Pre-Arrival Guide for International Students

Accept your offer and pay your deposit

If you receive an offer and would like to accept, you will be required to pay a deposit by a given deadline. This deposit reserves your place on the course. Missing this deadline could mean your place on the course is offered to another applicant, so we encourage you to pay the deposit before the deadline in your offer email.

Please note: for international postgraduate students 50% of your tuition fee is payable before your in-person enrolment. You will not be able to enrol unless this tuition fee has been paid. 

Read more about accepting your place

Important: Please make sure that your Aston Student ID is quoted in the payment reference so that we can identify the payment and match it with your application.

If you believe that your payment is likely to be late, or if you are having difficulty paying, please contact the Credit Control Team as soon as you can.  They will be able to discuss your situation and where possible agree on a payment plan with you. (Please provide as much detail as you can, including your full name and your Aston Student ID number - found in your offer letter). 

Tuition payments
 

Accommodation

Apply for your accommodation. Please note that you will need your Aston Student ID number for this, which is provided in the welcome email. Normally, you will not be able to apply for accommodation until the day after you receive your offer, due to the need for systems to synchronise.

View accommodation

You may also prefer to find private accommodation in Birmingham.

Visa and entry clearance

• CAS information

  We aim to have CASs issued within 5 working days after your pre-CAS questionnaire is approved, so long as you have an unconditional offer and have paid your deposit or provided their financial guarantee letter.

  If you have any questions specifically related to your Student Visa or your CAS, please visit our visa webpage or contact casqueries@aston.ac.uk and our expert visa team will be able to help you.
  
  Please check our dedicated visa webpages for detailed information on applying for your visa. 

What to pack/ what not to pack

What to pack

1. Passport and visa
   
   Don’t forget these; otherwise, you won’t even be able to get into the UK! Also, pack copies of your CAS (visa holders) and your financial evidence in case you need to show these at the border. If you are not a UK passport holder, please bring your visa too.
    
2. Clothing
   
   The weather in Birmingham can be unpredictable, even in summer! Bring some layers of lightweight clothing, as days can start off cool and get warmer, and make sure to include a waterproof jacket. The style is generally casual, but bring some smart clothes or your country’s traditional dress for more formal events.
    
3. Laptop and electrical appliances
   
   The standard electricity supply in the UK is 230V, and the standard outlet is a 3 pin plug. If you are bringing your laptop and other electrical items to the UK, make sure to pack some adaptor plugs too. Electrical appliances are relatively cheap in the UK, so don’t worry if you don’t have enough room in your bag.
    
4. Medical/optical prescriptions
   
   If you’re receiving medical care, speak to your doctor before you leave home to get information to pass onto your new doctor in the UK. If you wear glasses, bring a copy of your prescription in case you need to get new glasses or contact lenses while you are here.
    
5. Items from home
   
   Pack some photos and things that will brighten up your room and remind you of home. Make sure to bring a camera so that you can add photos of all your new friends and experiences!

What not to pack

1. Your entire wardrobe

   The UK has a temperate climate. While you can bring lightweight summer and winter wear, you can easily buy windproof jackets in the UK that are cheap and offer superior quality.
   
   Since our campus is located in Birmingham city centre, there is a huge range of clothing shops available to suit every budget.
    

2. Kitchen equipment
   
   This will take up lots of space in your luggage and is cheap to buy here – you can even buy items like rice cookers.
    
3. Food
   
   The local markets in Birmingham sell many different foods from around the world, so you’re sure to find some home comforts.
    
4. Restricted/ Prohibited items
   
   You can bring limited amounts of some items like alcohol and cigarettes to the UK. Other items such as fresh food are completely prohibited. Please make sure you do not bring any prohibited items with you.

Support before you leave

Our dedicated country teams are on hand to help and support you with your journey to Aston.

Find your country

Talk to a student

We’re a team of current Aston University students, and you can ask us anything about studying here.  

Whatever your question, there are lots of different ways to contact us - you can talk to us via email, video call, or live chat.

Talk to a student

Enrolment - step 1 - online

You will need to complete your pre-enrolment online before arriving at the University. You will be contacted by email with a university username and password, and instructions about how to do this.

Key Dates*

* Please note that whilst term dates are correct at the time of publication they may be subject to change.

You can view the University term dates here.

Welcome Week

Find out the latest arrival and welcome week information

How to get here

Travelling by plane

The nearest airport is Birmingham International airport.

A free shuttle service regularly runs between Birmingham International airport and Birmingham International train station and takes less than 10 minutes. 

If you're arriving by plane at another UK airport, you can travel easily from most UK airports to Birmingham by public transport.

Travelling by public transport

• By bus 
  If you’re planning on travelling by bus, timetable information is available from Travel West Midlands.
  
  Numerous buses stop at Aston University.
   
• By coach
  If you’re planning on travelling by coach, timetable information is available from National Express. The nearest coach station is in Digbeth, and it is a 20-minute walk through the city centre to Aston University.
   
• By train
  
  If you’re planning on travelling by train, timetable information is available from National Rail.
  
  The nearest stations are 10-15 minutes away from campus:
  • Birmingham New Street
  • Snow Hill
  • Moor Street

Enrolment - step 2 - in-person

You will be invited to book an appointment to come onto campus so your documents can be checked in person in a safe environment. We will be in touch closer to the time of your arrival with more details.

What is needed for enrolment?

• Passport
• Visa documents, if applicable
• Original qualification documents

Welcome Week

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Collect BRP (Biometric Residence Permit)

Depending on whether you have selected the university or your accommodation as your collection centre, the first thing that you need to do is collect your BRP. Always keep it safe as this is your evidence of immigration permission in the UK.

Secure a local SIM card

SIM operators such as Lebara and GiffGaff offer local calling, SMS, international calling, and mobile data bundles packages at a low price. You can top them up from any convenience store or online.

Register with a GP (Doctor)

The nearest NHS clinic is in the city centre itself. It is essential to get yourself registered. You will need to fill out some forms available in the Health Centre and a letter of confirmation will be sent to you from NHS by post.

View student guide to the NHS

Open a bank account

There are various bank branches in the city centre (Barclays, Lloyd, HSBC, Santander) where you can open a student bank account. All you need is a letter from The Hub (Login to map>Student Support Services>Request a Confirmation of Student Service Letter) acknowledging you as a student and your BRP (collected earlier) to open a bank account. Don’t forget to link your new local mobile number with your bank account.

Get your National Insurance Number (NIN)

You will need this if you want to work in the UK. Since it takes time to process your National Insurance Number application, it is recommended to book an appointment as early as possible. If you are planning to work part-time, your employer might ask for your NIN.

Find information here: www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

TV Licence

If you plan on watching television while you are in the UK, you will need to purchase a TV licence. This will allow you to watch or record live TV, download or watch programmes on BBC iPlayer. Even if you do not watch programmes on a television but use another device (e.g. a laptop or tablet), you will still need to purchase a TV licence. This also applies to any online TV service you use, such as Now TV, Apple TV, YouTube and Amazon Instant Video.

Find out more at: tvlicensing.co.uk

Proof of age

You may find when buying age-restricted products such as alcohol or tobacco, going to a bar, club or to the cinema, that you are asked to provide proof of your age. Your passport, EU national identity (ID) card or your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) can all be used as proof of this.

Safety

The UK and Birmingham are generally safe places to live. There are however, a few precautions you should take as you would in most major cities. Do not display any valuables, keep purses and wallets securely hidden from view and avoid walking down dimly or unlit streets at night. If you can, walk in a group at night time.

If you do need the police or other emergency services, call 999 from any phone (including mobiles). The 999 number is for emergencies only. If you need to speak to the police in a non-emergency situation, you can dial 101 and you will be asked which police force you would like to be connected to (for Birmingham, ask for the West Midlands Police).