6 Steps on How to Get a Credit Transfer from a Nigerian University to a UK University
It is seemingly difficult to migrate to a UK university especially for applicants trying to migrate from Nigeria. This article will provide simple steps that will help students trying to migrate from a Nigerian university to a UK university.
In recent times, the number of Nigerian students trying to migrate to a UK university tends to escalate and one of the reasons this happens, is because of the ceaseless strikes that affects the study system in Nigeria, making students seek for a better and stable educational system elsewhere such as the UK.
In this article, we have highlighted some easy steps to help you migrate to a UK university from a Nigerian university. In as much as it is not a simple task, it is also not an impossible task, hence you have chances of being so fortunate if you carefully consider each of the steps we have listed in this article.
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But why may a Nigerian student want to migrate to the UK to continue or finish their studies? Or better ask yourself, why do you want to transfer to the UK to finish or continue your studies?
There is no doubt that the UK’s educational system is more advanced and the structures well equipped than that of Nigeria, hence many students who are opportune to migrate from their studies from Nigeria to the UK Even those who do not have the opportunity are always on the lookout for such opportunities.
Another reason that will prompt a student to want to migrate is the endless strikes from ASSU (Academic Union of Universities) which often delay students and put them behind their peers from other countries academically.
This destabilizing system has even made many students lose interest in studying, thus killing their academic dreams and goals.
This contributes to a decrease in the number of students who would have loved to become graduates and have high chances of getting a well paying job at the end of their studies as Nigerian Corporate organizations choose certificate over skills.
This entails that even if you become skilled with many digital or workplace abilities and you do not have at least one degree to your name, your chances of getting a well paying job in a corporate organization in Nigeria is very slim.
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Also, as stated earlier, the UK’s education system is higher than that of Nigeria, and certificates from a university in the UK is more globally recognize than certificates acquired from most Nigerian Universities so for students who wish to create a global opportunities for themselves like working in other advanced countries, will rather migrate to the UK to complete their studies so that they can secure their future. So, how do one finally migrate to a UK university from a Nigerian university?
Well before we go further in this article, you have to understand what credit transfer is. Credit transfer is the transfer of credits of completed courses or units taken by a student from an institution to another institution different from the one he or she got the educational experience from.
For this to be effective, the student applying for transfer of credit from their institution to another must have completed at least 200 level or above and also have CGPA (Calculated Grade Point Average) not less than 2.0. Also, the course he or she is transferring from must align with the course he/she wishes to study in the new institution.
Knowing this is very vital to the first thing you must do as a student who wants to transfer from their previous institution to another.
Another vital information that you need is to know if you’re qualified for credit transfer which will be treated in the next subtopic.
Are you qualified to get a credit transfer from a Nigerian University to a University in the UK?
It is very important for you to understand what it takes to qualify for credit transfer in the United Kingdom. Understanding the qualifications involved is in fact the first step to the process and also lets you know how ready you are to migrate to a university in the UK from a Nigerian university.
Before you apply, you must
- Have earned at least 6 credits from a recognized Nigerian university and must have completed your secondary education
- Provide evidence of proficiency in English language with a C grade or higher in IELTS, TOEFL and iBT with an overall score of 80%
- Complete all your major courses before the deadline of your course application
- Ensure that all academic transcripts, birth certificate and other necessary documents required by the institution you are applying are all intact
- Ensure that your personal statement is well written and optimized, meeting the requirement for acceptable personal statement by that university.
Once you have all these intact, you are now ready to apply for a transfer of credit to a UK university from a Nigerian university.
Transferring from a Nigerian University to a University in the UK
Step 1: Do proper research
This step is very important and should not be played. This is because through research will give you more insight about the changes you are about to make. Remember you are about to do what is referred to as “Credit transfer” or “transfer of credits” in most cases, therefore you need to be thorough before you embark on your journey.
While conducting your research, you want to find out if the school you are applying to in the UK has the very course you were studying in your previous institution in Nigerian. As stated earlier, you must remember that you must have completed a portion of your course, at least up to 200 level or above before applying for transfer of credit.
Also, note that your school profile from your transferring institution, your transcripts and all your semester grades will be required by the school you are transferring to. This will bring us to the next crucial step which is to check the grade requirement.
Step 2: Check the Requirement of the Grades
This part is very very crucial. This is is because, when we introduced what the concept of “credit Transfer’ is to you in this article, we made stated that, most universities will require your CGPA not to b less than 2.00 but you must understand that most schools in the United Kingdom will require you to have a credit unit of at least 2.2 or even higher.
In fact, if you aspire to do “credit transfer” from your institution from the outset, you have to become intentional about your grades. Having up to the minimum required amount of grades will give you high chances of being accepted by the institution you are applying to in the United kingdom.
Also bear in mind that some universities in the United Kingdom also accept some graduate-level degree courses from other countries if it is from a verifiable and recognized institution and meet up with their requirements.
While you check to see the required grades that are approved for “credit transfer’’ from the University you are choosing in the United Kingdom, be sure to also check the sites of whichever university you intend to study, in case you intend to round off your undergraduate program before you apply, and look up the course or courses you may want to apply for to see the credit requirements of that course.
Doing this will set you prepared ahead of time for your studies in the United kingdom.
Step 3: Speak with Your Academic Counselor
This very step is very crucial. You should consult the Academic counselor of your institution and find out from them about your decisions to apply for “credit transfer”.
Remember, their job is to assist you with an extensive variety of academic matters and help you select courses and ensure that the courses they recommend for you will align with what is required of your core courses so that you can meet up with graduation.
They are, in no doubt, the best people to give you advice concerning your decision to apply for credit transfer. If you can have access to the Academic counselor of the university you are applying for, they will give you useful information regarding financing your studies, course requirements, campus life and accommodation.
Having all this information handy will help you to re-evaluate your decisions, weigh your readiness and be even more certain about your decisions and readiness.
Step 4: Check with the institution you are applying to
I’m sure that if you were able to get in contact with the Academic counselor of the institution you are applying to, he/she may have asked you about how much information you have about their institution before reaching out to them or they may probably direct you to their website to get some information while they of course answer some.
Most vital information about many institutions can be found on the institution’s official website, including important support email addresses that you can send questions to and expect feedback in a few days’ time. You certainly do not want to neglect this part because there is no better place to get information about a school you’re not in physically besides their website.
There are possibilities that information about the best way to apply for your study visa can be found on the website of the school you are applying to study in or perhaps, if you speak with a customer care support directly from the website. Please be very careful not to make any financial commitment until you are sure that you have the right information.
Step 5: Get your Visa
It is very common for many citizens living in their home country to worry less about getting their international passport unless the need gets so pressing.
But as an aspirant of international education, we want to be sure that you must have gotten your international passport before now. If you have not gotten it, you can look up the Nigerian Immigration Service Portal to apply for your international passport.
Besides your international passport, you also need a passport photograph, your birth certificate and evidence that the school you intend to study in has granted you admission.
When applying for a visa, you must ensure that your visa does not expire before the end of your program. If this happens, You will need to ask help from a UK home officer for permission in order to complete your studies.
Step 6: Fill out the UCAS form
The next important step is to fill out the Universities and Colleges Admissions form, also known as UCAS form. If you are well versed in navigating the digital world, you may apply to the school directly or speak with a qualified travel agency to help you through this step.
When filling out the UCAS form, ensure you indicate your year of enrollment and state if it is an entry point of two or 3 as applied to you.
Remember that you can not go through admission process without having an SOP otherwise known as Statement of Purpose to help you with your visa application, you can send a message to us here and let our visa experts help you apply for your student visa.