Roadmap to the University of Manchester

"The combination of shorter duration programmes at a lower cost could be a better decision for Bangladeshi students."

In conversation with Chris Gibson, international officer and country manager for Bangladesh at the University of Manchester

1. What are the advantages of studying in the UK compared to other English-speaking destinations, such as the US and Australia?

There are quite a few reasons. First is the quality of education. In the UK you have a very high concentration of top ranked universities like the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, London School of Economics (LSE), etc. So, you have all these world-leading universities in a very small area. Second, the typical length of a degree in the UK is shorter than in the US. For instance, one can complete the same quality bachelor's degree in the UK in three years and a master's degree in one year. That is a beneficial aspect for Bangladeshi students because they will get their qualifications quickly and have to pay tuition fees for fewer years. The combination of shorter duration programmes at a lower cost can be a better decision for Bangladeshi students. 

2. What opportunities do the University of Manchester provide for Bangladeshi students? Why do they choose the university?

The University of Manchester has a programme called "Global Future Scholarship", which provides the opportunity for the best South Asian students to study at the university with reduced tuition fees.

The competitive scholarship applicable only for a master's degree is awarded to students across South Asia who achieved an excellent grade point average. Students applying for a master's degree at the university can be awarded up to 6,000 pounds as a reduction in their fees. An undergraduate student coming from an international high school can be awarded up to 5,000 pounds in the first two years of their degree. 

We offer 400 bachelor's courses and many master's courses, and also PhD courses across our three faculties - Humanities, Science of Engineering and Biology in Medicine and Health.

3. What measures should a student take to ensure that they will be accepted into the university?

It is really important for students to remember that the requirements differ depending on the course. For example, if a student wants to study mechanical engineering, they would need a strong mathematics background and for a master's, they would need a bachelor's in the related subject area. 

However, there are some courses at Manchester that don't have specific background requirements. For instance, business and some development-related programmes. 

4. What are the entry requirements for Bangladeshi students?

There are two main entry requirements: academic requirement and an English language requirement. To enter into bachelor's directly, you would require an international schooling system like the International Baccalaureate (IB) or A Levels. Students who have taken HSC need a one-year foundation course. 

Students who want to pursue a master's can apply with a Bangladeshi bachelor's degree with a minimum overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.20. For PhD students, they must have both a bachelor's and master's degree with a minimum CGPA of 3.20. 

In addition, we would require an IELTS test or any other equivalent English test from Bangladeshi students. The score requirement depends on the targeted course but it can range from 6.5-7.5 overall in an IELTS test. I think the most difficult thing for Bangladeshi students is the English language level. The quality of Bangladeshi students is great but they just have to make sure to get the required language test score.

5. How many Bangladeshi students are currently studying at the University of Manchester? 

We have 104 Bangladeshi students studying at all levels -- bachelor's, master's, and PhD. They are performing very well because these students have done prior research to make sure they have the right background, the right grades and so on. There is a nice community of Bangladeshi students at the University of Manchester. 

6. How can Bangladeshi students apply to the University of Manchester?

For bachelor's applications, there is a central system that every university in the UK uses. It is called UCAS. Students can find out all about the application system at ucas.com. For master's, we accept applications directly on our website: manchester.ac.uk. When students go to the website to search for a course they want to enrol in, they will find a button that says "Apply Online", and if they follow this link they will find the place to upload their transcripts and other required documents. For PhD, the process is a little bit longer. Firstly, the students have to informally reach out to the potential supervisor. Then, the student has to complete an official research proposal and finally submit the application.

7. What are the tuition fees and living costs for the University of Manchester?

We have a couple of different bands of tuition fees. The lowest is for Humanities and Social Science courses, which cost between 21,000-23,000 pounds per year. For courses which require access to laboratories, such as science and engineering, it can cost between 26,000 - 27,500 pounds per year. Business degrees generally cost around 26,000 pounds per year while finance degrees cost 32,000 pounds per year. This is similar for both bachelor's and master's. For master's courses, the students should remember there is only one payment as it is a one year course.

The UK doesn't offer as many scholarships as the US. My advice is to look at the final amounts the students end up paying. The US generally offers 50 per cent scholarship on courses, which  cost about $35,000 to $50,000 per year whereas you can earn a UK degree with 26,000 pounds per year. The cost is roughly the same. So, I would say students need to do a little bit of research to check out which option is the cheapest considering all these factors.

8. Is it possible to work in the UK during study?

The student visa for the UK usually allows work up to 20 hours a week. It will be enough to help with the cost of food and socialising but it won't generate enough to cover full accommodation or tuition cost.

9. Is there a possibility to stay in the UK after graduation?

In the last couple of years, the UK government changed the visa policy and introduced the Graduate Immigration Route. The Graduate Immigration visa allows any international student who studied a bachelor's or higher in the UK to remain in the country upon successful completion of the degree, to look for work or to work for up to two years. 

So, there is a flexible pay rate where there is no minimum earning requirement; any kind of work is fine as long as the student is able to survive for two years. That gives a great deal of flexibility for students who may want to stay in the UK a bit longer to experience its working culture. This two-year visa has become beneficial particularly for students from South Asia. After the two years, students would need to transfer to a work visa, which requires the applicant to be sponsored by a company in the UK.

10. Tell us about the affiliation between the University of Manchester and IECC. How successful was the decade-long journey?

The International Education Counselling Centre (IECC) is the University of Manchester's sole representative in Bangladesh. This is the only advising agency that we are working with. The organisation is a very trusted partner of the university and they are kind of our Bangladesh face.

If students want to contact IECC, they can visit one of their offices. IECC can advise on everything from choosing the subject to getting the visa. 

The interview was taken by Saudia Afrin