Can I earn a UK degree without moving to the UK?

Yes. Many UK universities offer online programs you can complete from your home country, with no need to relocate or apply for a Student visa. If a program includes any time on campus, we tell you before you apply.

Do I need A-levels or a first degree to apply?

Many UK universities welcome mature applicants and look at your professional experience as well as your formal qualifications. Some master’s programs, MBAs in particular, consider substantial relevant experience in place of a first degree. We check each program’s entry rules for you.

Is a one-year UK master’s a full master’s degree?

Yes. A UK master’s is typically 180 credits, equal to 90 ECTS credits in the European system, and a full-time program fits them into around twelve months. Part-time study spreads the same credits over two or three years.

What does the UK destination fee cover?

The US$490 destination fee covers the country-specific work of applying to UK universities, such as their application systems and document requirements. If you’re open to the US or Australia too, let us recommend the best fit and it’s included.

Study at a UK University While You Work

Why professionals choose the UK

UK degrees are compact. A full-time honours bachelor’s usually takes three years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and many full-time master’s programs take a single year. When you’re balancing a career, that focus is a real advantage.

Known worldwide. Employers and governments in every region recognise UK degree titles and the universities behind them.
Taught in English, with a long tradition of distance learning for students who study entirely from home.
Open to experience. Many universities welcome mature applicants and weigh professional experience alongside formal qualifications.

How UK degrees are awarded

In the UK, degrees are awarded by recognised bodies: institutions that hold degree-awarding powers granted under UK law. The government lists every one of them on GOV.UK, so checking a university takes minutes. Our accreditation guide shows you how to look one up.

Degrees are measured in credits. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, an honours bachelor’s is typically 360 credits and a master’s typically 180 credits, with each credit representing around ten hours of learning. Scotland uses its own framework, where an honours degree usually takes four years full-time.

Turning experience into credit: RPL, APL and APEL

UK universities call credit for prior learning recognition of prior learning (RPL) or accreditation of prior learning (APL). APL usually comes in two parts:

APCL covers certificated learning, such as professional qualifications or modules from earlier study.
APEL covers experiential learning from your job, assessed through a portfolio that maps your evidence to a module’s learning outcomes.

Each university sets its own limit on credit awarded this way, and many ask you to take the final stage of the degree with them. Your free review shows the credit rules for every program on your shortlist. For the full picture, read our guide to credit for prior learning.

Already hold an HND or a foundation degree? A top-up degree lets you complete the final year of an honours bachelor’s, typically in one year full-time or a little longer part-time.

Degree titles, lengths and study modes

Bachelor’s: BA (Hons), BSc (Hons), BEng (Hons) and LLB, typically three years full-time.
Master’s: MA, MSc, MBA, LLM and MRes, often one year full-time or two to three years part-time.
Doctorates: the PhD, plus professional doctorates such as the DBA and EdD, designed for experienced practitioners.

Many universities offer part-time and online routes designed around a full-time job, so you can study from wherever you live. Many universities have several intakes a year, and online programs often start more frequently than campus ones. Curious what a title means? Try our degree title decoder.

Accredited universities on our list

Each UK university below is a recognised body with its own degree-awarding powers. Names are shown for information, and each university makes its own admission decisions.