Arrival essentials

There's lots to think about when planning on going to university. Here are some of our tips of things you should know before you arrive.

Important dates

One of the first things you'll need to know is when everything will start and where to go. You can check out the Getting started section of the student checklist and make sure you are aware of some of the key dates:

1. When to move into your accommodation

If you are living in UAL Halls you will receive an offer for accommodation by email. We will send this to the email address you used to register on the UAL Accommodation portal. If you haven't applied for accommodation yet, find out when and how you can apply.

You should then be able to book your halls arrival date and time by completing your e-induction. We recommend you regularly visit Halls Life, and check your emails for updates as our Accommodation Services team will be providing lots of useful information in the lead up to your arrival.

If you are renting privately, you will be informed by your landlord or estate agency when you can collect your keys and move in.

2. Welcome Week

We have a Welcome Week kicking off 18 September, the week before the start of the Undergraduate term. During Welcome Week, there will be many events and activities to join in as part of your UAL Big Welcome - possibly including some activities with your course!

Welcome Week is a great time to meet people, make friends and get to know your College site before teaching starts.

3. Course start date

Teaching on your course will start on the first week of term. We have general term dates for the start of the academic year in September, but specific dates may vary for some courses – check your timetable to see your schedule (note that timetables may not be available until late August). The autumn term starts on different dates for Undergraduate courses, Further Education courses (Foundation and Pre-degree) and possibly Postgraduate courses:

• Undergraduate: Monday 25 September 2023 – Friday 8 December 2023 (includes a non-teaching week within week 5)
• Further Education: Monday 11 September 2023 – Friday 15 December 2023
• Postgraduate courses will have varying start dates. Check your timetable or course Moodle page for starting date details.

There are also several public holidays (bank holidays) in the UK throughout the year. The University will be closed on these days, as well as most businesses and nonessential services.

Tution fees

Students pay their tuition fees to the University, to cover the cost of studying. Fees will vary by level of the course (i.e. undergraduate or postgraduate), as well as your fee status (i.e. home or international).

You can find out what the fees are for your course level and status online . If you have any questions about your fee status, you can reply to your offer email. If you would like to discuss fee status before you apply, please contact the Student Advice Service .

There are several ways to pay your tuition fees:

• Student loans
• Direct payments
• Through a sponsor via pro-forma invoice

Funding and scholarships

The Student Advice team provides students with information and advice about funding options available to cover tuition fees, living costs and course costs. You can search for all available scholarships or see funding options for:

• Further education funding
• Undergraduate funding
• Postgraduate funding
• PhD and MPhil funding

There is a lot to think about when deciding what to bring to university. You'll need to consider what you will need and how to get it to your accommodation.

Make sure you remember important things such as ID, chargers, clothes and cooking equipment; but also make sure you bring comforting items to remind you of home and your loved ones.

You can find some great checklists online that have all the things you might want to consider packing.

View the 'What to take to uni' checklist

Bringing things from overseas

If you are coming to the UK from another country, most clothing and household items such as bedding and cooking utensils can be bought cheaply when you arrive in London. Pack lightly and don’t ship or mail too many personal belongings, as this may be more expensive than buying what you need when you arrive.

Note that UK appliances are fitted with a 3-pin plug. If you’re from another country that uses lower voltage than the UK average of 230v, you may also need a transformer — they are easy to find once you arrive.

There are strict governmental controls on what you can bring into the UK. Some things you can only bring limited quantities of things like alcohol and tobacco — so make sure to check the government’s website for details .

Books and materials

Your course may send you a kit list so you can buy things in advance if necessary. For many courses though, you don’t need anything beforehand and you will be given a book and course supply list during the first week of classes. We recommend waiting until you’re notified you’re eligible to enrol before considering purchasing your course kit. Many items will be available from the University shops, located at the College sites, or will be available to borrow from the libraries . Your tutor can also tell you about shops that sell affordable supplies and materials.

You should have a laptop suitable for the type of course you are doing: you might need a more powerful one if your course is more media/digital focused. Note that you can borrow laptops from the libraries and if you are experiencing financial hardship, you may be able to apply for financial support to buy equipment.

Insurance

If you are living in private accommodation, there are many low-cost insurance policies covering travel, possessions and health. It’s a good idea to insure your belongings, especially if you have expensive electronic equipment such as laptops and phones.

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