I am currently heading into my second year at university in the U.S. By the end of next year I am applying to colleges in the UK (2017-2018). However, I am extremely confused about the admission requirements for a student who is already in university.
Each website gives me the admissions requirements for incoming freshmen undergraduates and incoming postgraduates. Some schools say that having an associates degree is acceptable as a qualification as well. However, the university I am going to does not give anything but a bachelor’s degree. Is two years at an accredited university considered the equivalent of an associates degree?
Do I still have to send in my SAT/ACT scores to universities even if I have already been in a university? Are all of the general admissions for incoming freshmen the same for incoming upperclassmen? Are my grades at the university the face of my application or do I still have to rely on my high school achievements?
I have contacted the international offices of the universities I am looking into about this question as well. Any information about this would be extremely helpful as I can’t find anything that explains this on the internet.
A lot will take you after one year at a US university, probably dependent on what subjects you’ve studied. I think you really need to contact admissions at the universities you’re interested in. What are looking at studying in the UK, and where?
Hello, thank you both for your help. I really appreciate it. I will move this discussion to the international forums but here are some individual replies:
@Conformist1688 I will have completed two years of university here by the time that I apply to UK colleges in the 2017-2018 school year. I contacted the universities that I am interested in with the same question.
I’m going to be majoring in art. In the Fall 2016 semester I will be getting into my major courses as a sophomore at my U.S. university. My first year has been entirely general ed but I’ve decided to take a different route since I understand some of the general ed in the UK can be vastly different from the U.S.
As a side note I’m applying to mainly arts universities and a few normal universities with an art major. I am only applying to schools in England.
@PurpleTitan So two years at a U.S. university can substitute for AP/SAT/ACT scores? What would be an ideal GPA to have when I apply to UK universities? I’m thinking it would be around at least a 3.5-3.7? I’m going to be applying to mainly arts universities and a few normal universities in England.
Are there any tests I should take before I apply? Also, how would I calculate the worth of two years of university on the UCAS tariff tables? I know that they calculate the worth of an associates degree but can this same points value be applied to two years at an American university?
Transferring is not really a thing in the UK. There are some courses at some unis that will accept a student for advanced standing- when they have done work equivalent to the first year of the course. From what you have said that won’t apply to you (you mention that you have mostly done GenEds so far).
The UK doesn’t have Gen Ed requirements, and you don’t have a major, you have a subject. This is more than a semantic difference: in the UK you do your subject, and only your subject. You typically have much less subject choice than in the US as well, particularly in first year (which is part of why coming in part-way through is so rare).
So you won’t come in as an upperclassmen- you will come in as a first year, and be there for either 3 or 4 years, depending on which course/uni you pick.
For admissions, each course at each uni will tell you what you need to apply. For example, UCL (Slade School of Art, BA or BFA) wants a portfolio and either:
=> 5,4,4,4,4 in five AP subjects, taken in the final two years of high school
OR
=> High School Graduation Diploma plus SAT I with a minimum score of 1950/2400 or an ACT of 29 in the Composite Score and 29 in the Combined English/Writing Score AND **one year of study at a recognized US uni, with an overall CGPA of 3.3/4.0 **
@collegemom3717 Hi, thank you very much for your help on this. I really appreciate it.
So essentially the freshmen admission criteria will still apply to me? In high school, I took two AP classes and I passed both of them with grades of As and Bs. I graduated with a GPA of 3.47. I did not, however, pass either of the AP Exams themselves. Would you recommend that I retake these exams? I am planning to retake my SAT very soon. I want to up my scores.
During my first year of college (2015-2016), I have indeed only taken general education classes. In my upcoming sophomore year which will start after this summer I am going to be taking only major courses. This summer I am taking my pre-reqs for my major courses so I can jump right into my major courses my sophomore year. I am hoping that my sophomore year can act as a foundation year or an equivalent since it will be solely devoted to only major courses.
I’m not looking to get into any school that is extremely prestigious or anything. I just want to get into a decent and well-rounded school. I understand that my first year in college could be considered meaningless since it was all GE classes for the U.S. but wouldn’t I at least have a foundation with one year focused on my major?
What kind of qualification would I have with the education I will have completed by the end of my sophomore year? Could I consider it the doppelganger of an associates degree? The reason I ask this is because I do not know what kind of qualification I would have to calculate my UCAS points.
It will really be uni by uni, but none of them will accept the class grade for an AP- you have to have taken the actual test. UCL (above) will take your SAT/ACT (if you had a 1950/29 or better)+ 1 year of college, which I think is as easy as you will find (actually, check Goldsmiths- they may have even lower requirements).
As for the major classes that you are taking next year, it is not absolutely impossible that you could get ‘advanced standing’ and come in as a second year, but it would be uni by uni, they would have to look at the specific classes you have taken and the specific classes they require, and your portfolio of work that demonstrates mastery of those topics- and you can bet that they will start with a strong ‘not invented here’ bias. But- your work may be good enough (obviously I have no idea) and/or their desire for your fees may be strong enough that they might work with you, so it could happen. I wouldn’t bet the ranch on it though.
For UCAS, you won’t have any third level qualification for UCAS: formal exams / formal qualifications- no proxies! sorry.
I’m going to update this post with a list of the schools that I’m thinking of applying for. These include both arts schools and normal schools. I would like to emphasize the arts schools, though.
Based on my own studies, I’ve gathered that every university is different in terms of requirements and expectations. To have a consensus of what I’m looking at is really helpful. Since I will not technically have any UCAS points for completing two years, is it safe to say that “advanced standing” would be my main qualification? What are some other internationally recognized qualifications that I can get in a year?
I am very determined to get into a school there for my own reasons. Any information on outside things I can do or programs I can enroll in would really help. Would it be a good idea to contact the schools I am most interested in to ask them what classes I can take to satisfy their requirements? I know many of the classes here in the U.S. do not exist there.
In terms of arts schools in England, I can say that I am not considering The University of Arts, London because it is very elite.
The UK system is very straightforward. For art, as @Conformist1688 noted on your other thread, your portfolio will be the most important thing. For the others, your test scores are what will matter most. Work on your wish list of places and post it. There are some posters here that know a lot of individual unis and may be able to give you some extra info.
Advanced standing is your best shot at getting value for your second year, but be aware that it is not a qualification- it is something that a uni *might grant you IF your courses align with theirs OR your portfolio is really good OR their desire for your fees is dominant. It any case, it is a long shot, so stay realistic.
In the meantime, read as much as you can about what your target unis look for in a strong portfolio and work on your portfolio.
Also, work on saving money, as it is going to be an expensive 3-4 years.
Thanks everyone for all of the information. Here is a list of the current English art schools that I am thinking of applying to. I’ve decided to make another post in order to find out if there are any other arts universities/colleges in England I haven’t yet discovered. I found these schools mainly through the unistats website.
University for the Creative Arts (Farnham, England)
Norwich University of the Arts
Arts University Bournemouth
Falmouth University
Hereford College of Arts
Plymouth College of Art
Ravensbourne
Leeds College of Art
The Ucas site will give you a long list. I typed 'visual art ’ as subject and found 70 providers, though probably not all are relevant. If you can be more specific, eg illustration, graphic design, glass etc you will have a better match. It is worth looking at each uni’s undergrad art and design courses to find the full range, eg my son’s art uni has 3 entries under my search but has a range of 18 specific art degree subjects.