The University of Birmingham welcomes applications from students from Saudi Arabia. We currently have 41 Saudi Arabian students studying a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
The following information is for guidance only and should be used together with the University's general entrance requirements and any specific degree programme requirements.
Please note: If you have taken exams which are from another country's national education system (eg the Arbitur from Germany or SAT and AP exams from the USA) you should consult the country specific section for that country for qualification equivalence information. If you are unsure about the acceptability of your qualifications for entry to Birmingham please contact us for further details.
The University will consider students who have taken GCE A Level examinations and the International Baccalaureate (IB) for entrance to undergraduate programmes.
A special study route known as UK4 has been designed for students who have taken the Thanawiyah examinations and who wish to study for a degree in the UK. For more information visit the UK4 web page.
For more information visit the Undergraduate Prospectus site at www.undergraduate.bham.ac.uk.
UK4/International Foundation Programme
UK 4 is a special Bachelor degree programme for school leavers from Saudi Arabia. The 4 year programme consists of 1 preparatory year and 3 years of a Bachelors degree in your chosen subject.
The preparatory year is called the International Foundation Programme (IFP). It will help develop your English language skills and your study skills, and give you experience of the UK. When you have successfully completed the foundation programme you will join the degree programme in your chosen subject.
In order to enter the UK4 programme you must be at least 17 years of age and have obtained an overall minimum average of 80% in the Thanawiyah. Where specific subjects are required for entry to a degree programme you need a minimum of 80% in these subjects. You also need a minimum IELTS score of 5.5 or equivalent.
UK4 programmes are available at the University of Birmingham in Engineering; Science; Social Science, Humanities and Arts.
Applications for UK4 must be made direct to the British Council in Saudi Arabia, for more information visit www.educationuk.org.
Holders of a good honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant subject from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Birmingham.
For more information visit the Postgraduate Prospectus site at www.postgraduate.bham.ac.uk.
In addition to meeting the academic entrance requirements, students may need to have a recognised English language qualification.
The most commonly accepted qualifications are the IELTS exam (minimum scores from 6.0-7.0) and TOEFL (minimum from 550-600 paper based, 213-250 computer based or 80-100 Internet based). Minimum requirements vary according to the chosen programme.
For more information please see the English language section.
The University of Birmingham offers a range of part-fee scholarships for international students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. For more information on the scholarships available please see the Scholarships section.
Staff from the University of Birmingham visit different countries throughout the year to meet with students, schools and universities. For full details of visits, please see the Meet us in your country section.
Many nationality groups form student societies during their time at the University of Birmingham. This is an excellent way to keep in contact with home and also provides an opportunity to highlight your culture and customs in the UK.
Student societies are also a useful point of contact for prospective students to Birmingham who may want to contact current students for information.
For a full list of student societies please visit the Birmingham Guild of Students website at www.guildofstudents.com.
The University of Birmingham has many strong alumni groups all over the world. Alumni groups are an excellent way of keeping in contact with the University and with other graduates from Birmingham who live in your country. Some alumni groups meet on a regular basis for social and professional events.
If you would like to meet up with University staff when they are in your country or you would be willing to help promote the university at education exhibitions, we would also like to hear from you.
You can find out if there is an alumni group in your country or join our alumni mailing list on the Alumni website at www.alumni.bham.ac.uk.
The University of Birmingham contact for Saudi Arabia is Emma Heathcote. To contact Emma with your questions, please email international@bham.ac.uk.
The British Council has offices in many countries throughout the world which are able to provide you with advice about studying in the UK. Most offices also have an education library and Internet facilities where you can consult university material. The British Council can also provide advice about funding opportunities.
For more information visit www.britishcouncil.org/me-saudiarabia.htm.
