Pre-arrival Preparation

By now you will have received your letter confirming your place at Staffordshire University. Now begins the very exciting process of coming to the UK. First comes the planning stage. This section will give you lots of useful advice for making all the necessary arrangements. The British Council also gives pre departure briefings – for more information visit British Council's website.

For full details and advice on preparing for your journey to Staffordshire University, please refer to the information in our International Pre-arrival Guide (This guide is currently being updated.  We hope to publish the new version soon).

The International Welcome Programme for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students has now been finalised and can be accessed on the web.  The programme is subject to minor change, so please check back regulary for updates. 

There is more information for new students on the website. The website is updated frequently so you should check it often. Here you will find information on all the Welcome Semester activities, Frequently Asked Questions and an electronic version of Step-by-Step. The Step-by-Step guide is produced by the university to help you settle in – with lots of helpful advice and who to contact if you have any questions. You can also find useful contact details for university departments and external organisations on the website at A2Z4U.

Here is a checklist of what to prepare now:

• Check your passport. Do you have enough time to cover your studies and return home? If it is close to expiring you should find out how to renew it or apply for a new passport.
• Do you need to apply for entry clearance (a visa)? Processing times for visa applications vary depending on the country – remember that August is a very busy time.
• Organise your finances. Think about how you will pay tuition fees and living expense.
• If your visa application is successful then you should start to make your travel arrangements – book a flight, buy travel insurance.
• How will you get to the university once you arrive? If you wish to use the meet and greet service then you need book a flight that will arrive at the correct airport, date and time!
• Book a seat on the meet and greet coach.
• Change money into sterling so that you will have money until you can open a bank account
• Multiple passport-sized photographs for ID cards etc.

• Downloadable checklist (PDF, file size: 611.16KB)
• Student phrasebook (PDF, file size: 458.41KB) - A guide to help you to understand some of the common words and phrases which you might hear during your time here at Staffordshire University.