Completing your taught course application

• Search for the course you wish to apply for using course search. Once you have selected the course please click on 'Apply Now' buttons until you reach the application form where you will be asked to Log in or Create a new user.
• If you have an existing account your username is your email address or applicant ID number. You can click on the forgotten password link to reset your password.
• If you are new to the Application system please click on New User to create your New User Details.
• You do not have to complete your application in one session. You will be sent an email containing a secure link to enable you to complete your application at a future date should you so choose.
• You will be able to save your application at any point in the process and return to it when you are ready to continue.

Please note that your application will not be processed until all the relevant sections have been completed and your application has been submitted.

Throughout your application you will be given the opportunity to upload scanned documents in support of your application.

The process

Most postgraduate programmes start in late September/early October, but you will be informed if the start date of your chosen programme is different. In general, there are no closing dates for applications, but you are advised to apply early as many of our programmes receive more applications than there are places available. International applicants should also allow time to obtain a visa.

Where there are closing dates for applications, details are given in individual programme entries within our course finder. If you intend to seek financial support, you should contact the school or department for details of deadlines.

All applications for postgraduate study are processed through our Admissions Office and forwarded to the relevant department for consideration. The Admissions Office will write to you to inform you of the decision. The decision will be either:

• A conditional offer – the offer of a place is subject to you meeting the conditions stated in the offer letter
• An unconditional offer – you have met all the conditions required for entry
• We are unable to offer you a place

Your offer

If you are made an offer of a place it will be subject to the terms and conditions of the University. These terms and conditions will be included with the offer and relate to a range of issues, for example the fees payable.

As a condition of an offer of a place you may be required to achieve a particular result in your current studies, undertake a preliminary period of study consisting of selected academic work or technical training, or provide evidence of English language proficiency.

Non-EEA international students will need to consider certain immigration requirements when accepting their offer and when preparing for their student visa application. For further information visit our International Student Advisory Service.

Decisions

Please note that a decision on your application may be delayed if the relevant supporting documents are not received.

The following information will usually be needed before a decision can be made on your application:

• Academic reference(s)
• Degree transcripts (interim* transcripts);
• English language test certificate (if appropriate);
• Research proposal (if appropriate).

*A transcript of your degree progress and achievement to date.

You may also be required to submit further documents.

The following programmes are subject to a £50 non-refundable application fee.

At the end of the application form, before you can submit it to us, you will be required to pay, or indicate how you will pay the required fee in order for us to process your application. We will not process applications for which we have not received the fee payment. If you decide at any time not to complete and submit your application, you will not be charged.

If you submit a second application for a programme in the same academic year, you will be charged and we will not process your application. We do not offer a refund for duplicate applications.

If you are being sponsored by an approved sponsor (recognised by the University of Birmingham) then please indicate this in the Funding Details section of your application form.

Please complete and submit your application before paying your application fee.

Please note this only applies for those with a £50 non-refundable application fee.

Payment details will be provided on the submission page of your application if you are required to pay for your application.

We accept the following methods of payment,

• Debit or Credit card (pay online after completion of the application form)

We can accept Visa, MasterCard, Maestro cards. Card payments will be processed in Pounds Sterling.

When you complete and submit your application, select 'Online Payment', pay now, to make your online payment by debit or credit card.

• Bank Transfer (pay online after the completion of your application form)

When you complete and submit your application, select 'Bank Transfer', pay later, to make your online payment.

This service allows you to pay in your local currency and from your home bank account, without worrying about exchange rates or funds arriving short at the University.

Payments will sometimes necessitate a delay while we wait for the funds to reach us. Once payment is received, we will begin to process/submit your application manually. Paying your application fee via the submission page of your application is the quickest way for your application to be processed.

After you have paid

Once your payment has been received and your application has been submitted successfully, you will receive an acknowledgement email confirming your ID number and that your application will be progressed.

If you have paid for your application and your application remains unsubmitted for any reason, or you have any other queries regarding the payment process please contact pgapplicationfee-admissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk with your payment details.

Please keep your Application ID or Booking Reference number to hand when making any payments. Please quote your Application ID or Booking Reference in all correspondence.

If you are unable to pay by the above methods you may want to apply instead through an Overseas Representative or Agent. They will need to log the application on your behalf.

Personal details such as name, date of birth and nationality.

Protected characteristics such as religion, disability and ethnicity. Please note, your answers will be treated in the strictest confidence, and all data disclosed will comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. To find out more about how Birmingham uses data to promote equality and diversity for students, please contact studentequality@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

Permanent home address and space to put information if you are an agent or partner institution applying on behalf of a student.

This page is for academic qualifications i.e. school, undergraduate and any postgraduate qualifications already started/completed.

Scanned transcripts and certificates need to be uploaded here - please see our Document requirements explained webpage for more information on what we need. This page is also where you can upload English language requirement documents.

You can upload your CV and detail any relevant work experience that may be beneficial to your application. There is also space for details of any professional or other qualifications that you may want to include.

Personal statement, approximately 5,000 characters, explaining why you are interested in studying on your chosen programme. This can be uploaded to the personal statement section in PDF or Microsoft Word format. Alternatively, you can type this within the application portal.

There are various differences in personal statements for a first degree, but it is also a good idea to think of the statement like a job application. The word limit is higher, so you are expected to provide more detail and you will need to provide evidence of critical thinking and research skills, since these are more significant components in Masters courses. When reading your statement, our Admissions want to see your interest and commitment to the subject. Follow our guide below to ensure you address the above in your statement.

Do your research

• Research the course and its links to careers, and the example modules within the course
• Think of some reasons why you want to do this particular course
• Read through the entry requirements and course description very carefully: identify the keywords and phrases and think about how you can provide evidence of these skills

Writing (‘the four Ps')

• Passion for your subject – Demonstrate your academic interests, eg, further reading, favourite modules, related events like exhibitions, conferences and workshops.
• Person – Why you? Give evidence of your previous experiences, motivations, career goals.
• Preparation – Apply your skills to the skills listed in the entry requirements and course description. Always give evidence to prove you have these skills. These skills could be from academic work, employment, research placements, internships, societies or other roles.
• Place – Why here? Tailor the personal statement to the particular course: you can apply to more than one Masters course but each personal statement should be slightly different so that it is relevant to the individual course. Demonstrate that you have researched the course and the University. What do you like about Birmingham: staff interests, modules, resources, the postgraduate community?

If you are returning to study after employment

Think about how you can relate your current and previous employment to the skills required for studying this programme. Admissions tutors are looking for your commitment to the course, so if you can display your time management and project management in a working environment, this will show your transferable skills (much like a job application).

Here you have the option to either upload your references if you have them already, or input details of your referees so that we can contact them automatically once you have submitted your application. See the References section below for more information on the types of references we accept and the format they need to be in.

Here you will be asked what you expect to be the primary source of funding you will have to support your studies. This might be your own personal funds (savings, loans, etc.), from other 'sponsors' such as employers, or third party funding bodies.

This page includes a Data Protection Statement and Declaration that both need accepting before you can submit your application.

On your application, you will have been asked for contact details of one or two references. For some courses, you will need the references before a decision to be made eg. School of Education courses.

Please make sure you tell your references to expect contact from the University of Birmingham via email, requesting their reference. Please note that the contact email address of the referee must be an official email address and not a personal one (for example, gmail). We recommend that the referee sends back the reference in a PDF format as it is preferred if:

• The reference is on official headed paper with the organisation or university’s logo and address
• It includes the date, your details and the details of the referee
• A summary of how they know you and confirm your suitability for studying on the course you have applied for
• It should be signed by the referee with their official contact details.

If both your referees send back references which are not on official headed paper, you may be asked to send in additional references.

If you already have a written reference(s) and want to upload it on behalf of your referee(s), make sure the reference is a scanned copy of the original and that it is on official headed paper.

If you input your referee details, your referees will receive a reference request email from us as soon as you submit your application. When a referee provides the reference by clicking on the link in the reference request email, it will be automatically uploaded to your application.

A referee can also provide a reference by emailing it to us directly via pgadmissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk, it should be sent from their official email address and contain their full name and role. Once the email has been received, it will be sent for processing so that it can be uploaded to your application.

Your online portal will be updated when a reference has been received and processed but please allow at least 15 working days for this. If your portal has not been updated, this does not necessarily mean that the references have not been received as there can be a delay with the processing of references.

Please note that for the vast majority of our programmes, we do not require references in order for a decision to be made and your application will still be processed as usual. If an offer is made and the references are still outstanding, they will form part of the conditions of the offer.

If you have graduated

You will have been asked to upload a scan of your original or certified copies of your degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) on the Postgraduate Application Portal.

If you have not done so already, you can go back into the portal to upload your documents. Otherwise your application cannot be considered.

Please be prepared to send in your original or certified copies of your documents if the Admissions team requests to verify them.

If you don’t have certified copies of your documents and would prefer not to send the original, you can get copies certified by either the institution where you studied; a notary; or the British Council (students outside of the UK).

If you are an EU or International student and submitted your application with a University of Birmingham Overseas Representative, they will be able to verify your documents and there will be no need to send in copies by post.

If you are currently a student

You will have been asked to upload an interim transcript from your latest exams.

If you have not done so already, you can go back into the portal to upload your interim transcript. Otherwise your application cannot be considered.

Please be prepared to send in your original or certified copies of your degree certificate and final transcript upon graduation if the Admissions team requests to verify them.

If you don’t have certified copies of your documents and would prefer not to send the original, you can get copies certified by either the institution where you studied; a notary; or the British Council (students outside of the UK).

If you are an EU or international student and submitted your application with a University of Birmingham Overseas Representative, they will be able to verify your documents and there will be no need to send in copies by post. Please note, if you did not originally submit your application through an agent representative, you will not be able to ask an agent to help you verify and upload documents at this stage.

For the full list of suitable documents which you can use as your proof of English proficiency, you can visit our English language requirements page.

Make sure that your test results are no more than two years old from the start date of your course* at the University of Birmingham.

You can scan and upload a copy of your results to the Postgraduate application portal. You do not need to send in a copy of this to the University or bring it when you are verifying your documents with our representatives in your country as the University can verify the certificate using the reference code.

*If you are deferring your offer by one year, please make sure your test results will still be valid for when your course starts next year.

Exemptions

For those who have recently graduated from a University in the UK or majority English speaking country (e.g USA, Australia, New Zealand or Canada) you may be exempt from taking English language test. Please note that if your degree was delivered in English but not at a recognised university in the UK or majority English speaking country, our Admissions Office will require you to demonstrate your level of English with IELTS/TOEFL/PTE or alternative qualifications. You may also want to check our country pages as some countries may have certain exemptions, such as those who graduate from the University of Malta.

You will still need to present evidence of your qualifications studied in English to meet our entry requirement. Our Admissions office will then review your application and if exempt you will not be required to provide evidence of English language proficiency.

If you are required to submit a piece of example work— usually a short written piece (common for programmes such as Creative Writing or English Literature); music composition or performance for those looking to study music related programmes— you will be notified by the academic tutor before they can access and make a decision on your application.

Please make sure you submit these as soon as possible and in the format requested by the academic tutor.

Certified – having your original documents copied and then officially recognised with an official institution’s stamp or watermark so you do not need to send off the original.

Verified – checked by the University or our representatives that the document is official and genuine.

Certificate – degree certificate stating your name and degree awarded from your previous university/universities.

Transcript – usually an additional document which comes with your certificate, detailing your grades achieved per module of your degree programme(s) and the overall grade.

Notary - A notary is usually a lawyer (though not necessarily so in the United States) or person with legal training who is licensed by the government to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.

The British Council – has offices all over the world and support the educational and cultural exchange of students coming to the UK for university.

University of Birmingham Overseas Representative – The University has overseas representatives listed on the Overseas Offices webpage, who can offer advice and certify your documents as well as verifying your documents on site rather than sending to the UK.