Bachelor’s degree in the UK – everything you need to know

A bachelor's degree is a higher education qualification you can earn by colmleting an undergraduate program at a British univeristy. This first stage of higher education in the UK lasts for 3-4 years. Depending on your field of study, you can earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), or Bachelor of Engineering (BEng).

If you meet the universities' entry criteria, you can apply directly to year 1 of your undergraduate studies. Alternatively, if your high school results or English abilities are not strong, you can start your studies with a foundation year.

How Long Does It Take To Get a Bachelor Degree in the UK?

Bachelor’s degree in the UK takes 3 to 5 years to finish. If your qualifications are not enough or you haven’t taken any high school final exams, you may have to consider a Bachelor’s degree combined with a Foundation Year which means additional academic year.

On top of that, between your second and third years, you can either go for a year abroad or do a placement at the chosen company where you get experience, practical skills, and a proper salary. These options take an additional year.

The following are your options when it comes to the length of studies:

Bachelor’s degree: 3 years
Bachelor’s degree + Foundation Year OR Year Abroad OR Placement Year: 3 years + 1 year = 4 years
Bachelor’s degree + Foundation Year + Year Abroad OR Placement Year: 3 years + 1 year + 1 year = 5 years

Depending on the chosen course, university, and the year of your education, you may have to attend 8-22h of classes per week on different days of the week (Mon-Fri) between 9am and 5pm. It is also expected from you to devote about 20h of your own time on reading, preparing for classes and doing the assignments every week.

What Courses are Offered by the Universities?

You can find hundreds of different courses leading to a Bachelor’s degree in the UK. That’s why we decided to group and sort them here for you depending on what areas of studies you’re interested in:

Are you into arts and love designing, coming up with creative ideas, etc.?
Think about courses such as: Animation | Architecture | Costume Design & Making | Fashion Design | Fine Art | Games Art/Design | Graphic Design | Illustration | Interior Architecture/Design | Landscape Architecture | Photography | Visual Effects
Interested in business, management, marketing, advertising, etc.?
Think about courses such as: Advertising & Promotion | Business & Management | Events Management | Fashion Branding | Fashion Management | Fashion Marketing (& Buying) | Human Resource Management | Marketing | Sport Management/Marketing |Tourism (& Travel/Hospitality) Management
Love writing, reading, and storytelling?
Think about courses such as: American Studies | Creative Writing | English Literature | Fashion Communication (& Promotion) | Fashion Journalism | Film Studies | Journalism | Media & Communication/Society | Media Studies
Fascinated by producting Music/Games/TV/Film/Media?
Think about courses such as: Audio Production/Technology/Recording | Film & TV Production | Games Production/Technology | Media Production | Music Production | Music Technology | Sound Design
Keen on biology and/or chemistry and/or taking care of other people?
Think about courses such as: Adult Nursing | Animal Biology | Biochemistry | Biological/Biomedical/Medical Sciences| Biology | Chemistry | Children Nursing | Dentistry | Dietetics | Forensic Science | Genetics | Human Nutrition | Microbiology | Midwifery | Medicine | Mental Health Nursing | Molecular & Cellular Biology | Neuroscience | Pharmacology | Pharmacy | Physiology | Physiotherapy | Sports Exercise & Science | Sports Therapy/Rehabilitation | Strength & Conditioning | Veterinary | Zoology
Do you like maths, finances, economics, politics etc.?
Think about courses such as: Accounting and Finance | Banking and Finance | Business Economics | Economics | Finance and Investment | (Property &) Real Estate
Like learning about our Planet?
Think about courses such as: Geography | Geology | Human Geography | International Development | Oceanography | Earth Science | Environmental Science | Physical Geography
Are you great at maths and/or physics?
Think about courses such as: Aerospace Engineering | Applied Physics | Artificial Intelligence | Astrophysics | Business Computing | Chemical Engineering | Civil & Structural Engineering | Computer Science | Cosmology | Cyber Security | Electrical & Electronic Engineering | Energy Engineering | General Engineering | ICT | Mathematics | Mathematics & Statistics | Mathematics and Physics | Mechanical Engineering | Mechatronics/Robotics | Medical Physics | Particle Physics | Physics | Power Engineering | Programming | Software Engineering | Space Science | Theoretical Physics
Fancy learning about the history and religion and/or question things?
Think about the courses such as: Ancient History | Archaeology | History | History of Art | Modern/Contemporary History | Ethics | Philosophy | Religious Studies | Theology
Love foreign languages and cultures?
Think about courses such as: English Language | Linguistics | Modern Languages | Modern Languages and Translation
Feel great on the scene?
Think about courses such as: Acting | Dance | Drama | Performing | Theatre
Would you like to work for a greater good or even help/teach others?
Think about courses such as: Anthropology | Business Law | Criminology | Early Years/Primary/Secondary Education | Education | Human Rights | International/European Law | International Relations | Law | Law & Criminal Justice | Law & Human Rights | PE | Peace Studies | Policing | Politics | Politics, Philosophy & Economics (PPE) | Psychology | Social Anthropology | Social Policy | Social Work | Sociology | Special Educational Needs | Sport Coaching/Psychology | Teaching English (TESOL/TEFL/TESL)

Which University Can I Get To?

It’s hard to answer this question, as there are over a hundred universities in the UK (and we can help you apply to any of them!). Also, each university has different entry requirements. If you want to know what are the best universities you can get to, try using our Can-I-Apply tool first and if you still have questions, text us via Messenger or E-mail to discuss your situation (qualifications you have, courses you’re interested in, etc.). This way, we’ll be able to analyse it and find the best possible universities that will be eager to offer you a place.

Costs and Funding - the Basics

Tuition at the university in the UK costs £9,250 a year in the case of Bachelor’s degree. However, if you’re a (pre-)settled EU national, you can get up to 3 kinds of financial support offered by the British government:

one to cover 100% of your tuition fees;
up to £9,987 a year (outside of London) or up to £13,022 a year (in London) to cover your living costs;
if you’re a parent: up to £183 a week for 1 child or up to £307.95 a week for 2 or more children to cover up to 85% of your childcare costs.

Please, read this short article to learn more.

How and When Can I Apply and What do I Need?

There are certain deadlines throughout the year. Nevertheless, as long as you don’t aim at Oxbridge and/or med/vet/dent courses, you should apply before 30/06/2024. Don’t worry, though! Many courses and university accept applications until the end of summer.

Also, application process takes places on the UCAS platform and requires from you to write a personal statement and get a reference letter.

Please, read this article to learn more to learn more.

How to Start?

It’s simple! Text us on Messenger (or via e-mail – on Messenger you can expect us to answer almost instantly and have an actual conversation), to discuss your options, get answers to all your questions and start applying to the university of your choice! Remember, our service is free of charge (since it is the universities that pay for our work) and you can count on us not only during the recruitment process but also later on when applying for funding etc.