainly in the UK, advertised exclusively to UCL students, or to students at all colleges within The Careers Group, University of London.

The Careers Group, University of London, JobShop:
The Careers Group, University of London’s JobShop is also a great resource for part-time, temporary, term-time and holiday jobs.

Overseas students who wish to study at UCL

UCL has for more than 40 years welcomed students from colleges and universities overseas. The following information is for students who are already studying at a university or institution overseas who wish to come and study at UCL as part of their undergraduate or graduate degree from their own 'home' universities.

UCL currently admits over 800 'affiliate' students each year. An affiliate student is one who will follow a similar programme of study/research to UK students but will not receive a degree qualification from UCL. Affiliate students will remain registered as students of their home university and will usually return there to complete their studies.

Undergraduate Undergraduate Affiliates / Junior Year Abroad Students
For students who wish to come and study independently at UCL (i.e. not under an exchange agreement) for up to one year, or those students who wish to study at UCL for their Junior Year Abroad.

Undergraduate Erasmus Students
For students who wish to apply to study at UCL under the Erasmus Programme (EU only).

Undergraduate Exchange Students
For students who wish to apply to study at UCL under an exchange agreement that UCL has with their home university/institution.

Graduate Graduate Affiliate Students
For students who wish to come to UCL to follow a taught course or course modules at graduate level. This can be done either as part of an exchange link (e.g. Erasmus) or independently.

Visiting Research Students For students who wish to come to UCL to undertake Doctoral/PhD level research under the supervision of a UCL academic. This can be done either as part of an exchange link (e.g. Erasmus) or independently.

Accommodation

Many UCL students are accommodated in the college's own halls of residence or other accommodation, such as those below:

Goldsmid House will reopen in brand new buildings for the 2008-2009 session, relocated from Oxford Street to Westminster. (The building is named after Sir F.H. Goldsmid, a treasurer of the University in the 19th century.)
Most students in college or university accommodation are first-year undergraduates. The majority of second and third-year students and postgraduates find their own accommodation in the private sector. There is also limited UCL accommodation available for married students and those with children at Bernard Johnson House, Hawkridge, Neil Sharp House and the University of London's Lilian Penson Hall.

Intercollegiate Halls of Residence
UCL students are also eligible to apply for places in the University of London intercollegiate halls of residence. The halls are:

Intercollegiate Halls
These Halls, all within easy reach of UCL, are available to students attending UCL and any college of the University of London. Accommodation is in twin or single rooms sharing communal bathrooms on a corridor. Breakfast and dinner are provided daily and brunch or lunch is available at weekends. All are independently administered, not by UCL, and students preferring catered accommodation must include these Halls in their preferences when completing their application form.

Campuses

UCL is largely based on three main campuses, located in Bloomsbury, Archway and Hampstead.

Bloomsbury Campus
The Bloomsbury campus is located in Bloomsbury, an area of central London developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries into a fashionable residential area. It is notable for its array of gardened squares and as such is one of the most picturesque areas of central London. It is famed for its literary connections, exemplified by the Bloomsbury Group, and its numerous hospitals and academic institutions.

In addition to being home to UCL, Bloomsbury is also home to the British Museum, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the British Medical Association, the University of London’s Senate House and its colleges (University College London, Birkbeck, Institute of Education, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, School of Pharmacy, School of Oriental and African Studies and the Royal Veterinary College.

UCL Archway Campus of the Royal Free & University College Medical School
The Holborn Union Infirmary opened in 1879. In 1948 it became part of the Whittington Hospital and known as the Archway Wing. Fifty years later, in 1998, it was sold by the NHS and jointly purchased by Middlesex University and University College London. It has been renamed The Archway Campus.

The Campus serves as a focus for initiatives in Multiprofessional Education, Informatics, Clinical Research and Health Services Research. These are being developed and integrated with the aim of improving clinical education, supporting clinical practice and benefiting local communities.

UCL Hampstead Campus of the Royal Free & University College Medical School
Sharing a modern building with the Royal Free Hospital, the Royal Free campus is situated in an attractive area close to the heart of London. Most of the departments based at the Royal Free campus were previously part of the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine which, in August 1998, merged with University College London. The Royal Free Campus is now one of the Medical School’s main teaching and research sites.

Health Services

Keeping healthy, both physically and mentally is important and it is strongly recommended that you register with a doctor when you arrive. The Gower Street Practice, located on UCL premises, 3 Gower Place, is a National Health Service (NHS) practice and you can register there if you live within the area of North or Central London that it covers.

The NHS is the UK’s state health service and as a student you may be entitled to some NHS treatment at no cost. If your course of study is for six months or more you will qualify for NHS treatment like anyone who is ordinarily resident in the UK. Not all services are free, for example, prescriptions must be paid for.

If your course of study is less than six months then you will be entitled to free emergency hospital treatment but you may be charged to see a doctor. Private treatment can be very expensive and it is recommended that you consider purchasing medical insurance.

Nationals of the EEA and Switzerland should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before coming to the UK. Purchasing medical insurance or holding an EHIC does not replace the need for Travel Insurance. For more information about whether you qualify for free treatment, please take a look at the UKCISA Guidance note, Keeping Healthy.

Location

Maps of UCL
UCL is largely based on three main campuses.

UCL Bloomsbury Campus
Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT Use the campus route finder to find your way around the Bloomsbury campus. Map 1: Bloomsbury Campus

UCL Archway Campus of the Royal Free & University College Medical School is based at the Whittington Hospital.
Go to Medical School map

UCL Hampstead Campus of the Royal Free & University College Medical School is based at the Royal Free Hospital.
Go to Hampstead Campus and Royal Free map