the UK education system the UK educational system has a strong reputation and students will be able to discover chances that they may not find anywhere else early years primary education up to year 6 secondary school year 7 to 11 pre-university or further education year 12 to 13 and higher education undergraduate and postgraduate courses make up the UK educational system because each of the UK countries has autonomy over educational Affairs there are some small differences in education systems across the country early childhood education primary education and secondary education primary and secondary education in the United Kingdom
are inclusive of reception kindergarten through year 11. typically students begin school at the age of four and finish at the age of 16 with a general certificate of secondary education GCSE upon completion of year 11 students must pass a series of standardized exams in their chosen subjects to receive a GCSE students in the United Kingdom have two basic sorts of schooling options State schools and Independent Schools over 90 percent of British students attend State schools which are free to attend and are administered and funded by the UK Department of Education Independent Schools that charge tuition
are also available to students although these schools are not run by the government they must nonetheless follow the government's educational guidelines Independent Schools are accepting applications from overseas students who want to study there except for dependent children accompanying an adult international student State schools do not accept International students further education in the United Kingdom full-time schooling is required until the age of 18. after finishing secondary school at age 16 British students attend a further education Fe Institution for two years referred to in their educational path as year 12 and year 13. after graduation the student
can either pursue academic degrees that are necessary for University admission or obtain occupational credentials that will allow them to enter the job market right away admission is determined on a student's GCSE results in the United States Canada and many other countries further education is comparable to the final years of secondary school college education is not intended to be replaced by this program senior secondary education is often called pre-university education further education colleges can be big comprehensive schools providing a wide range of study options or they can be focused on a specific field of study such
as visual performing arts colleges or agricultural or land-based colleges there are also sixth form colleges which cater to students aged 16 to 19 and are frequently linked to secondary schools to facilitate the transition between the two levels of Education higher education undergraduate bachelors and postgraduate Masters and doctoral studies are both included in higher education in the United Kingdom bachelor's degrees are awarded after three years of full-time study if a student adds a year of work experience between study semesters known as a sandwich year it will take four years five years of study are required for
professional degrees such as medicine veterinary medicine and architecture a master's degree may be earned in as little as a year whereas a doctorate takes three to five years to finish an integrated master's degree a four-year program that integrates undergraduate and graduate courses is also available students are enrolled after completing their a levels further education but do not get a bachelor's degree higher education is primarily provided by universities while certain further education schools and institutes in collaboration with a recognized Authority provide degrees and Foundation degrees a two-year degree a recognized organization is a higher education institution
that has been allowed to confer degrees in the United Kingdom by the British government through legislation
