Applying to a UK University

Applying to a university in the UK – in my case, Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) – was an exciting, but at times rather complicated, process. As a Swedish student who completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) in high school, I had certain advantages, but there were also several steps that weren’t always entirely straightforward.

For me, it all started with choosing which course I wanted to study. I chose to study in England primarily because of the subject I wanted to pursue. I wanted to study literature, and preferably Comparative Literature, which is relatively rare and mainly offered in the UK. I did a lot of research and picked a few universities offering English Literature and a few offering Comparative Literature. RHUL became my top choice, as its location was great and the course structure looked the most interesting.

I submitted my application through UCAS, which is the central application system for UK universities. As an IB student, I had to submit my predicted grades, and later send my final IB results directly to the universities. The application process also takes place during the winter, with the deadline in January—which, unfortunately for me, happened to be a particularly stressful time in school, as all my coursework was due. It was a bit of a hassle to ensure that everything was submitted correctly and on time, especially since IB results are released in July and the semester starts in September. Luckily, I had already received a conditional offer from RHUL, which became an unconditional acceptance once my final grades were released.

One of the biggest challenges was figuring out CSN (the Swedish student finance system) and how to fund my studies. Since UK universities have tuition fees—something we’re not used to in Sweden—I had to apply for both student grants and a tuition fee loan. The CSN process can be quite bureaucratic, and it took a while to get everything approved. You have to submit your acceptance letter, course details, and sometimes additional documents, which requires a bit of patience. My final university offer came fairly late, which meant I couldn’t apply for CSN until August. Because of that, it took a long time for my application to be approved and for me to receive my funds, which was stressful—especially since there wasn’t much I could do but wait.

What truly made the process easier for me was the support I received from Across the Pond. My contact person there was incredibly helpful. She guided me through the entire application process, answered all of my questions—big and small—and helped me with the UCAS application, CSN documents, and understanding all the important deadlines. That kind of support is a lifesaver when taking on something as big as applying to university abroad—especially since, for example, your parents often know just as little about the process as you do. I was lucky to have parents who were willing to learn about the system, and teachers at my high school who were very supportive. But having my contact person at Across the Pond was something else entirely. When everything felt confusing, it was such a relief to have someone who understood the system and could explain every step. Thanks to her, I felt confident in my choices and managed to complete everything on time.

Applying to a UK university as a Swedish student is absolutely possible, but it does take some extra effort and planning—especially when it comes to CSN and various documentation. But with the right support, like I got from Across the Pond, the process becomes much more manageable. In the end, it was truly worth all the effort—I’m really happy at RHUL and so glad I took the leap!

- Molly