Application Procedure For Postgraduate Programmes

Postgraduate courses include certificates, diplomas, professional qualifications and higher degrees.

It is difficult to generalize about the reasons for doing postgraduate study as everyone will come to it with different circumstances, motivations and aspirations. Some reasons might be to specialize in a particular field, to study for personal interest, to convert to a different field or to study a vocational subject. Postgraduate study is most likely to be an investment for you if you have thought specifically about what you hope to achieve from it, how you see it fitting in with your long term aims and if it is practically possible for you to actually do more studying.

For postgraduate courses, we make a separate application to each university you want to apply (as per the university requirement). Our aim is to make the postgraduate application process as simple and efficient as possible.

• Eligibility
  Most UK universities accept the Indian graduation system of three years for entry into most postgraduate courses. An Indian bachelor degree like B.A., B.Com. Or B.Sc. is equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) Degree.
  
  However, some courses and universities may require a qualification equivalent to British Bachelor (Honours) Degree, which requires 16 years of formal education, which would mean another year after graduation or a four year degree course like B.E., B.Tech or other such courses.
  For most Universities, a good first degree from a leading university in India or its equivalent is essential.
• British Degrees and their Indian equivalent Degree:
  

  British Degree	Indian Equivalent Degree
  British Bachelor (Ordinary) Degree	A three-year Indian Graduation Degree like B.A. or B.Sc. and other such courses.
  British Bachelor (Honours) Degree	A four-year Indian graduation course like B.E. or B.Tech. or other such courses. OR A post graduate degree, from Indian university, like M.A., M.Sc. or other such courses
  British Master’s Degree	A post graduate degree like M.Tech. or M.E. from I.I.T. or I.I.Sc. and other such colleges

• Application Requirements

1. Academic Records
2. English Language Tests
3. Work Experience Details
4. Letters of Recommendation
5. Statement of Purpose (SOP)

1. Academic Records
   Full details of your education including your course subjects and grades are required in the applications. Transcripts or official records of your previous academic qualifications are crucial for your application.
   
   Students applying for admission are required to submit an official transcript from each college or university that they have attended after secondary school with complete details of the subjects, credits involved and other details like correspondence courses, diplomas etc. Most universities ask for the transcript to be sealed in an envelope and signed and attested across the seal by the registrar. This procedure is to be done for each and every college that you have attended. Some universities may ask for more than one transcript but most require only one.
   
   If the originals are not in English, copies and a good English translation must be enclosed. If your undergraduate qualification or university is unknown to the admissions tutor, the British Council would be able to advice.
2. English Language Tests
   IELTS: For most courses and universities, International students are required to take IELTS (International English Language Testing System) which is regularly administered by the British Council.
   
   Note: Some Universities may waive IELTS if you have been studying in English medium throughout and they are convinced that you are proficient in English.
3. Work Experience Details
   A number of professional and vocational courses require relevant work experience. For instance, many MBAs or master's courses in information studies require at least a couple of years' work experience. Most Australian universities are pretty strict about this. A detailed resume is an important part of your application. It should include all information of professional work experience along with the details like positions held, achievements and range of work.
4. Letter of Recommendation
   Letters of reference or recommendation letters play a very important part in your admission especially in courses that earn you a master’s or doctoral degree. A recommendation letter is a signed statement from a person who knows you well professionally or has taught you in a subject that is related to the course you are applying to. It should list your positive and negative qualities, strengths and other such information.
   
   The author or teacher must indicate his position, how long he/she has known the applicant and in what capacity. He/she should briefly discuss the need, importance and usefulness of the study the applicant proposes to undertake. Authors are usually asked to rank applicants in their letters of recommendation, which helps admission officers to interpret the academic credentials of foreign students. Students should obtain letters of recommendation (often on the prescribed forms sent by the institutions) from teachers who know them as a person as well as a student. You may like to request your author to give concrete examples that may show your qualities and help your case.
   
   Many universities have their own format and questions that have to be answered by the person who is giving the letter of recommendation on your behalf. Letters, which do not give enough information, can jeopardize a candidate’s chances of selection.
5. Statement of Purpose
   The personal essays, and/or statement of purpose, play a very important role in the process of evaluating your application for both admission as well as financial aid because it gives the faculty assessing your application their most significant impression of you as an individual. This section is the key to distinguish your application from other suitable candidates and a chance to market yourself.
   
   A personal statement should include your reasons for choosing a particular course, the suitability of your education and experience for the chosen course, your personal interests and career goals.