USA

Study at one of the most stunning campuses in the UK, in the heart of London, and live in one of the most welcoming, safe and friendly boroughs in the city. Surrounded by acres of parks, Greenwich is by far the greenest university in central London. Experience England in its most pure and traditional form: the historical profile of the campus, combined with the large-scale investments we have made in world-class teaching, IT and social facilities, in recent years. All this at London's doorstep

Alumna Quote:

"I like the location and proximity to all that London has to offer. I also like the employment opportunities that it has already provided me. The teaching staff is also a strong point of studying here."   

- Ellen Orchard,MA Landscape Architecture

History

Dating back to 1890, when the university was founded as Woolwich Polytechnic, the second polytechnic in the UK, Greenwich has been providing quality education for 130 years. The main campus, in South East London, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site sitting on the banks of the River Thames, just a few minutes boat ride from the Big Ben, Westminster and the Houses of Parliament.

This architectural centrepiece was designed between 1696 and 1712 by Christopher Wren, the same architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral, in central London. While studying at Greenwich, you will be surrounded by history: the site used to be the residence of many English royal figures, including Henry VIII, many centuries ago and the campus has since maintained its historical integrity which, to this day, fascinates our students as well as locals, tourists and passer-bys' alike.

Why Greenwich

• Great location. London was ranked the best city in the world for students (QS, 2019)
• Wide range of major choice. We have expertise in over 400 subject areas.
• Affordable tuition fees. And we are FAFSA approved, offering you excellent value for money.
• Not just a college, but rather, a big family. Our support and academic staff take big pride in knowing our students individually. They work hard to listen to and understand their needs.
• A strong focus on employability.
• A rapid climb in the rankings. The University of Greenwich has climbed an impressive 10 places from 2019 in The Guardian university league tables.
• £80 investment in the last 5 years on teaching, sports and social facilities across 3 campuses.
• Strong support structures. More information on the support we offer our students is available online.

Subject Areas (Majors)

The University offers a wide range of majors to choose from, across our 4 faculties: Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Faculty of Business; Faculty of Education and Health; and Faculty of Engineering and Science. Our programmes are taught across 3 different campuses and you can explore each further by clicking on the links below. Depending on your programme of study, you will be based at either our Greenwich or Avery Hill Campus (10 – 20 mins from central London), or at our Medway Campus (40 mins from London).

• Greenwich Campus
• Avery Hill Campus
• Medway Campus

UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI)

As an international fee-paying student, you will probably need a Tier 4 student visa to study with us. The most common reason for not needing a Tier 4 student visa is if you hold an EU passport or are resident in the EU.

Information on how to apply and the requirements for your student visa to study with us can be found on the UK Home Office website.

Another useful website that gives information on applying for a student visa is UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs)

Some useful points to remember:

• In order to apply for a Tier 4 student visa, you will require a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) number from us.  This is the same as all UK universities.
• To receive a CAS number from us you would need to be holding an unconditional academic offer and have paid the £3000 deposit (exception to this is if you are applying for a US Federal loan/Sallie Mae loan and are not required to make the payment for the deposit – but you will be advised of this from the International Office/US federal loans team at the University at the time you request for a CAS number from us)
• An unconditional academic offer means the University of Greenwich does not need you to send us any exam results/transcripts/diplomas etc.
• A CAS number can be issued by the University of Greenwich 6 months before the course start date of the programme but you can only apply for your visa 3 months before the start date of your programme.
• Original certificates/transcripts of your studies need to be provided when you make your visa application (remember you will also need the originals to show us at registration when you come to Greenwich). The exact academic documents you need to apply for your visa with will be mentioned on your CAS statement.
• The CAS statement the university sends you is an electronic document which mentions your CAS number.  The CAS number is a virtual number which is only issued electronically.
• The UKVI considers the Medway campus 'Outside London' and Greenwich and Avery Hill campuses 'In London' for maintenance costs. This is the case even though our main campus of Greenwich itself is in inner London, as is our smallest site, Avery Hill.  Geographically, it is only our Faculty of Engineering & Science which is not in inner London.  Proving you have enough in your bank account through personal funds and/or your Federal Loan is an important consideration for your visa application and is explained more thoroughly above.
• Finally, do ensure you read through the links and guidelines above before applying for a visa, especially in regards to what you need to provide for tuition fees and maintenance.

If you have any doubts, please get in touch with the International Office at international@gre.ac.uk.

Accommodation

We at Greenwich recognise the key need for international students to have secured place to live when they arrive on campus. For this reason, we guarantee accommodation to all of our first-year students. While living with us, you will typically have your own room with private en-suite and share cooking facilities with up to 7 other flatmates. All our student accommodation is 5-10 minutes' walk from campus and average on about £6000/year including utility bills, Wi-Fi and 24/7 security. For more information on size and types of rooms, as well as pricings and more details on the accommodation guarantee, please visit www.gre.ac.uk/accommodation.

For a snapshot of our Student Halls, you can watch the YouTube videos below:

• Greenwich
• Avery Hill
• Medway

Employability

Employers are interested in much more than your degree. They want to see that you have the specific skills they need and, ideally, the relevant work experience. Here at the University of Greenwich, the Employability & Careers Service (ECS) will help you secure the graduate job you have always wanted. We do this in a number of ways. Many of our programmes offer students the option to take a "sandwich year", i.e. a year of full-time employment during their studies. Through strong links with employers, internships, career appointment, employability workshops and online support, as well as plenty of work opportunities within the University itself, our students feel supported all the way when it comes to building the skills and the networks to land a great job upon graduation. To find out more about what our alumni have been up to, visit our Alumni page.

Student Life

The proximity of the campus to central London means that there's always plenty of fun to have while studying with us. Whether it's trying out new restaurants, go clubbing or enjoy arts and theatre performances, you will never run out of ideas to spend your free time. Check out Timeout London to find inspiration and discover what's happening in the big city.

The Students' Union also offers a range of social activities exclusively for Greenwich students. Join a society, enter a sports club or simply party with us and make new friends through a variety of social occasions including pool tournaments, karaoke, disco nights, outdoor cinema screenings, comedy clubs and much more. To find out what we do, visit Greenwich's Student Union website.

Also, do not forget that you will have hundreds of destinations within Europe that you will be able to visit during your time here. Plane tickets to Amsterdam, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Athens and plenty more are extremely cheap, and all these cities are only a couple of hours of flight time away.

Sports

Joining a Sports Club is a way for University of Greenwich students to really make their mark on their time at university. One way they do this is through sport. This is Team Greenwich & we're already at the starting line. Following a multi million-pound investment in sports facilities across all 3 campuses, you will be able to enjoy a large number of sports while studying with us, including:

• Football
• Archery
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Cheer leading
• Cricket
• Dance
• Soccer
• Hockey
• Netball
• Rugby
• Tennis
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Volleyball

Tips

There are similarities and differences in the US and UK university application processes. Understanding some of these will help to ensure a smooth application for you.

• There is no application fee at the University of Greenwich. You apply to the university directly and should have a response within 2 weeks of application.
• Our application process for degree programmes is completely electronic and after typing your details, you will go through stages where you will upload your scanned documents.
• As with the US system, we require recent transcripts, a personal statement and 2 academic references
• The British academic year runs from mid-September – June. All of our programs start in September but a number of our graduate programmes have a January start.
• You may apply up to us up until the summer before your programme starts – or November if you are applying for a January start. However, you are strongly advised to apply in good time since you will need to consider applying for accommodation and your student visa.
• We prioritise accommodation allocation for international students only until late spring. Students who apply for accommodation by the summer deadline are guaranteed an offer of university accommodation if you are studying with us for a minimum of one academic year.
• You may apply before you have all of your grades/results and we can issue a 'conditional offer', meaning we promise to hold a place for you on the condition you complete your current course of studies at a specified level.
• Remember that when listing dates, in the UK we use the Day / Month / Year format. So December 1st 2000 is written as 01 / 12 / 2000
• All of our new students take part in orientation activities for new international students during Welcome Week. In the first week, you will receive information about registering for a doctor and opening a bank account. In addition, the University's Student's Union organises a "Fresher's Week" which includes a welcome fair showcasing various clubs and societies.
• The University of Greenwich will issue you with an offer letter and guidance on applying for the appropriate type of visa for studying with us in the UK.