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London is located in the county (a territorial division of some countries, forming the chief unit of local administration) of Greater London, an administrative area that includes 32 boroughs plus the City of London. It was formed by two ancient cities – City of London and City of Westminster, both cities forming the region of Greater London
London is the capital of England and UK. Greater London is the largest county of UK – however, London City itself is the smallest city under Greater London region. London is situated in south-eastern England, lying astride the River Thames. It is UK’s main centre for arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, health, media, tourism and communications.
Apart from being demographically and economically dominant, London is also the political centre of the United Kingdom. It is one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan cities in the world where over 300 languages are spoken. It is the first city to host the Olympics three times (1908, 1948 and 2012). London was the first city in the world to have an underground railway, known as the ‘Tube’. The world’s first public zoo (London Zoo) first opened in 1829 in London.
The City of London is an area of central London also known as ‘The City’ or ‘The Square Mile’. It’s the most historical part of London and was founded by the Romans as the settlement of ‘Londinium’ in AD50. Today, it’s home to some of London’s top attractions, including the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Buckingham Palace, British Museum, The Tower of London, Big Ben, House of Parliament, Madam Tussauds, and St Paul’s Cathedral, as well as modern skyscrapers such as The Gherkin, The Shard, The Walkie-Talkie, and the The Cheesegrater. London’s Oxford Street is Europe’s most popular shopping area. There are over 100 theatres in London, including 50 in the West End.
London has four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the Palace of Westminster, the Greenwich Royal Observatory (Greenwich defines the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time).
London is the largest urban forest in the world. 47% of London is green space and it has been named the “greenest” city in the UK and in 2019 it was declared a ‘National Park City’ by Lonely Planet.
| Area | 610 square miles (approx. 1.579 square kilometre) |
|---|---|
| Population | 9.3 million (source: statista) |
| GDP | £503 billion (source: statista) |
| GDP per capita | £56.2 thousand (source: statista) |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% (source: statista) |
| Total number of students | 382,000 (Source: London Higher) |
| Number of international students | 115,000 (Source: London Higher) |
| Number of courses offered | 30,000 (Source: London Higher) |
Just under half (47%) of all local government spending in the capital goes on education. London has been named as the Best Student City in 2022 by QS Best Student Cities ranking. It was the Best Student city in 2018 and 2019 (There was no ranking conducted in 2020 and 2021). The ranking considered factors including affordability, desirability and the opinions of current students and London scored 100 out of 100.
It is a diverse, welcoming, vibrant international city. Almost 30% of London’s student population is international, coming from more than 200 countries. Of the overseas students in London, 32% were from Other EU countries and 68% were from Non-EU countries (source: London Higher).
London has one of the highest concentrations of elite universities, with about 40 institutions packed into the capital city and 2 of these are in the top 10 of the QS World University Ranking 2022.
London universities produce 130,000 skilled graduates every year, nearly 70% of who work in London. (Source: London Higher). The city is known as a global centre for academic excellence, having produced more than 70 Nobel Prize winners. Some of the most ground-breaking discoveries in Science and Medicine have been made at London universities, such as DNA, penicillin and fingerprints.
London is home to more than 800 bookshops and over 325 public libraries with impressive book collections and stunning architecture, such as the Senate House, the National Art Library and the British Library, a gorgeous building which boasts the largest collection of books and recordings in the world. The British Library has some rare items, such as Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebook, an original handwritten copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and the Magna Carta.
The educational tradition and excellence in London is truly second to none. The quality of education has been passed generation to generation to teachers, academic staff, departments, course developers, regulators, and people over hundreds of years and established London as an excellent centre for education. The London environment presents an unrivalled platform to excel and to go above and beyond in academic accomplishments by any student from any country.
London is known as one of the world’s financial capitals, right in the heart of everything, London is home to the world’s biggest tech, media and financial firms and 75% of Fortune 500 companies have offices in London. London is the leading European hub for finance and technology with thriving economy. London’s friendly and welcoming locals, supportive government policies and a global network of businesses and entrepreneurs are second to none to open career potential. Business incubators including Accelerator and Google Campus are based in London which run events and provide office space for students and young entrepreneurs.
London is indeed a global hub for many leading industries with multi-national companies actively recruiting graduates from the city. With the availability of the post-study work and skilled worker visa, London-based international graduates are well-placed to gain access to global employment opportunities at leading companies after they graduate.
There are unlimited student jobs available in London, almost all sectors employ students. The jobs are of different types and categories and hence students have choices and options to choose the one that is convenient and satisfactory for them. International students can work part-time during academic term and take full-time position during holiday period.
London university campuses are free from local/national politics and there is no bias/influence on universities from anyone, any group or party. There is no social or political violence in campuses. Campuses do not remain closed due to strikes by political parties or groups.
All students, UK or International enjoy equal opportunity in every aspect of their university life and there is no gender, colour, racial or any other discrimination at any point in any form. The educational environments are set in such way so that students can use their full potential and thrive in their mission without fear and tear.
Many of the world’s top educationalists, scientists, artists, engineers, doctors, writers, business professionals, sport personalities, musicians, film stars and other professionals famous in their professions live in London. It is home for many international venues, events, conferences, international sites and platforms for business and international political meetings. You will be exposed to this abundance of London while studying here. You will have opportunities to see these in person and create links or make connections with internally famous personalities of different fields.
London tops the list of the most sustainable cities. “London’s economic diversity, multi-culturalism, world-class education system and abundance of good quality green space has propelled the capital to the top spot’’ (source: The Planetary Press).
The city offers world famous health services, avails top fashion and style items, distributes high quality foods of the world, provides the best but affordable commuting and communication systems, maintains steady economy, serves well maintained housing, street traffic management systems and all time presence of police to prevent crime and give safety. You will live a high-standard student life in London as you will receive some of the best quality products and services of the world in London.
London is well-connected with other parts of the country and Europe through world’s leading transport systems. You’ll benefit from excellent transport links across the UK and beyond, with five major international airports – you can travel almost anywhere from London. With public buses, bikes, trains and the Tube, it couldn’t be easier to travel around London – and students get 30% discount in most of the public transport.
Named one of the world’s most multicultural cities by Lonely Planet, London is a melting pot of cultures. Thousands gather throughout the city to celebrate diversity at events like Chinese New Year, the Notting Hill Carnival, Baishakhi Mela and Africa on the Square. Religious festival like Eid, Christmas, Diwali are cultural highlights across the city. People in the city live in harmony and have high respect of each other.
You will see almost every national of the world living in London and they have brought their own country in the London area they live. London has so much diversity that irrespective of the country you are from, you will find your own big community to get a touch of your home country in London. You will have no shortage of halal foods, vegetarian foods, chicken tikka masala, Peshwari biriani, Turkish Kebab, Italian Pizza, Chinese noodles, Japanese sushi, Mexican curry just to name a few. Likewise, there are numerous mosques, churches, temples and other religious gathering places in every corner of London.
By living in this multicultural and diverse society, you will be able to enrich your people experience, learn to be tolerant and respectful with others and you will develop as the citizen of the World.
There are many other benefits of London Study and reasons for studying in London as an international student. The above highlights the key benefits international students can reap and seize the great opportunity of studying in London.
To enrich your knowledge more, check our blog ‘Why study in the UK?’
A More than 115,000 international students from over 200 countries, 382,000 total number students study in London as all of them love the city to live, to study and enjoy unrivalled life experience. Dr. Samuel Johnson once said, “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
London is the best student city for many reasons including
Unless you have decided to study at a particular university that has campus in a particular city of UK, you could be in dilemma about which study destination to choose for your study UK plan. You will have the same tangle if your chosen university has campuses in different cities of UK including inside London and outside London.
To London or not to London - it is a choice relative to factors about you, your personality, your needs, your lifestyle, your living habit and above all your money. You need to decide whether inside London or outside London city and which outside London city would be better or worse to suit your mood and min your circumstances.
.Accommodation and Transport costs are higher in London than other UK cities. However, there are lot more student jobs in London than other UK cities during your study and after your study when in post study work visa or contending for skilled work visa. London offers more internship opportunities or work placements places than other UK cities. The higher earning may well offset the extra money you spend on accommodation and transportation. Having said so, if you are coming with a few dependents, renting a suitable and comfortable accommodation for the family would cost you less outside London.
In regards to food, London is better and cheaper as there are foods of all types for all communities with huge choices of shops including superstores, local markets, and community food shops which are often not available outside London cities and it could be expensive to buy your own types of food outside London due to less supply available there.
Utility and other bills are same in all cities across UK, there are standard and fix charges nationwide and variable charges as you spend.
If you are a homesick person or fearing cultural shock in the UK, London would be better choice for you as in London you will find many people from your own country and own community, you will get to know many international students from your own country and neighbouring countries – this would be rare in outside London cities. But if you are a person who likes quitter and less busy life, outside London is much better for you as London is full of city buzz and highly paced.
For social, cultural, British life and communal integration London provides perfect environment than any other cities as London is a massively diverse city while other cities have limited scopes for this due to comparatively smaller international community and few nationalities living there.
There are other minor factors which could be unique to you and relate to you, but above are the ones that would matter most during you study and living in the UK and it is you who need to identify which situation and life is better for you when choosing the study location.
No, it is not easier to get into outside London universities than inside London universities and vice versa. Same principle apply about tuition fees too, outside London University tuition fees are not cheaper than inside London universities and vice versa. However, some multi campus universities may have different fee structure (cheaper/costlier by a slim margin) for their different campus locations in the UK.
Home Office financial requirements require applicants to show money to support them. Financial requirements funds include course fees for 1st year or full course fees if the course is less than 1 year and living costs. Students need to have enough money to meet these requirements. They need to maintain: Course fees (up to 1 year) + Living funds = Maintenance funds for at least 28 days continuously at a UKVI approved bank before they can apply for student visa.
| For study at University campus Inside London | For study at University campus outside London |
|---|---|
|
Students and Child Students 16 or 17 year old living independently for course of 9 months or more duration: £1,334 X 9 = £12,006 |
Students and Child Students 16 or 17 year old living independently for course of 9 months or more duration: £1,023 X 9 = £9,207 |
|
Students and Child Students 16 or 17 year old living independently for course of less than 9 months duration: £1,334 x number of months = £xxxxx.xx |
Students and Child Students 16 or 17 year old living independently for course of less than 9 months duration: £1,023 x number of months = £xxxxx.xx |
| For study at University campus Inside London | For study at University campus outside London |
|---|---|
|
£845 X 9 = £7,605 |
£680 X 9 = £6,120 |
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