Support with your visa
Pre-departure checks
Our International Office team will be delivering regular pre-departure webinars over the next few weeks that will help you prepare for your move to Leicester.
You can take a look at the webinar calendar here.
Due to restrictions that may be in place when you arrive in the UK, we would encourage all international students to make sure you have a credit card available to use (ideally not an American Express card as this is not accepted everywhere) for immediate payments and internet shopping. You will particularly need this if you are required to quarantine or self-isolate.
Getting to campus
We will be operating a free bus pick-up service from London Heathrow airport (LHR) on key arrival dates, which will take you directly to the DMU campus.
We will be operating the pickup service on the following three dates in September, to coincide with the start of the student Welcome programme:
We can accept bookings from new students with scheduled flight arrival times up to 16.00 on each pick-up date.
If you can, we recommend that you schedule your flight to coincide with our airport pick-ups, because this free service will take you directly to the DMU campus.
Seats on airport pick-ups are limited. To secure your place, we recommend booking online as soon as you are able to. Online booking will close 10 working days before each pickup date.
You can find out more here.
If you have any questions about travelling to Leicester or need further information, please email us at arrivals@dmu.ac.uk.
Arriving at DMU
Fees
- When it comes to paying your fees it’s really important that you have you finances in order and everything planned out. As an International student you are required to pay 50% of your fees in advance of or on the day of registration. If the amount is not paid you will not be able to register and therefore your visa will be curtailed within the required time period. The remaining balance must be paid by a monthly/termly instalment plan that must be agreed with the Income Team within four weeks of registration.
Working in the UK
- Last year, the UK government announced the creation of a new immigration route which will enable international students to remain in the UK for two years once they have completed their studies. Any eligible student who graduates from the summer of 2021 or after will be able to apply for this route. Successful applicants will be able to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for a maximum period of two years. To find out more, please click here.
- Under Tier 4 visa regulations, students are allowed to work 20 hours a week during term time. However, please be aware that due to the current situation with COVID-19, there may be reduced working opportunities in the UK.
Online Enrolment
Registration will be completed entirely online for new international students. The registration will be a two-step online process; you will first need to complete an online form in order begin your registration, and then you will be invited to join a short video appointment with a member of our registration team who will finalise your registration.
To be able to complete the registration process and finalise your registration at your video appointment, you will need to ensure you complete your online registration form and ensure you have paid at least 50% of your tuition fees for the year. We will send you more information nearer the time and you will be invited to complete your registration and to book an appointment time that suits you.
We have made registration an online process this year so that we are able to register students that are not yet able to come to the UK as well as those who have arrived in the UK. We will need you to provide copies of documents as part of the process before your video appointment; again, we will send you more information by email. It is really important that you make sure the university has the correct email address for you and that you check your emails regularly so that we can get this important information to you.
i-Buddies
i-Buddies is a mentoring scheme that matches our newly arrived international students with an existing DMU student. i-Buddies can support you as you transition into life in the UK and will help you start to make friends straight away. The scheme lasts for the first term of the new academic year, but many Buddies become friends and choose to stay in contact after this.
Click here to learn more about i-Buddies.
Please note: This video was filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accommodation
UK guidelines currently require those arriving from certain international destinations to quarantine for 14 days. If this still applies when you book your accommodation, you will get 14 days rent-free if you book through the DMU Accommodation service and arrive before the end of October 2020. We hope that by offering you this period for free in our nominated halls, you can concentrate on getting started on your course, meeting new friends and making the most of your study experience here. The full list of participating halls of residences is found here - but this offer only applies if you book your accommodation place through DMU by clicking here.
If you have booked accommodation through DMU but are prevented from travelling to the UK because of government-imposed lockdowns or travel restrictions (either by the UK government or other relevant national governments), or if you withdraw or decline your place at DMU, then we will cancel your accommodation booking and refund your booking payment. This also applies if you decide to defer your place at DMU until 2021. We would ask you to notify us of any change by no later than Friday 9 October 2020 by emailing accommodation@dmu.ac.uk If you do not do so by this date, please note that you will remain liable for the full accommodation contract. (Please note that this only applies to bookings made through the DMU accommodation booking service.)
If there are no travel restrictions in place and you change your mind about your accommodation you will remain liable for all payments under your accommodation contract.
Please note that the arrangements outlined above do not change your right to a 14-day no-question cancellation period, which begins from the point your accommodation booking is confirmed.
We hope that this gives you the information and the reassurance you need in making your decisions about accommodation at DMU next year. If you have any further questions, please contact the accommodation team: accommodation@dmu.ac.uk
We encourage our international students to live in Leicester within a reasonable distance of the DMU campus so that you are able to easily access facilities.