Resources for Study in the UK and Ireland

Yale students and alumni thinking about pursuing post-graduate study in the United Kingdom or Ireland are encouraged to make an appointment to talk with Kate Dailinger in Fellowship Programs. She studied in England herself and can interpret academic websites, put you in touch with useful contacts, and help with fellowships, applications, interviews, and more. Where to begin If you are interested in graduate school, whether in the UK and Ireland or closer to home, faculty members are your best source of advice. Talk to these experts in your field about who is doing interesting research, where the strongest degree programs are, and which of them might best suit your background, interests, and longer-term aims. You'll be able to have more fruitful conversations if you go in having done some homework first... Ranking Courses and Institutions Research Assessment Exercise 2008 The easiest way to get at this peer-reviewed government rating of the research strengths of most UK programs and institutions is via the Times Higher Education Supplement (especially their downloadable pdf, which gives overall scores for the 2008 RAE along with the 2001 ratings in one helpful table). The Official RAE may be searched by area of study ("Units of Assessment") or institution; the introduction gives a key and you can click on ? next to a heading to see what it covers. The 2001 RAE (still quoted on many British university websites) gave one overall rating, with 5* the highest possible. QAA Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education Assessment of degree courses in the UK, focused on teaching and student experience, indexed by institution and subject.

On this page General Resources Ranking Courses and Institutions Decoding UK Degrees Searching for Specific Degree Programs (Courses) Other Useful Links Related Links Center for International Experience Yale Database of Faculty Research Worldwide Fellowships for Study in the UK & Ireland Student Grants Database

Decoding UK Degrees

Wondering what an MPhil is or what distinguishes a "research degree" from a "taught degree"? Try our unofficial guide to decoding UK degrees.

Searching for Specific Degree Courses

• Education UK
  British Council search engine for degree courses, plus much other helpful information.
• Prospects - Postgraduate Study Information, Education and Courses
  PROSPECTS focuses on POSTGRADUATE study in the UK.
• Hotcourses: Courses in London and the UK
  HOTCOURSES provides information about both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
• Hobsons Postgrad UK
  A commercial site, providing extensive information on POSTGRADUATE courses of study.
• Development Studies Courses
  The Development Studies Association provides information about degree courses in the UK and Ireland. (You must register to get access to this information, but it's free.)

General Resources

• British Council: United States
  Lots of useful information and excellent links.
• Higher Education in the UK
  Links to the homepages of most universities in the UK, as well as valuable advice on choosing a university and other resources from the official Marshall Scholarship website.
• University of Wolverhampton UK Universities Map
  Interactive map with an alphabetical index of links to most universities in the UK.
• Times (of London) University Guide and the Guardian Higher Education Guide
  Two popular UK guides to universities, intended primarily for prospective undergraduates but prospective postgrads may find them helpful too.
• Higher Education in Ireland
  Helpful information and links from the US-Ireland Alliance intended especially for those interested in the Mitchell Scholarship.

Other Useful Links

• Fellowships for Study in the UK or Ireland
• Advice on putting together a good application: how to ask for—and get—strong letters of recommendation, writing fellowship essays, and more.  Interview reports by former Yale candidates give application advice as well.
• Choosing an Oxbridge college…
  Look at the good advice offered by Oxford and Cambridge. Apart from practical considerations involving funding and accommodation, you should look for a community you think you'd like to join. Browse college websites, especially information for prospective postgraduates or about the MCR (which means, essentially, the postgraduate student community). Talk with Kate Dailinger at Fellowship Programs, and see what others have to say: ask Kate for contacts, talk with Graduate Fellowship Affiliates here at Yale, ask other people you may know about their experiences at Oxbridge, and see what student websites have to say about Cambridge and Oxford colleges - remembering that their opinions may not match yours. The good news? If you are offered a place to read for a postgraduate degree, even if neither college listed on your application can take you, one of the other colleges will!
• Universities & Colleges Admissions Service: Students section
  Provides an application guide to all UNDERGRADUATE courses of study in the UK.
• UKCISA: The UK Council for International Student Affairs
  Provides useful advice for international students on subjects including immigration procedures, choosing courses, study methods in the UK, etc.
• Goodenough College
  A great housing option for students doing degree courses in London.
• Visas
  Advice from the British Council about "Entry Clearance" for students. See also Home Office advice about student visas and/or the ATAS clearances required for study of certain science and technology subjects (usually if you need ATAS clearance your university will tell you). For visa information for the Republic of Ireland, click here.
• Students Abroad
  Helpful US State Department advice for students traveling and studying abroad, including how to sort out passports and visas, how to vote while abroad, what to do in an emergency, etc.

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