The Student World Fair: London March 17th/October 6th, Manchester September 29th 2012
Events, In The News, Student Finance, Study Abroad Friday, March 16th, 2012
We are big advocates of studying for a degree abroad and this weekend in London, UK, and later on in the year in Manchester and London again there is a HE fair designed to promote this very thing:
“Welcome to The Student World – the only event in the UK to find out about studying your degree abroad! Whether you’re looking for an undergrad or postgrad degree this is the place to be! Join the conversation in our study abroad forum, keep updated on recent study abroad news, check out the international university profiles or come along to a The Student World Fair to meet universities from around the world who all teach their degrees in English.”
They explain that they “know it can be a bit of a challenging time helping your son or daughter find the right university place, and if they’re thinking about studying overseas, you’re naturally going to be concerned about distance, money and cultural issues that you might not have to address if they were studying in the UK.
The Student World Fair has been designed for you as well as your child and we’d love it if you can come along to the fair too. There will be plenty of opportunity to talk to representatives from overseas universities who can help to put your mind at rest and who will chat through how they will help support your son or daughter in their move overseas.
You’ll find that our exhibitors are well practiced at welcoming overseas students from many worldwide locations and that they will make the transition to living abroad a simple one for both you and your son or daughter. Most universities will provide additional support for students studying abroad as they realise that adapting to life in another country comes with changes in lifestyle, language and cultures that can seem daunting.
You’ll also have the opportunity to attend some seminars designed specifically for parents to find out more about some of the practical (as well as emotional) issues including:
Scholarships
Employability
Student case studies
Register for The Student World Fair and find out more about the opportunities available for your son or daughter to study abroad! It’s a completely free event at an exciting venue (plus there’s tea and coffee and a place to put your feet up while you wait!).”
However, there’s obviously a catch…for those in the UK who require some form of government assistance, that is!
The catch: “There are no student loans (in the old fashioned sense) from UK government that are available for overseas study, most students who decide to study outside the UK will be funding their education privately and rely on family and their own savings to pay for the cost of their degree.
You might be able to secure a personal loan from a private bank to help towards the cost of your studies, but remember you’ll have to pay this back with interest, usually as soon as you’ve taken the lump sum you’ve borrowed, so if you take this option, make sure you factor in the cost of the repayments every month. Talk to your bank manager to find out what might be available for you.”
Some universities (e.g. Harvard) offer tuition-free degrees to those of low incomes (and in the UK you’d imagine that would be quite a few) but this is unlikely to be the case for all other universities.
The answer is naturally to allow students the freedom to do what they want with their students loans, as you’d expect in a liberal democracy, but the UK government is too authoritarian to do that.
