We provide impartial information tailored for Israelis. We run the IELTS exam, offer IELTS preparation courses designed to improve your performance in the exam and administer the prestigious Chevening scholarship  for postgraduate studies.

We run UCAS workshops from September to March, a pre-departure briefing in July and attend a variety of education events throughout the year.  Check out our events calendar for more information about these and other events.

Education UK is the main resource for international students and a great place to start your search for studies. Education UK has information in English, Arabic and Russian as well as other languages

In addition to Education UK (see previous question), if you are looking for undergraduate (first degree) studies you can also use the UCAS website’s course search.

You can search for all levels of postgraduate study on Prospects and Hobsons.

If you want a more in depth explanation about the different types of studies available in the UK, spend time on the Your Study Options section of Education UK.   

You can search for short courses on Hotcourses and Floodlight.

Some subjects are accredited by professional bodies in the UK.  These include

Institutions set their own fees and publish them on their websites, prices usually vary within the following ranges per year:

In addition to fees, you need to consider the cost of living. Universities often provide prospective students with estimated costs.

The UNAID International Student Calculator can help you plan and manage your money.  

Education UK has a budget planner in the Living in the UK section.

Undergraduate degrees usually take three years, however there are exceptions. In Scotland degrees take four years. Some Scottish universities offer scholarships for the final year. Sandwich courses, denoted by the letters SW, include a year’s work experience, often paid, as part of a degree and add a year to studies. Other exceptions include medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine which take five to six years and architecture which takes a total of seven years to qualify. Education UK has information about different subjects.

Postgraduate taught degrees usually take 12 months, postgraduate diplomas and certificates can take 6-9 months.

PhDs take at least 3 years

Only students who are European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and have been resident in the EEA for three years immediately before the start of their studies are entitled to pay home fees, under certain conditions.  

UKCISA publishes detailed information about student fees.

Our scholarship pages publish all the information we have about scholarships. We administer the prestigious Chevening scholarship  for postgraduate studies. We also list any scholarships  we are aware of that are open to Israelis.

Universities publish information about any scholarships they have available for international students on their websites.

You also search for scholarships on Education UK.

Institutions publish information about how and when to apply to them on their websites.

Most undergraduate applications are made through a central application system called UCAS and are made online. The British Council holds workshops from September to March to help you understand how to successfully complete the UCAS application form.

Some courses including medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine and applications to Oxford or Cambridge have a 15 October deadline. Art and design applications have different deadlines. You can find a full list of dates and deadlines here.

Some conservatoires use the Conservatoires Admissions Services UK.

Please note that for undergraduate studies you cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge. The exception is for applicants who already hold a degree or will have completed one by the beginning of the academic year. Applicants to Cambridge from outside the EU must submit a Cambridge Overseas Application Form (COAF) as well as a UCAS application. These also have an October 15 deadline.

Most postgraduate applications are made directly to the institution. Some universities accept applications through a central application system called UKPASS. Exceptions include:

Applications to postgraduate Clinical Psychology are made through Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology. Non-European Economic Area applicants are not usually considered for this qualification, see the section for international applicants.

Graduate Entry to Medicine applications are made through UCAS as are most applications to postgraduate professional social work.

The Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR), process applications for entry to Postgraduate and Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).

Most universities require overseas applicants to take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. We can provide you with details about registration and preparation. For most institutions the IELTS and good Bagrut/ relevant degree are enough.  

Some universities require candidates to sit an entrance exam for undergraduate studies, in particular medicine and law and some subjects at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. You can find a complete list on UCAS.

You can take some entrance exams at the British Council in Israel, please refer to our exams pages.

Some institutions request the GMAT for acceptance onto MBA programmes.

Each university sets its own entry requirements. You are not required to have A-levels (the English school leaving exams) as Bagrut are recognised. You normally need full Bagrut to be accepted onto an undergraduate degree. You may wish to contact the international offices of the universities you want to apply to and ask whether your Bagrut results meet the entry requirements of the course you wish to study, before sending your UCAS form.

For postgraduate studies entry requirements usually include 'a good first degree'.

Sometimes if you have relevant experience you can be accepted for studies without formal qualifications. All institutions publish details of their entry requirements on their websites.

Institutions in the UK encourage and support students with learning difficulties and other disabilities. Most universities and colleges have disability coordinators or advisers. You can find information on the Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities website. Ensure that if you are asked about disabilities or learning difficulties on your application form that you answer honestly

There is no UK government or British Council list that ranks UK institutions.

Unistats enables you to compare universities and colleges. It also has information about student satisfaction and statistics regarding graduates getting jobs after completing their courses.

The Research Assessment Exercise produces quality profiles regarding research activity of universities.

For some subjects, e.g. MBAs and other business courses, some institutions seek accreditation from specialist bodies such as the Association of MBAs or EQUIS.

Only authorised institutions can teach or award degrees. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills lists all recognised institutions.

The Guardian and the Times newspapers publish unofficial guides to universities in the UK.

UCAS has useful information about how to choose a course.

Refer to the Consular section of the British Embassy in Israel's website.

Visa applications are made through the UK Border Agency. The Border Agency has published a guide to applying for visas.

The visa system in the UK is now a points-based system and students need 40 points in order to receive permission to enter the UK to study to study for more than 6 months.

In addition to completing the on-line visa application you need to provide two types of documents:

1.confirmation of acceptance (CAS)  from the institution where you are going to study (universities and colleges are also known as “sponsors”)

2.proof that you have the tuition fees and funds to support yourself and any dependants

For studies of less than 6 months, you are considered a student visitor, click here to find out more about student visitors.

There are options to stay and work in the UK following your studies, the Council for International Students Association, UKCISA outlines them.

Information is also available from the UK Border Agency .

Some universities will accept you onto the second or third year of studies if you have completed one or two years of study elsewhere.  You should contact the universities you are considering applying to and supply them with details of the courses you have taken, number of study hours you have completed, number of credits gained in each course, a list of examinations undertaken and results.

The UK institution will then decide what credit, if any, you can be given. If the university agrees that they are willing to consider your application to start the course in the second or third year, you will still have to apply through the UCAS system.  On your UCAS application you will indicate that your point of entry is ‘2’ or ‘3’.

There are different types of recognition in Israel that you will have to look into.

The Ministry of Education Division for Evaluation of Foreign Academic Degrees. It is useful to visit their website before you apply for studies, in particular if you wish to undertake a PhD, or study distance learning.

If you want to know whether your degree will be accepted by Israeli universities, you should contact the university where you wish to continue your studies, provide them with details of the course you intend to study and ask whether it meets their entry requirements.  This is particularly important if you are going to study for a BEng or MEng.

If you are studying for a professional qualification it is vital that you contact the relevant Israeli professional body in order to find out whether your degree will be recognised for professional purposes.