As an international student, we know that you’ll have extra questions about life in the UK, the healthcare system, public transport, academic expectations and lots more.
We’ll answer these questions in special online and face-to-face international orientation sessions that complement our University-wide induction programme. There are different programmes for study abroad and Erasmus students, who will be at St Mary’s just for this semester, and for students doing their whole degree at St Mary’s.
Study abroad welcome
Pick-up service
If you’re studying at St Mary’s for this semester or for the full year, we can pick you up from Heathrow and bring you to St Mary’s.
- Date: TBC
- Bookings: This service is free, but you must reserve your place by TBC. Please complete our pick-up form when your flight details are confirmed.
- Who this session is for: This day is to move study abroad students living on campus into their St Mary’s accommodation. In order that we can manage your arrival efficiently, we request that you aim to arrive at London Heathrow by 1pm. If you’re not living on campus, you don’t need to come to St Mary’s until in-person orientation activities begin.
Orientation
We will be holding in-person Study Abroad orientation sessions on TBC. These will be supplemented by online sessions. Further details about what we cover will be available on arrival.
Undergraduate welcome
Arriving to campus
We have a free airport pick-up service for students moving into campus, we will update this page soon with arrangements for this.
If you won’t be living on campus, you won’t need to come to St Mary’s until your in-person orientation activities start, so you can travel from the airport to your accommodation on a day that suits you.
Orientation
Please see your course induction page for details of your mandatory academic induction.
Postgraduate welcome
Arriving to campus
As a postgraduate student, you won’t need to come to campus until in-person sessions for your course begin. Please check your teaching start date and the dates for your mandatory academic induction programme on our website. Please let us know if you need any help getting to your accommodation or to campus.
Orientation
Postgraduate students have two online orientation sessions. The dates for these will be confirmed in due course.
Further information
During induction week, campus tours and tours of the local area will also be available.
We’re really excited to meet you at a session and see you on campus when you arrive. In the meantime, you can also prepare for your St Mary’s experience by:
- Watching our pre-departure webinar, if you weren’t able to attend on the 7th September.
- Looking at our Stay Safe at St Mary’s page for up-to-date coronavirus guidance.
- Reading our ‘Preparing to study in London’ pages
- Engaging with the free resources at Prepare for Success, a free interactive learning tool designed to help international students in the UK prepare for their studies
- Having a look at the UKCISA website. UKCISA, the UK Council for International Student Affairs, is a comprehensive source of information and support on everything from visas to tuition fees to health.
Coronavirus guidance for international students and late arrivals
We know that you may have questions about travelling to London to start your course. Please check our Stay Safe at St Mary’s guidance for international students for full details about COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements. There are currently no government requirements for travellers to England.
It’s important that you’re able to come to campus when your course starts. If you’re experiencing visa delays or other travel problems and you don’t think you’ll be able to arrive on time, please keep our International Admissions (internationaladmissions@stmarys.ac.uk) and International (international@stmarys.ac.uk) teams informed so that we can give you the best advice. If you’re a study abroad or Erasmus student, please write to studyabroad@stmarys.ac.uk instead.