What is the academic year like at a UK university?

The standard of education in the United Kingdom is very high. In fact, the UK is known for having some of the highest-ranking universities in the QS World Rankings, Times Higher Education Ranking and Academic Ranking of World Universities. This is why a degree from the UK is respected by employers all over the world.

If you’re interested in studying in the UK, but still deciding if it’s the right choice for you, we’ve answered some of your biggest questions about how you’ll study and how you’ll get your degree.

Get a real for what you can expect from the UK 

In this blog:

 

What are the term times for UK universities?

UK universities usually split the academic year into three terms across two semesters. 

Semester One runs from the start of the new academic year in September, ending before Christmas; Semester Two starts in January and runs until the start of the summer break, which is normally in June. 

For most universities, Term One will be in autumn – starting at the beginning of the new academic year and ending in the middle of December when you will have a winter break. 

Term Two – or spring term – starts in January and ends in late March. Term Three – the summer term – starts in April and ends in June. 

Many universities will also have ‘reading weeks.’ These are short breaks part-way through a term to give you time to catch up on your course reading. 

What is studying in the UK like?

The most common type of undergraduate qualification studied at a UK university is a Bachelor’s degree. This usually takes three years full-time study to complete, but there are exceptions, such as Medicine and Dentistry.

During each academic year or stage, you will complete a number of different modules. At Newcastle, for example, in Stage One of a three-year Biology degree you will study modules on topics such as genetics and evolution, and ecology and conservation. In Stages Two and Three, you will study different modules as well as completing a dissertation in your final year.

At the start of each stage you will get a timetable showing your modules and the classes for those module. These classes can include lectures, seminars, workshops or tutorials.

 

Lectures

Your lectures can take place in large halls on campus or online, and may be attended by students from different degrees that are related to your course. Lectures can be as short as an hour, but sometimes longer for more in-depth topics. 

The lecturer will present to you, and teach you about their research topic, and students are expected to take notes. As each module progresses, the lectures will get more in-depth and detailed.

It’s unlikely that you will need to interact during a lecture. However, you may be asked to do some reading beforehand to help your learning.

If there’s anything you don’t understand, you will usually get the chance to ask questions at the end. Or, if you’re uncomfortable with the idea of talking in front of people, you can always speak to the lecturer at the end, or even email them at another time. 

 

Seminars

Seminars are a bit different from lectures, as they’re a lot more interactive. This is your chance to discuss the things covered during the lecture, and talk with your fellow students. 

You will often have to do some seminar preparation. This can be anything from reading, to answering some questions or even preparing a presentation.

Don’t let this part scare you! Seminar groups are usually very small, with students from all walks of life and backgrounds. They are a safe space for you to share your ideas and ask questions about the teaching material or upcoming assignments. 

 

How are students assessed?

Each module that you study has a credit weighting. The majority of modules are worth 20 credits each, however, if you complete a dissertation as part of your third year this is usually worth 40 credits.

As a full-time student on an undergraduate degree programme, you must complete 120 credits in each academic year of study. For a full honours degree you need 360 credits over the course of your three-year degree.

You will be assessed on what you have learned in each module, but don’t worry, you will be given plenty of notice about the details of your assessment so you have time to plan and prepare. Your work is marked and moderating processes are in place to make sure marking is fair and consistent.

Assessments can take any of the below forms: 

• Coursework

• Exams 

• Group work 

• Essays 

• Reports

• Presentations 

• Dissertations a

  nd more 

 

How do UK grades work?

Your final university degree depends on your assessed work. The marks you receive from each module in a particular year or stage are combined, with modules that are worth more credits contributing more to your overall mark for that particular stage.

At most universities, the mark you get at the end of Stage One doesn’t count towards your final degree. This is to give new students a chance to understand the way degrees work, to perfect their academic skills and get in the right mindset to study at degree-level.

Instead your final degree is based on the ‘Honours stages’ – Stages Two and Three of your degree programme. Your overall marks from these two stages are combined to give a final score that leads to your degree classification.

 

SCORE

Degree classification

70% or above

First-Class Honours

1st

60-70% 

Upper Second-Class Honours

2:1

50-60% 

Lower Second-Class Honours

2:2

40-50%

Third-Class Honours

3rd

-40%

Fail

Fail

What are the benefits of studying in the UK?

There are lots of benefits to studying in the UK. Just a few of these are: 

• UK courses are generally shorter than other countries, which means you save money on tuition fees and accommodation costs

• UK universities are inspected regularly by t

  he Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for higher education

   to assess the standards of teaching, learning and research to make sure students are getting the highest standard of teaching possible

• Most UK universities offer merit-based scholarship programmes and funding opportunities to international students to support their studies and cost of living

• Many countries like to follow the UK’s education system, as its considered among the best in world

• Degrees from UK universities are respected by employers

Read our blog on the benefits of studying at Newcastle University for international students. 

 

We hope you find this blog post useful. For students coming from another country, there are so many questions and unknowns about UK university life, including how to get your application right. If you’re working on your university application, why not download our guide to writing the perfect personal statement?