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FAQs (Undergraduate)

Method of study

Will I ever be required to come to London?

There is no attendance requirement in London and you do not have to come to London to sit examinations (unless you are sitting for an oral examination and appropriate examination arrangements can not be made in your own country).

In any given year, students registered through the External System will sit exams in examination centres in over 180 countries worldwide. You would only sit your exams in London if this proved to be the most convenient centre available.

Is tuition available from the University?

The academic guidance that you receive from the University is given through the specially written study materials. There is no ongoing tuition from the University except for the online degrees where students take part in discussions with the tutor and other students.

Some programmes also include optional additional support such as study weekends or summer schools organised by the Lead Colleges or the central University. Please see the programme areas for the Diploma/BA English, the Laws programme, and the LSE-led EMFSS programmes for details.

Is tuition available elsewhere?

You may wish to investigate the possibility of registering with an independent teaching institution for tutorial support. Contact details for institutions which have recognised status are available in the Directory of Institutions section of the website.

Please refer to the check list if you are considering registering with a teaching institution. Any arrangement that you make, or fee that you agree, with a teaching institution is between you and the institution, and is independent of and in addition to your registration with the University of London.

Before you register/pay money to a teaching institution you should formally apply to the University of London to see if you are eligible to study for your course. Once you have been made a formal offer of registration from the University you can then investigate the study options available to you.

It is very important that you check carefully that the institution you intend to study at suits your needs, for this reason you should consult the check list prior to registering with any teaching provider.

In relation to institutions, what does ‘recognised’ mean?

The University of London International Programmes has a long track record of working with prestigious independent teaching institutions across the world. As a guide for students we are creating a network of institutions that offer study support to External students within our quality assurance framework.

These institutions are known as recognised centres and are awarded either Affiliate or Registered Centre status. Affiliate Centres have demonstrated a long-term commitment to quality of teaching, support and administration. Recognised centre status applies to specific programmes on named campuses.

The University of London International Programmes is in discussion with a number of institutions who are starting the recognition process, and these are known as candidate institutions.

Affiliate Centres and Registered Centres are listed in the Directory of Institutions on the website. However, it is possible that an institution is in discussion with the University of London International Programmes with a view to commencing the recognition process. If an institution is not listed on the Directory we advise you to undertake your own research on them. The check list provides guidance on some of the issues you should consider.

How will my studies be assessed?

All students are assessed by unseen written examinations which take place in May or June each year. Additionally, students of the BSc Computing and Information Systems, BSc Creative Computing and the BSc Information Systems and Management must submit coursework. Students registered for the BSc Business Administration and BA History must submit a dissertation.

Students registered for the LLB who wish to apply for Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) status in England and Wales will be required to submit a dissertation and/or coursework. Please check the relevant programme pages for further information.

Can I transfer to a College of the University of London at any time?

Whilst it may sometimes be possible to transfer, you should not regard the External System as a route to gaining admission to one of the Colleges of the University. The subjects available for study and the syllabuses for each subject vary from College to College. Only those Colleges of the University whose syllabuses are similar in content to those studied externally are able to accept applications to transfer from the External System. Students who wish to apply to transfer will have to compete with other applicants for a limited number of places. It is very rare for a student registered with the External System to be accepted onto the final year of a degree.

Can I study for an individual unit without registering for a full programme?

It is possible to register for individual units from the Classics, Computing, Economics, Management, Finance and the Social Sciences (EMFSS) and Law programmes, without registering for the full degree, by registering as an occasional student. If you successfully complete the assessment for a unit, you will receive a University of London certificate.

The application, registration, and examination dates are the same as those which apply to the full degree. Applicants should note that it is not possible to accumulate passes in relevant subjects and then apply to be awarded the associated degree or diploma. Please email enquiries@london.ac.uk if you require the Occasional Student Application Form and details of fees.

Can I see course materials before I apply?

You can find samples of the study materials provided by the University for many of our qualifications in the Current Students section of the website, these include chapters from the Subject Guides, reading lists and past examination papers.