Pre-arrival information
Immigration and Visas
You MUST obtain a visa before attempting to enter Britain if your period
of study is for more than 6 months. Even if your period of study is for less
than 6 months, you are still strongly advised to obtain a visa. This is
because students without visas are not permitted to work and are not
permitted to extend their stay in the UK under any circumstances. It is also
possible that you would be denied entry by immigration officials, even
though a visa is not strictly required for study of less than 6 months'
duration for students from certain countries. Students from other countries
require a visa regardless of the duration of their studies.
Please note that biometric data is now required for all visa
applications. See the UK visas website for more information. Also see the
University's immigration information page.
You will receive a statement providing proof of your place at the
University which you will be asked to show to the Immigration Officer at
your point of entry. Please keep this statement in your hand luggage to
provide at the Immigration Desk before you reach Baggage Reclaim. You also
must carry in your hand luggage an original transcript from your home
university. If you have any difficulties on arrival, ask the Immigration
authorities to contact the Study Abroad Office at the University (weekdays
9am – 5pm); the telephone number is 01206 873978. Outside
these hours you can ask the Immigration Officer to allow you to seek
assistance from the Immigration Appeals Advisory Service (IAAS), which has
offices at Heathrow and other major ports of entry or contact the
University's 24 hour emergency number 01206 872125.
You need to carry in your hand luggage:
- Passport
- Statement from Essex providing proof of your place at
Essex (Offer letter)
- Health certificates (immunisation records)
- A means of proving that you can meet your
fees/accommodation costs/etc.
- An original transcript from your home university
Health Insurance
The University has a Health Centre run by a group of doctors and nursing
staff are in attendance daily. You should register with this service on your
arrival. If you will be in the UK for more than six months you will
be able to use the Health Services in the same way as anyone permanently
resident in Britain. However, pre-existing medical conditions requiring
long-term medication or hospital treatment may not be covered. Repatriation
is definitely not covered. It is therefore essential to take out health
insurance before you arrive.
If your course lasts less than six months you will be treated as a
private patient and will have to pay to see a doctor. The charges for this
are very high and will be considerably higher if you need medication or
hospital treatment. Dental and optical treatment must also be paid for, as
is the case for those permanently resident. It is therefore very important
that you take out insurance cover before you travel.
Money
It is wise to bring about £90 in British money for incidental expenses on
the way to Colchester, although you can change money at the airport. (The
exchange rates at airports tend to be unfavourable, so you will generally be
better off obtaining currency in advance from your bank.) Credit cards can
be used for the purchase of rail tickets. Traveller's cheques are also
useful to have as a standby though please note that unlike in the USA,
traveller's cheques cannot be used to make payments at retail outlets (even
if they are in pounds sterling). The cheques must be changed for cash at
banks.
Accommodation
All overseas students studying at Essex for all of the academic year will be
allocated university accommodation. Any preferences made in your confirmation
statement (accommodation booking form) will be met where possible but cannot be
guaranteed.
It is the intention to accommodate as many part year students as possible,
whilst acknowledging room availability may be limited.
If you are offered accommodation, it will be in single study-bedroom owned or
managed by the University and will normally be on campus. The majority of the
accommodation provided is in flats or houses and kitchen facilities are shared. Over
59% of accommodation has en-suite facilities. It is possible to request single
sex accommodation and if you would prefer this, please tick the relevant box on
the enclosed Confirmation and Accommodation statement. Allocation of rooms will
take place in August when you will receive an e-mail from the Accommodation Office
confirming your campus address if you are successful.
Arrival at the University
On arrival at the University, provided that you have been allocated campus
accommodation, please go to the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall on
Square 5 (October arrivals) or the Accommodation Office (January arrivals)
to sign for and collect your keys. If you arrive outside office hours of
9.00 am until 5.00 pm, go to the Information Centre on Square 3 which will
be able to advise you about your accommodation and provide your keys. The
Information Centre is open 24 hours per day.
Travel Information
For information on how to get to the University see
Travel
Information.
For students arriving at London Heathrow you may wish to view information
on
arranged & pre-booked coach travel bookings direct to Colchester
campus. Please
note that this facility operates on Sunday 30 September 2012 only.
The Study Abroad Office- Room 5S.7.27
From arrival at the University, your programme will be arranged by the
Study Abroad Office. Your contacts will be Julie Andrews
(Study Abroad Co-ordinator) or Jackie Fernandes (Administrative Assistant). Full
information will be given to you during the Orientation Programme.
Study Abroad Office Orientation
Attendance on this programme is compulsory. You must attend the events
organised, which include University Registration and sessions that cover module enrolment,
teaching and assessment methods at the University, timetables, arrangements for the transfer
of credits and grades, etc.
Statement of Financial Liability
As mentioned in earlier correspondence, a financial guarantee is
required. Please complete the form which should be returned to the Study
Abroad Office. You must certify that you have sufficient funds to cover the
costs you will incur whilst studying at Essex. Please note that if you are
coming on an exchange or other arranged programme, you are only required to
guarantee the costs which are not meet by your home university or
agency.
Orientation
October Orientation 2012 (will be published here soon)
In late September/early October each year and in January, the Study
Abroad Office runs an orientation programme specifically for students on
study abroad schemes. In October there is also a full reception programme of
events aimed at introducing all new students to life at Essex.
University Registration
Autumn Arrivals
Formal registration and payment of fees for all Study Abroad students
arriving in Autumn will take place in the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall. Please
note that if you are paying tuition fees, these must be paid before you will
receive your student identification card. Staff from the Finance Office
will be in attendance at registration for this purpose. The full orientation
programme will be posted here closer to the time. In the meantime, important
dates to note are:
- Arrival day: Sunday 30 September 2012
- Orientation begins: Monday 1 October 2012
- Classes begin: Monday 8 October 2012
January Arrivals
Registration for all Study Abroad students arriving in January will take
place during the orientation programme. The date, time and location will be
on your orientation programme.
- Arrival day: Wednesday 9 January 2013
- Orientation begins: Thursday 10 January 2013
- Classes begin: Monday 14 January 2013
Module enrolment
The Study Abroad Office will arrange for your pre-registration for
module on the basis of your choices as indicated on your application form.
However, some module may have been full or not running, or you may have
timetable clashes or other reasons to change your module choices. Thus there
is always a considerable amount of changing of module at the beginning of
the term after students have had the opportunity to discuss their needs with
academic staff. The procedure for changing module will be explained during
orientation.
Payment of tuition and accommodation charges
Students who are responsible for paying their own tuition fees will
receive invoices at Registration. For self-supporting students, the tuition
fees can be paid termly, at the beginning of each term. The first payment
must be made when you register. Accommodation costs may also be paid
termly at the beginning of each term. The first payment will also include a
key deposit and an insurance payment if required. There is a discount of £16
each term on accommodation fees paid in advance.
Food
Students are free to choose how they will eat; there is no meal plan
available. There is a large supermarket within 20 minutes walk from campus
and students usually walk there and share a taxi or catch a bus back from
the bus stop opposite the supermarket. You will find it much cheaper to cook
for yourself rather than buying all your meals in restaurants or bars. There
is also a small grocery store on campus.
Eating out in England can be costly, although in most towns (and on
campus) there are fast food establishments.
Pubs are open for the sale of alcoholic and other drinks to all persons
aged over 18 and cover a wide range of styles and clienteles. The hours of
opening are typically 10.30am to 2.30pm and 6.00pm to 11.00pm on weekdays
and 12.00pm to 2.00pm and 7.00pm to 10.30pm on Sundays. Increasingly, pubs
do not shut in the afternoon, have much later closing hours and offer an all
day service. Many pubs provide snacks of sandwiches or cooked food,
especially at lunchtime. Meals in simple restaurants cost from £10 upwards
and most towns have reasonably priced ethnic restaurants and takeaways,
especially for Chinese and Indian food. Eating at some restaurants can
easily cost £15 per head, and in London restaurants it is easy to spend £25
per head or more.
For more details on food outlets on campus, please see the
catering website.
Book and Library facilities
In the UK, students are not generally expected to purchase textbooks.
Therefore buying books is best left until after discussion with teaching
staff. There is a bookshop on campus which will order any books not in
stock, whether specialised or general, together with a second-hand bookshop
and the
Albert
Sloman Library. Use of the library is available after registration and
tours of the library are provided during the orientation programme.
Employment
It is not always easy for students to find part-time or vacation work and
you are strongly advised not to rely on the expectation of such work in
order to supplement your income. Holders of student visas are limited to a
maximum of 20 hours per week paid employment during term-time (work hours
are unlimited during the vacation). However, you must check the conditions
listed in the stamp in your passport because not all students are permitted
to work in the UK. If you are able to work, there is a
JobShop on campus which advertises short-term jobs.
ADVICE ON THESE MATTERS SHOULD BE SOUGHT FROM THE STUDENT SUPPORT
OFFICE BEFORE YOU CONTEMPLATE EMPLOYMENT.