Aston University

Aston University, a public institution in central Birmingham, has its roots in the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, which was established in 1895. It passed through several phases, first as a technical college and later as a college of advanced technology, before a royal charter conferred university status in 1966. Everything sits on one city-centre site: a compact estate of roughly 60 acres at Gosta Green that brings together academic buildings, student halls and other facilities.

Professional, career-oriented study lies at the heart of Aston's reputation. The university pioneered the integrated placement year over half a century ago, and a sizeable proportion of undergraduates take a year-long placement in industry. Aston Business School, established in 1947, carries triple accreditation. Further schools teach pharmacy, biosciences, engineering, law and social sciences, psychology and health, and computer science and digital technologies, and a medical school was added in 2015. Enrolment exceeds 15,000, with students coming from more than 120 countries. In partnership with Cambridge Education Group, Aston also runs a small base in the City of London offering selected postgraduate programmes in business and technology.

Information for International Students

OnCampus Aston, the International Pathway Centre that the university runs with Cambridge Education Group at its Birmingham campus, caters for applicants who require further preparation before degree study. Its Undergraduate Foundation Programme has routes in business, engineering, life sciences, and humanities and social sciences, and the centre also delivers International Year One and pre-master's programmes, with English support built into every one of them. Where language skills fall short of the required standard, pre-sessional English courses are taught by the university's Centre for English Language and Communication. Requirements differ between schools. Engineering and law, for instance, set IELTS 6.0 overall; medicine requires 7.0, while health and life sciences ask for between 6.5 and 7.0.

Every university room is located on campus and supplied in partnership with Unite Students. A room is guaranteed to new undergraduates and postgraduates who satisfy the criteria of the allocation policy. International students can draw on a pre-arrival guide, a welcome week and a selection of scholarships. International undergraduates are also able to take professional placements, and graduates who meet the eligibility conditions may apply for the Graduate Route.