The University of Birmingham welcomes applications from students from the USA. We currently have 68 American students following a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Entry requirements
Funding and Scholarships
Visits to the USA
Student life at Birmingham
Birmingham alumni activities in the USA
Contact us
Representatives in your country
Entry requirements
The following information is for guidance only and should be used together with the University's general entrance requirements and any specific degree programme requirements.
Please note: If you have taken exams which are from another country's national education system (eg the Arbitur from Germany or SAT and AP exams from the USA) you should consult the country specific section for that country for qualification equivalence information. If you are unsure about the acceptability of your qualifications for entry to Birmingham please contact us for further details.
|
Level
|
Entry requirements
|
|
Undergraduate
|
A combined SAT 1 (SATR) score of minimum 1800 (at least 1900 for subjects where standard offer is AAB or higher), PLUS at least 3 subjects in Advanced Placements, are normally required.
Normally only Group A AP subjects will be considered and some degree programmes will require Advanced Placements in specific subjects.
Where applicants have taken SATs under the old SAT system, we will look for a combined SAT1 score of minimum 1200 (at least 1300 where the standard offer is AAB or higher), with the Advanced Placement requirements as above.
Students who have not completed the above would normally be expected to have completed one year at an accredited US College or University.
|
|
Postgraduate
|
The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of at least 3.0.
Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg, Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.
|
|
English Language
|
You may be required to provide evidence of your English ability. The most commonly accepted qualifications are the IELTS exam (minimum scores from 6.0-7.0) and TOEFL (minimum from 550-600 paper based, 213-250 computer based or 80-100 Internet based). Minimum requirements vary according to the chosen programme. See the English language page for specific programme requirements.
|
Funding & Scholarships
If you are planning on applying for a Federal Stafford Loan, Federal Plus Loan or Smart Loan, you can also transfer these to the UK. Please check our USA Loan pages for full details on how to transfer your loan to Birmingham.
The University of Birmingham also offers a range of part-fee scholarships for international students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. USA students can transfer their Federal Loans to Birmingham. We also have an agreement with Marshall Scholarships, offering up to two awards each year, and regularly receive scholarships through The Fulbright Commission and Santander. We also have a range or departmental and country specific scholarships available every year.
View this video to find out more about USA Postgraduate Alumni Scholarships
Santander scholarships
Santander offer support for international students who wish to study abroad. This can support incoming Masters students or outgoing postgraduate students.
For full information on what’s available please see the Scholarships section.
Visits to the USA
Staff from the University of Birmingham visit different countries throughout the year to meet with students, schools and universities. For full details of visits, please see the Meet us in your country section.
Student life at Birmingham
There is a thriving student community at Birmingham and we very much look forward to you being part of it. To hear what student life is like for our students, have a look at what our students say. Also, if you are unable to travel to campus yourself, visit our You Tube Channel to watch films of our beautiful campus.
The below video features one of our USA students talking about his experiences at studying at Birmingham.
Student societies
Many nationality groups form student societies during their time at the University of Birmingham. This is an excellent way to keep in contact with home and also provides an opportunity to highlight your culture and customs in the UK.
Student societies are also a useful point of contact for prospective students to Birmingham who may want to contact current students for information.
For a full list of student societies please visit the Birmingham Guild of Students website at www.guildofstudents.com.
Birmingham alumni activities in the USA
The University of Birmingham has many strong alumni groups all over the world. Alumni groups are an excellent way of keeping in contact with the University and with other graduates from Birmingham who live in your country. Some alumni groups meet on a regular basis for social and professional events.
If you would like to meet up with University staff when they are in your country or you would be willing to help promote the University at education exhibitions, we would also like to hear from you.
You can find out if there is an alumni group in your country or join our alumni mailing list on the Alumni website at www.alumni.bham.ac.uk.
Contact us
If you have any questions in regards to the above, please email international@bham.ac.uk.
University of Birmingham Representatives in the USA
British Council offices in the USA
The British Council has offices in many countries throughout the world which are able to provide you with advice about studying in the UK. Most offices also have an education library and Internet facilities where you can consult university material. The British Council can also provide advice about funding opportunities.
For more information visit www.britishcouncil.org/USA.
Student Profiles
"I have always known about the University from various philosophers that I respect and admire. It was very important for me to work under the supervision of a top-shelf philosopher. The University had numerous professors to choose from.
There is plenty to do in Birmingham and the people are kind and generous. As an American, however, I especially like that it is centrally located to so many exciting places in the UK.
The University has been very easy to work with, the tuition is reasonably priced, the students are kind stimulating, and the faculty is wonderful! I’ve had an incredible experience with my supervisor and all the other faculty members of the philosophy department.
I love studying at the University of Birmingham and recommend it to all my friends!"
James K. Dew, Jr.
Programme: PhD Philosophy
Nationality: USA
"I chose to come to the university because of its unique combination of quality scholars working in my field and financial provision through a university scholarship.
The scholars and postgraduates at the university always provide good dialogue on important issues, and my supervisor is very helpful in guiding me through the research process. As a postgraduate researcher I also have a lot of flexibility with my schedule and research direction.
Birmingham has all the modern amenities of a large city with a central location for touring all of England."
Drew Longacre
Programme:
PhD in Theology and Religion
Nationality: USA
“I chose the University of Birmingham because I wanted so study at a University with top rate scholarship. The school, as a “red brick” institution is comparable to the Ivy League in the United States. The instructors and supervisors are warm and encouraging. The education in Birmingham is one of the best.
The location of the University is in excellent, metropolitan, and thriving area. It is a large metropolitan city. Like London, it is a well-known and international in nature. There is a good transportation system with the train system.
The city of Birmingham is a very warm and caring environment. Birmingham represents the strong/historic relationship that exists between the United States and England. Birmingham is also a historic city, being the childhood home of such famous individuals as W.H. Auden, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Ozzy Osbourne.
The things I like about studying in Birmingham includes the library facilities, the interaction with faculty members, the resources available online (websites, links, online journals, etc.). Together with the resources available on the internet, all of the books and resources we need can be obtained easily.
It is a pleasure to study in such a tremendous community of scholars. “
Nicholas L. Woods
Programme:
PHD The Dead Sea Scrolls
Nationality: USA