Participating Universities

Aston University is lively, welcoming and cosmopolitan campus based university situated in the centre of Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK. It was founded in 1895 and in 1966, received the Royal Charter to be a University from Queen Elizabeth II. The campus is home to five schools (Business, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Languages and Social Sciences Life and Health Sciences and the Medical school) which offer foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research programmes. Aston has more than 11,000 undergraduates and more than 2,000 postgraduate students from over 120 countries.

Aston consistently ranks high in various international league tables. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), 78% of research submitted was evaluated as 'world leading' or 'internationally recognised'.

The University of Birmingham is a beautiful redbrick university, with a leafy green campus, located in the city of Birmingham, just over 150km north of London.

Established in 1900, Birmingham has been challenging and developing great minds for more than a century. Characterised by a tradition of innovation, research at the University has broken new ground, pushed forward the boundaries of knowledge and made an impact on people’s lives. A founding member of the Russell Group and Universitas 21, the University of Birmingham is a prestigious, world leading educational institution, which provides an exceptionally high level of teaching.

Birmingham is renowned for producing highly employable and successful graduates. In 2018-19, the University was the 3rd most targeted university by top employers (The Graduate Market in 2019), demonstrating their commitment to you and your future. The University has also invested £5m in its graduate careers services and successful alumni are offered mentoring and bursaries to support work experience and internships in the UK and overseas.

Heriot-Watt University is the eighth oldest higher education institution in the UK and originated as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world’s first mechanics institute, in 1821. In 1966 it became a university by Royal Charter. More than a third of Heriot-Watt’s 7,000 Edinburgh campus students are from outside the UK and this international focus is also demonstrated by the 10,000 students from 150 different countries worldwide studying on its international programmes.

The University boasts multiple campuses, with three in Scotland, and one each in Malaysia and Dubai. Heriot-Watt won an award from the Scottish Council of Development and Industry because of its international focus and it also performs well in physical sciences, mathematics, business and management, engineering and the built environment. It won the 'International University of the Year' 2018 award from Times Higher Education.

95% of Heriot-Watt first degree graduates were in employment or further study within six months of graduating and it is the number 1 university in Scotland for the highest paid salaries (Times Higher Education University Guide).

At Kaplan International Pathways, education is at the heart of everything we do. We believe in the power of education to change people’s lives.

If you want to go to university in the UK, our preparation courses will bring your skills to the level needed for a degree. Alternatively, we’ll help you gain direct entry if you already qualify. With us, you can succeed at university, in your future career, and in life.

Our pathway courses give you everything you need to support your progression to a top university. We help you to improve your academic abilities, English language skills and subject knowledge, to ensure you are fully ready for your bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree.

Many of our teachers have been working with international students for several years, and know the exact academic and English language standards expected by universities. With this wealth of experience, we can help you successfully progress to your chosen degree.

Kingston University is an inclusive and vibrant university, recognised for its excellent teaching, ranks highly in the world’s list of young universities and has several UK-leading courses. Located in the outskirts of London, our diverse student populace enjoy the best of one of the world’s greatest cities. We offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, several of which are rated the best in the country by The Guardian University Guide 2020. View the course list page to see the extensive offerings across our faculties.

Kingston University’s teaching has been recognised as outstanding by winning The Guardian University Award 2017 for teaching excellence. Courses are also brought to life by interactive learning facilities such as the Bloomberg trading room, the flight simulator, an in-built hospital ward and music recording studio.

Mander Portman Woodward, or MPW, is an independent college network based in London, Birmingham and Cambridge. Founded in 1973, it offers students an attractive and modern learning environment to study GCSEs, A-levels and university foundation courses. Nearly 1,000 students are enrolled across all three colleges, around a third of which are international.

All tutors at MPW are highly qualified to first degree or doctoral levels, and many are examiners for the subjects they teach. Study is focused on exams, and course notes are provided to help students better prepare for final examinations. Each student at MPW is assigned to a Director of Studies who will supervise student's welfare and academic performance.

The University of Northampton’s mission to transform lives and inspire change seeks to ensure your time at University is fulfilling, satisfying and enjoyable. They offer industry-relevant courses, taught on a brand new campus. The University actively focuses on making sure you have all the support you need at this important stage of your life. Face-to-face teaching is enhanced by the latest developments in technology to give students flexibility in the way they learn. In addition, Northampton has a unique commitment to social impact, supporting staff and students to have a positive effect on the world. Courses and extra- curricular activity are designed to promote the idea that everybody has the power to make a positive impact on society – small changes that add up to make the world a better place.

The new campus - Waterside - is located just a few minutes’ walk from Northampton town centre. It is purpose-built, designed to deliver a new personalised experience of teaching and learning, plus excellent opportunities to develop academic knowledge and life skills.

The University of Nottingham is a research-focused campus university which has been described as “the nearest thing Britain has to a truly global university” by the Times, with campuses in Malaysia and China as well as the UK. It is the fifth largest university in the UK and a member of the Russell Group, Universitas 21, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the European University Association.

The University of Nottingham is regarded as one of the best universities in the world and regularly features in the UK’s top 30 Higher Education institutions. The Teaching Excellence Framework ranked Nottingham Gold, while the QS World Rankings by Subject revealed Nottingham subjects Pharmacy & Pharmacology (6th), Education (22nd), Anatomy & Physiology (36th), Veterinary Science (29th), Nursing (42nd), Geography (46th) and English Language & Literature (49th) as some of the best in the world.

Admission to the University is highly competitive and Nottingham regularly receives one of the largest numbers of applications per undergraduate place in the country.

Nottingham Trent University is spread across three campuses, two in Nottingham and one just outside the city, and it is one of the largest universities in the UK with 28,000 students currently enrolled. Nottingham Trent was originally founded in 1843 before officially gaining full university status in 1992. 93% of Nottingham Trent students would recommend studying at at the University following the National Student Survey and it was named 'University of the Year' by Times Higher Education for 2018.

Nottingham Trent University is best known for its Art and Design, Fashion and creative arts programmes, but it also hosts one of the UK’s largest law schools. The University also does well in sports, with strong performances in the British University and College Sport leagues. The University recently received one of the biggest grants to a post-1992 university in order to continue its work on cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Nottingham Trent are partnered with 50 academic institutions across 40 countries, with some programmes at the University also offering the chance for students to study abroad.

Oxford International Education Group was founded in 1991 and currently provides language education, academic preparation and education study tours to international students.

Oxford International provides pathways to higher education through an exciting range of international integrated undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. In collaboration with our university partners we establish on-campus, Embedded Colleges, where students study the first stage of an integrated Bachelors degree over three or four years. At postgraduate level we offer integrated Masters programmes that combine specialist learning with additional English language and academic support.

Oxford International are currently embedded at the following universities:

• Bangor University
• De Montfort University
• University of Dundee
• University of Greenwich

d’Overbroeck’s Oxford is an independent day and boarding school in north Oxford.

The University of Portsmouth is located on the south coast of England, about 120km south west of London. There are over 24,000 students enrolled, 4,000 of which are international.

Portsmouth is a modern, multi-disciplinary university offering practical courses at undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research level across five faculties. Most Bachelors degrees include a one year paid internship and the University is currently ranked 21st in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2020), and is rated highly for student satisfaction and graduate employment.

Portsmouth strengths lie in geology, earth and environmental sciences, pharmacy and sport science, psychology and optometry; petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering, computing and computer science; law, criminology and criminal justice, forensic studies, international relations, journalism, public administration, architecture, property development and real estate management. There is a full portfolio of business courses available including the Portsmouth MBA, economics, accounting, finance, human resource management and law.

The University of Salford has a long history of working with industry, improving on its traditional strengths of nursing, engineering and sports medicine. It was founded in its original form in 1850 before being awarded full university status in 1967, and there are currently over 20,000 students enrolled across 60 acres of parkland on the banks of the River Irwell.

Following the results of the National Student Survey, 83% of Salford graduates were satisfied with their time at the University. Improvements were also made in all subject areas, with 100% satisfaction in Media Technology, Petroleum and Mechanical Engineering, Professional Studies Nursing and Social Work and Architecture Design and Technology.

Salford was one of the first universities to offer a ‘sandwich’ degree, a year-long work placement, while its most recent development is MediaCityUK, which allows students to work and study with numerous companies in order to gain vital experience and contacts.

Study Group International Study Centres provide specialist degree preparation for long-term career success. Undergraduate and postgraduate study is available alongside pre-master and foundation programmes for international students. 88% of successful Study Group students progress to the UK university of their choice.

The foundation and year one programmes are designed to prepare international students for undergraduate degree-level study at UK universities, while pre-masters programmes provide progression to a postgraduate degree.

Working with university partners and their own prestigious Bellerbys College, Study Group is the largest provider of international students to UK Higher Education institutions.

International Year One is an intensive, three-term programme of academic subjects, study skills and English language training that is equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree.