Dear overseas partners,
Welcome to the May issue of the University of Bath Agents' Newsletter.
There are a number of important updates detailed below, including new courses, our latest Guardian Ranking and some upgrades across campus.
Please look at the table of contents below to make sure you don't miss an important update.
As always please share this information among your agents and with all those involved in counselling prospective students.
If you have any questions, please email j.m.vittles@bath.ac.uk.
Bath ranked 6th best in the UK^
The University remains in the top 10 nationally and is the highest-ranked south west university according to The Guardian rankings.
The University of Bath is 6th nationally and the highest-ranked south west university according to the Guardian University Guide 2020 which has just been published (Friday 7 June 2019).
This is the same top 10 position in the national league table as last year’s Guardian University Guide 2019.
Bath ranks in the top 10 for 11 subjects, including number two in the country for Sociology and number three for Business, Management and Marketing, and Psychology.
Other subjects in the top 10 include: Accounting and Finance (5), Architecture (4), Chemical Engineering (8), Civil Engineering (4), Electronic and Electrical Engineering (8), Mechanical Engineering (4), Social Policy and Administration (8) and Social Work (6).
For more information, click here.
Postgradute Virtual Open Day^
Many thanks to those of you who supported us with our Postgradute Virtual Open Day, our last event on June 12 was the final event for the 2018/19 cycle.
Keep an eye out for the dates for 2019/20 in next month's newsletter.
International students will also be receiving a link to our 'Arrival Information for International Students' webinar via email shortly.
Undergraduate Open Day^
Last week (June 21 and June 22) saw our latest Undergraduate Open Day on campus.
The sun shone and we welcomed thousands of students and their friends and family onto campus to introduce them to life at the University of Bath.
Free Heathrow Collection for arriving students^
If you have students arriving for a new programme of study at the University of Bath in Sept 2019, we recommend you travel from London Heathrow to campus on our free coach service. The coaches will run between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday 21st Sept and Sunday 22nd September. We will also provide free transfers from campus to off campus accommodation. We will allocate one seat per student and transport their luggage.
Our International Student ambassadors will be waiting to meet and greet them at Heathrow Terminal 3.
For further information, or to make a booking, please click here.
Expanded and Improved Fresh Supermarket^
The Fresh supermarket on campus has been refurbished over the past few weeks, with a number of improvements including: Extended Post Office opening times, a larger bakery section, more world food, a larger gluten-free section and more energy efficient lighting, fridges and freezers.
New Undergraduate Courses^
We would like to take this opportunity to advise you of new undergraduate courses that will be available for 2020 entry and they are detailed below:
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (MComp)
Pharmaceutical Science and Drug Discovery (BSc and MSci)
MSc in Biology (MBiol)
MSc in Biochemistry (MBiochem)
MSc in Biomedical Sciences (MBiomed)
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development
Students will learn about the entire process of turning a drug molecule into a medicine. They’ll be prepared for a career as a research scientist or a manufacturing expert in the pharmaceutical industry.
The course has been designed with experts from the pharmaceutical industry to give students the skills and knowledge for a career in the pharmaceutical sciences, regulatory sciences and other related sectors, such as clinical research, regulatory affairs or the cosmetics industry.
Watch the video below with Senior Lecturer, Dr Paul De Bank.
Studying Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development at Bath from University of Bath on Vimeo.
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
Watch the video for our new Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence course. Senior Lecturer Özgür Şimşek describes the new undergraduate course in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. This course will give students the skills and knowledge to apply the latest AI technologies and methods to a wide range of problems.
Studying Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at Bath from University of Bath on Vimeo.
Undergraduate Admissions Update^
The undergraduate application process will be closing on June 30 for non-clearing applications.
We still have places available on the majority of courses so please encourage any new enquiries to review our online prospectus for more detail. For applications made from July 1, they will automatically enter into the UCAS ‘clearing’ system. Please ensure that any application being made via this route, the student is in receipt of their results as we cannot consider conditional offers at this stage, only unconditional. We would like to confirm that we do not accept applications other than via the UCAS system and we do not offer an RPA process.
Results for non- A level students are due to be released over the next few weeks, including French Baccalaureate and other European qualifications plus IB and other international qualifications including HKDSE and the Turkish Diploma. The majority of the IB results will come through to us via the UCAS system but all other qualifications need to be supplied to us via the Bath Application Tracker or email. In order to identify these emails quickly, please can we request that the header for the email be clearly marked ‘RESULTS’. If sending via email, please use admissions@bath.ac.uk . The quickest route would be to upload to the Application Tracker account. Please also ensure you provide either the UCAS ID Number or the applicants Bath number.
For students who have not met the conditions of their offer, please provide the following support:
- If a student has narrowly missed, we will of course process decisions as quickly as possible but for courses where there are limited places available, the decision may be that we have to wait for the A level results in August before we can confirm acceptance. We would like to thank you for your patience in advance for supporting us in this decision.
- When a student has not performed sufficiently, please support these students by considering the possibility of applying to the International Foundation Year, therefore providing an extra year of study to improve. Further information on the International Foundation year can be found here. There may also be the option of changing their chosen course, for example, if a student has applied for Economics and not met the essential Maths requirement, would a course such as Politics with Economics be an option?
For further information regarding possible alternate courses, please email through to uginternationaladmissions@bath.ac.uk for guidance.
We would also like to remind you some students may have also have an English condition to be met. The student has until July 31 to meet these conditions, however, should there be challenges in meeting this deadline, please communicate this to us and will advise you further.
Once we are in receipt of all official certificates, this will allow progression on to the visa process. Our Student Immigration Services team will provide all necessary communications regarding this process and will begin to issue CAS statements within 3 months of the start of the course as quickly as possible.
Alongside our colleagues in the Student Immigration Service and Accommodation our aim is to provide you with everything you need to support and ensure a smooth process for your applicant becoming a student here at Bath.
Student Immigration Information^
Visa applications
Incoming students needing help in applying for their visa are encouraged to check the Student Immigration Service website – this provides a comprehensive source of information and advice within a user-friendly platform, easily accessible on any mobile device.
Of particular relevance to your applicants, the How to apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa page provides valuable guidance regarding overseas visa application, designed to maximise the chances of applicants securing a Tier 4 visa. From step-by-step instructions on how to complete an online visa application form to our bank statement flowchart, SIS supports your applicants through each stage of the visa application journey.
Introduction of eGates for selected non-visa nationals
International students from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States of America coming to study for longer than 6 months on a Tier 4 visa and travelling on a biometric passport can use the eGates.
eGates are an automated self-service option that eligible travellers can use at passport control at 15 UK airports and Eurostar rail terminals. They are a quicker way to cross the border. The eGates use facial recognition technology to check your identity against the photo in your passport.
CAS issuance
The Student Immigration Service aims to issue a CAS within 15 working days, however this time frame may be longer in busy times, therefore the sooner students reply to their pre-CAS questionnaire, the sooner they will be issued their CAS. The pre-CAS questionnaire portal is embedded within the current Applicant Tracker and enables applicants and agents to provide pre-CAS information in a streamlined and efficient manner, facilitating the CAS issuance process.
Tier 4 Extension Service for stand-alone pre-sessional students (July and August starters)
The Student Immigration Service (SIS) will also help stand-alone pre-sessional students apply for the Tier 4 visa covering their course of academic study once they have successfully completed their English course. SIS will ensure they provide the correct documentation as part of their new visa application. The Tier 4 Extension Service is an integral part of the work SIS does to provide international pre-sessional students with a streamlined and efficient visa application process within the UK.
Document Checking for international students
SIS has now started planning for the July, August and September Document Checking sessions, which will be taking place on 8 July 2019 (July pre-sessional students), 8 August 2019 (August pre-sessional students), and from Sunday 22 September through to Friday 27 September 2019 (students starting on 30 September 2019).
The Document Checking operation will incorporate Admissions and Immigration Checks being run alongside BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) distribution, visa drop-in advice, visa appointments, Police Registration, as well as student finance and registration support.
Information about venues, dates and times is available on Applicant Tracker and the University of Bath Induction Decks will direct applicants to the relevant webpages.
Helpful tips for a smoother registration
Remember - to facilitate their registration process, please encourage your students to:
- Accept their offer for a place at Bath on their Applicant Tracker as soon as possible
- Upload their final Degree Certificate and transcripts on their Applicant Tracker as soon as they have been awarded their degree
- Upload their visa decision letter via Applicant Tracker
- Browse our ATAS FAQ if they are applying for an ATAS course
- Select the University of Bath as the collection point for their BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) – selecting a Post Office pick-up point will delay their registration
Pre-sessional^
Next month will see the arrival of students studying on our Pre-sessional C (10 week) course. We look forward to welcoming them to Bath on 8 July when induction for the 10 week course starts. Please could you remind these students to book their accommodation if they have not already done so.
Agents are requested to note that the CAS is issued by the Student Immigration Team, not the Skills Centre. If you have any queries regarding a student’s CAS, please contact the CAS team here. Other visa and immigration queries can be sent to student immigration here.
Applications are still open for students wishing to study on Pre-sessional D (5 weeks), which runs from 8 August to 13 September. This course is open to Bath offer holders who need to improve their IELTS score by 0.5 overall and 0.5 in any individual component in order to meet the terms of their offer. You can apply here.
Students applying for the 5 week course may be eligible for a combined offer; this means they would only require one Tier 4 Visa and pay one fee.
To apply for a combined offer agents will need to contact the Postgraduate Taught Admissions Team, (for programmes in the Faculties of Engineering and Design, Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences) or the School of Management (for the MBA or MSc programmes in this area).
We would like to remind all agents that we can only consider the IELTS scores on one IELTS certificate. This is because the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued with the unique reference number of the IELTS certificate we have used to make the student an offer.
Further information: english@bath.ac.uk
Follow us: @BathSkills
Science minister unveils plaque at new £70 million Science facility^
Science Minister, Chris Skidmore MP has unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the latest milestone in the development of the University’s new £70m Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS).
The event was held in The Forum at the Bristol & Bath Science Park and attended by around 100 supporters, partners and collaborators of the University’s automotive research.
IAAPS will be a global centre of excellence, delivering transformational research and innovation and supporting the automotive industries in meeting future air quality standards. It will lead the development of future generations of ultra-low emission vehicles and attract sector-related businesses to the region, generating economic growth.
For the full story, click here.
[caption id="attachment_1431" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Unveiling the commemorative plaque at IAAPS with Science Minister, Chris Skidmore MP.[/caption]
New doctoral scholarships^
10 researchers starting at Bath this September will receive full funding for their studies thanks to a successful scholarships bid.
The award, made under the University's agreement with the China Scholarship Council, confirms 10 doctoral scholarships for gifted students starting this September, 2019. As the highest allocation possible in the funding round, the Scholarships are a testament to the high quality submissions made by the students as part of their application to study at Bath.
You can read the full story here.
There will be more information to follow as we look ahead to 2020 entry
Beautiful Bath^
June has seen some typical summer weather on campus and around the city - scorching sunshine and the odd downpour!
Respond