For international students

Student guides

Step-by-step help with the things every international student has to sort out. Free to read, no sign-up.

Just arrived

• Your first week, in orderEvery step needs something from the one before: phone data, proof of enrolment, your eVisa, a bank account, a GP.

Health

• Register with a GPRegister with a GP in about 15 minutes online.
• A&E, 111 or a pharmacy?If it’s life-threatening, call 999 or go to A&E.

Renting

• Renting safely in the UKEleven checks in order: before you pay anything, before you sign, when you pay, and on the day you move in.
• Get your deposit backLost part of your deposit when you moved out? The deposit protection schemes run a free dispute service.

Work

• Working on a Student visaYour work limit is in your own visa conditions, not in any guide.

Money

• Open a UK bank accountStart with a digital bank: apply on your phone in about ten minutes with your passport.
• Students don't pay council taxFull-time students can be exempt from council tax.
• Get your National Insurance numberApply for your National Insurance number on gov.uk for free.
• Student discounts worth signing up forUK student discounts don't apply themselves.
• Is Black Friday really cheapest?Which? tracked 175 Black Friday deals and every one was the same price or cheaper at another point in the year.

Phone and travel

• Choose a UK SIMCheck the signal at your postcode before you pick a network, start on a monthly rolling plan, and keep your number when you switch.
• Add your Railcard to your OysterThe 16-25 Railcard costs £35 a year and takes a third off rail fares.

Visa

• Your eVisa and share codesYour eVisa replaces physical immigration documents and lives in your free UKVI account.
• Stay on after you graduateThe Graduate visa lets you work in the UK after your degree with no employer sponsorship.

Staying safe

• Scammed? The first hourAfter a scam, the first hour matters most.
• Phone snatched? The first ten minutesLock it, then report it: the faster you lock your phone, the smaller the window for anyone to get into your accounts.

Fill it in for me

• Fill in the GP form with meAnswer a few questions, get every answer in English
• Write my council tax emailA ready-to-send email and what to attach

What's on

• Museum and gallery latesEvening openings at London museums and galleries over the next month, each one checked by hand against the venue’s own page.
• Student union nights this weekStudent union and society events at London unis over the next seven days, each checked by hand against the organiser’s page.
• Free in London this weekFree events in London over the next seven days, each one checked by hand against the organiser's own page.