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International student support

Once you have been accepted on to one of our courses at Edge Hill, you are bound to have lots of questions. View our pages for advice and support before you embark on life in a new country.

Pre-departure information

Preparing to move to a new country can be one of the most exciting and scariest things to do. The international student support officer will email you pre-departure to help guide you through those few weeks prior to departing your home country and moving to the UK.

We understand that you will have a lot of questions, please have a look at our international applicants webpages which provide you with lots of information to help you prepare for studying at Edge Hill.

Once you’ve been accepted onto your course the international office will send you weekly emails which will start around 6 weeks before you arrive and will cover the following:

  • Introduction and standard arrival dates
  • The Global Friends scheme and our social media links
  • What to bring, campus life, local area guide and term dates
  • International student orientation week
  • Airport meet and greet service and free transportation to campus

Booking your flights

We have standard international student arrival dates so new students can take advantage of our airport meet and greet service and free transportation to campus on our two international student arrival dates.

Before you book your flight please ensure you are aware when our arrival dates are, these will be emailed to you or can obtained by emailing [email protected].

When booking your flight you should ensure that you enter the UK through one of the recognised immigration points, for example, Liverpool or Manchester airports.

You should ensure that you do not book flights that travel through the Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man as you will not get the correct visa stamp in your passport.

Meet and greet service

An image of two purple hands that have white text on that says "Edge Hill University", in front of an airports arrivals corridor.

Here in the international office we want your arrival in the UK to be as stress-free as possible.  This is why we will ensure someone is at the airport to meet you. They will also be able to help you with any queries you may have in the airport.

If you are arriving on one of our international student arrival dates there will be someone to meet you at the airport and show you to your free transportation which will bring to campus where staff/students will assist you to your accommodation.

If you are arriving outside of our standard arrival dates then we will be happy to book you a taxi from the airport and ensure the driver meets you when you arrive.

Alternatively you are welcome to make your own way to campus if you want to, please just let us know details of your arrival so we can ensure everything is in place for you.

Orientation week and enrolment

To help you quickly adjust to UK university life the International Office organises an orientation week for all international students.  This runs from the Friday of the arrival dates until the end of the following week.

Previous events:

  • A welcome event in the Student Union bar with free food/drink. A great opportunity to meet other new and current students (and staff)
  • A free coach trip to either Conway or Chester.
  • Tours of the campus and Ormskirk.
  • A tour of Liverpool taking in the famous sights, such as Mathew Street, the birth place of The Beatles, and Liverpool One which has a huge range of shops, from high street fashion to designer stores. There is also a cinema, mini golf, bars, restaurants and plenty of other attractions.
  • A presentation on UK student life and the University facilities by International Office staff.
  • Information session on your academic programme and how the UK education system works.
  • Information sessions on essentials like working/volunteering whilst you study here.
  • Global Friends/International Society event to help you integrate and meet other students.

You will be given a printed copy of everything taking place to help you organise your first week activities. All activities will be subject to government COVID restrictions and guidelines in place at the time.

The above orientation week also runs alongside the students’ union fresher’s week and any departmental activities so there is plenty to help you integrate before you start your studies the following week.

Global friends scheme

Do you want to meet current Edge Hill University students? Make new friends? Help your integration into UK university life? Get essential information about Edge Hill and the local area before you arrive?

If you answered yes to the questions above then you should apply for the global friends scheme

Incoming international students are put in contact with a current student who will answer any questions they have before they arrive in the UK.

Once you arrive, your partner will meet up with you on a regular basis helping you to integrate and meet new UK students.

This scheme has been highly successful for previous semesters and applications are accepted on a first come first served basis.

The application form can be downloaded below/

Request a global friend form

Current home and international students

Are you interested in becoming a global friends mentor – please email [email protected]

The application form can be downloaded below:

Become a global friend mentor

Support

One of the most important elements for the international office is ensuring international students have the best possible experience whilst studying at Edge Hill University, so to ensure this we have the below support in place should you feel that you need it.

Please email our international student support officer, Kay Spears at [email protected] if you have any questions or if need any support.

General student support
Academic student support
Health and wellbeing
English language support
Social activities

Living and travel in the UK

Safety
Ormskirk and the surrounding region
Cultural differences
Travel in the UK
At the end of your studies

Returning home

Before returning to your home country there are many practical things you will need to do to ensure any loose ends are tied up and returning home is a seamless as possible. Below is a list of some points to consider:

  • Book your tickets for travel as early as possible to ensure you get a flight that is convenient for you and not too expensive. Shop around for the best price, some travel agents, such as STA Travel, offer deals specifically for students.
  • You will probably have many more belongings now than when you arrived and may need to ship some things home.
  • If you have been working in the UK you may be eligible for a tax or NI refund. For more information visit HMRC website.
  • Inform your accommodation provider of your date of departure. If you are in private rented accommodation you will likely need to give at least one month notice, so please ensure you inform your landlord as soon as possible.

You may need to inform the following people of your departure and cancel any dealings you have with them:

  • Employer
  • Bank
  • Doctor/Dentist
  • Electricity/Gas/Water (if living off-campus)
  • Communication companies such as mobile phone companies
  • Your student’s school

For further information about returning home please read the UK Council for international student affairs information sheet.

Adjusting to life at home

Many international students find it difficult to adjust to life back in their home country, especially if they have been in the UK for a long time. Some students face ‘reverse culture shock’ and find it difficult to adapt to life in their home country. For more information on how to help yourself overcome culture shock please visit UKCISA culture shock information sheet.

Graduation

After all the hard work and studying you can finally relax and celebrate your success at your graduation ceremony. All students who wish to attend a graduation ceremony will need to register their attendance and hire robes for the event.

If you would like to attend your graduation then you need to register in advance to ensure you get a place.

Dates and details about graduation can be found online.

Academic registry will send information regarding your ceremony to student’s home address several weeks prior to the event. International students who have home addresses abroad may wish to check the home address which Edge Hill holds for you on your student profile through the GO portal. If the postal service to your home country is slow you may wish to inform academic registry of a different address so you get the information pack in time and do not miss the deadline for registration.

Using your degree

You have studied hard whilst at university and you will be looking forward to using the skills and qualifications gained at Edge Hill in your future life.  Careers at EHU is here to help both current students and recent graduates find their perfect job and help point them in the right direction.

Careers offer advice and guidance up to 3 years after graduation via in-person or virtual meetings, or online via their ‘Ask a Question’ service.

Future study

We regularly have international students who decide to either extend their studies with us, or decide they would like to come back in the future.

The International office is happy to speak to students, whether this is assisting them with the application process, arranging a meeting with the subject department or discussing our competitive scholarships options.

If you would like to speak to us about this please contact us on [email protected].