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International Study Centre

Admission

 

Pre-arrival information for new students

If you are a new student coming to the University of Stirling International Study Centre, this information should answer some of your questions and help you before, during and after your arrival at the ISC.

Information for all studentsInternational students on the University of Stirling campus

What to pack

Essential items to bring with you include:

  • Your passport and visa
  • Your enrolment and accommodation documents
  • 10 passport sized photographs (you will need them for University registration, student cards, accommodation records and registering with the police)
  • Photographs of friends and family to brighten up your new room
  • A towel
  • Essential toiletries and medications
  • An alarm clock – for those early starts!

Useful websites

If you would like to learn more about life in the local area and Britain, the following websites may be useful:

Visit Britain
Visit Scotland
Visit Stirling
UK Away Travel Directory (links to many other websites about the UK)
UK Maps
BBC Weather Centre
Foundation Year Facebook group

Arriving in the UK

You should aim to arrive in the UK on the Saturday or Sunday before your course starts. Remember to take your University of Stirling documentation showing that you have been accepted on to the course with you on the plane.

If you have pre-booked a taxi transfer, on arrival at Edinburgh or Glasgow International Airports, you will be met by your taxi driver. They will hold up a sign with your name. You will be taken directly to your accommodation on campus.

If you have pre-booked a taxi transfer and no-one has met you at the airport, please call the emergency telephone number: 07825 747258.

Making your own way to the University

If you are making your own way from the airport you can get a train to Stirling city centre then a bus to Queens Court on campus, or a taxi directly from the railway station to your accommodation (either A.K. Davison Hall or Andrew Stewart Hall). A taxi from Stirling railway station will cost approximately £6.

Arriving at Stirling

When you do arrive at your designated accommodation, keys to your room can be collected at the main entrance from the porter. This service is provided 24 hours a day. To collect your keys you must provide proof of identity (your passport will be suitable).

A copy of the occupancy agreement for your room will be available for collection at the ISC. This must be signed and given back to ISC staff during the first week.

Bed linen is provided and will be in your room on arrival.

Your first week

Induction programme
In the pre-arrival information pack (, 815KB), you will find a draft timetable for your first week at university. Don’t worry if there are some things you don’t understand, as there will be opportunities for you to ask questions about anything related to the ISC or the university on the day you arrive.

Please make sure you come to the ISC on the first day of term (Monday) at 9.30am. You will find a map in your room that shows how to get to the ISC. Here you meet the staff of the ISC and the university and learn about life on campus at the University of Stilring. During the first two days of term we will help you with:

  • Registering with local health services
  • Opening a bank account at the Bank of Scotland on campus. We will give you a letter. Please check before arrival if you are able to transfer money to this bank (HBOS). If not we will provide a letter for a different bank
  • Activating your student email account
  • Registering as a full student with the University including getting your ID and library card
  • Registering with the Police, if needed. You will need £34 cash, your passport and photographs to do this
  • Completing your accommodation tenancy agreement
  • Getting set up and logged onto the university internet network
  • Learning about the programme that you have registered for including information relating to progression to the university
  • Visa applications
  • Meeting other students

Staff at the ISC will also give you information about joining clubs and societies and where to go for different events on campus. You will also be given a tour of the campus as part of your induction.

Freshers Week
If you start at the beginning of the academic year (September) you will have the opportunity to get involved in activities and events within the university itself. The first week of term is known as ‘Freshers Week’. This week gives all new and returning students the chance to settle into university life andget to know other students who they will be living and studying with.

Whatever time of year you start your course, in your first week you will have both lessons and introductions to the UK and university life. There may also be a chance to get involved with social activities planned by the university.

Finally you will receive information about starting your individual courses, including timetables and academic information.

Starting life at the University

Smoking
You are allowed to smoke in your own bedroom in the Halls of Residence but smoking is not allowed in other University buildings or any public places.

Cleaning
Your bedroom is cleaned every week and your bin is emptied every day. Bed linen is laundered for you every two weeks. You are expected to help keep the shared kitchen clean and tidy. Chip pans and deep fat fryers must not be used at any time.

Health & Safety
Candles are not allowed in bedrooms. You must make sure that your electrical appliances are correctly wired and compatible with the British national standard of 240 volts.

Access to Computer Network
Your bedroom has a computer network socket. The charge for connection is £15 each term. This is paid to the porter in your Hall of Residence. Network cables may be bought on campus.

Communications
The postal code for A.K. Davidson Hall of Residence is FK9 4LL, and for Andrew Stewart Hall (ASH), the postcode is FK9 4LP. You will be given a key for your own mailbox, this must be checked regularly in addition to checking your university email account.

Cooking for yourself
Accommodation is self catering with access to a shared kitchen. You will be given a small space in a shared fridge which you can lock plus your own cupboard for food storage. You may want to bring, or buy when you get here:

  • Cutlery
  • Crockery
  • Saucepans
  • Some food and drink for the first weekend
  • Fridge items

Where else can I eat on campus?

  • Haldanes – the main dining room on campus
  • Atrium fast food bar
  • Atrium sandwich shop
  • Stir Cafe
  • Pathfoot dining hall
  • Macrobert theatre cafe
  • Oscars snack bar (in Pathfoot building)
  • Clive Ramsay snack bar (sports centre)
  • Studio and the Long Bar (Robbins Centre)

Opening hours vary at different times of the year, and are displayed in each venue. You can use cash or pre purchased meal packages may be bought at the start of term.

Shopping and eating in the city
The city of Stirling, with internationally recognised stores, larger supermarkets, popular high street shops and restaurants, is only a ten minute bus journey away. Buses leave from Queens Court in the centre of campus and from the main entrance to campus every few minutes during the day.

ISC contact details

Find us on Facebook

We've created a Facebook group to help new students find each other. Visit the ISC Facebook group and click Request to Join Group.

ISC campus address

International Study Centre
1A Cottrell Building
University of Stirling
Stirling
FK9 4LA
Scotland
UK

Emergency Contact Number: 07825 747258