International Students hub

We at Barts and The London Students’ Association are very excited to welcome you to our family here! It’s a big step to move across seas to study at university, so we would like to make the process as easy as possible for you. We’ve collated some resources to help, but if you have any questions then our International Rep, Francis, will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Immigrating to the UK

Travel in London

Accommodation

Ivy Lee Jia Jia & Kaye Tian Hoo - International Reps

Hey, Ivy and Kaye here! Coming to university from a different country is a big transition for most people. It can be both wonderful and challenging at the same time. We will try my best to make your time at Barts and The London a bit less daunting and more enjoyable.
email: *international@bartslondon.com*

Immigrating to the uk

It can be a minefield to get your head around all of the admin tasks before you move, so QMUL Advice and Counselling have provided a useful plethora of guidance, with information about applying for Tier 4 visas and up-to-date Covid-19 guidance. Click the button below to go to their webpage.

QMUL Immigration and Covid-19

The UK Education and Universities Ministers addressed a letter to international students (dated 22 June 2020) who will be studying in the UK from autumn 2020. This letter details teaching, support in your academic and personal life, and links to other useful sources of information. Click the button below to read the letter.

Government letter to students

For more information, please contact Advice and Counselling.

This service has advisers who are legally allowed to give immigration advice that we as BLSA cannot give.

A Note on Covid guidance…

Before you come to London, please also make sure you stay up to date on the latest Coronavirus guidance, including quarantine rules for those travelling from outside the UK.

Latest Covid Guidance and rules

Travel in london

London is an incredible city with so many places to see and things to do! However, travel can become expensive, so below is some money-saving tips to help you get around. Transport for London (TfL) is the local government body responsible for the transport system in London- you can stay updated with information regarding travel on their website. Peak travel times are: 06:30 to 9:29 and 16:00 to 18:59 Monday to Friday. The price of travel will depend on what time you are travelling; for a cheaper journey, stick to off-peak times.

Apps

Using your phone to plan your journey ahead can help you navigate the city in a way which is cheaper, quicker and tailored to your specific needs. These are our holygrail apps!

Citymapper:

This app is essentially the Bible of London travel. It tells you EVERYTHING. From the different transport options available, the price of each option, and live arrival times- this app really is a lifesaver.

TfL Oyster and contactless:

With the app you can top up your pay as you go credit wherever you are and get notifications when it gets low. This saves you a scare if the terminal shows you a negative number. You can also get notifications before your Travelcard and Bus & Tram Pass expires.

Santander Cycles:

Santander Cycles app lets you skip past the terminal and get on your cycle quicker- the release codes get sent to your phone for you to hire your cycle. You an also see live cycle and docking space availability, so you’re not aimlessly wandering around the streets.

Oyster Card

This is a card which holds credit that you top-up in advance. It can be used on the Underground, DLR, Overground and Buses. You can get one online or from any Tube, London Overground and TfL Rail stations. Oyster cards are free, but require you to pay a £5 deposit.

What discounts can I get?

An 18+ Student Oyster photo-card entitles you to 30% off Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets. A Travelcard gives you unlimited travel for a week, a month or a year. The registration fee costs £20, so it is worth considering whether or not it will be worth the money for you!

A 16-25 Railcard gives you 1/3 off National Rail fares. Many home students consider buying a 16-25 Railcard if they are intending to travel by train fairly often e.g. to visit family. You can also add the discount to your standard or 18+ Oyster card to get a 34% discount on single off-peak fares on London Underground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services. You can buy a 16-25 Railcard online which costs £30 for one year.

Buses

A single London bus journey costs £1.50 no matter how far you go (unlike the Tube zone fare system). The buses are all cashless, so you need an Oyster card, Travelcard or contactless payment. The ‘Hopper fare’ means that you can take a £1.50 bus/tram journey and then change onto another bus/tram for free within an hour of starting your journey. This can help you save money, but do make sure you plan timings in advance! Find out more about buses here.

Walk and Cycle

Obviously one of the cheapest ways to travel is to walk or cycle! If you don’t have a bike in London you can use Santander bikes: these cost £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes each, within a 24 hour period. Just remember: be safe and wear a helmet! You can plan your routes using the app Citymapper or Google Maps.

Taxis and minicabs

Black Cabs can be hailed off the street at any time of day or night, or they can be booked by phone or app. There are cab stops located all over central London and some surrounding areas. Every taxi has a card machine, so if you don't have cash, you can pay using credit, debit or contactless; however, if you are not careful, you can run up a hefty bill in a Black Cab! All the cars run on a meter that charges per portion of a mile and per minute stopped. If you hit some traffic, the meter just keeps running., so though they are convenient, they are not the best way to save money.

Always pre-book your taxi unless you’re flagging down a black taxi. Don’t flag down a private hire taxi on the street, even if it has a visible license plate and the driver looks okay. It’s not safe to get in an unbooked private hire taxi and it’s illegal for the driver to pick you up if you haven’t booked in advance- you could be putting yourself at risk!

Mini-cabs charge for the entire journey, regardless of traffic. When you want to book a Mini-Cab, make sure you call the nearest company to you, as they will most likely be the cheapest. TfL has a list of licensed minicabs here.

Night Travel

The Night Tube runs on Fridays and Saturdays on the Victoria, Jubilee, and most of the Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines. Click on the map below to enlarge it.

To complement the Night Tubes, Night Buses run on a limited service twice an hour through the night- the routes are much longer and the stops are less frequent. Some night buses run only on Fridays and Saturdays, and some run all week. To find out which Night Bus services run in your area, enter the route or area you are interested in here. Night Buses have an "N" before the route number e.g. N205.

If you are travelling at night then always try to travel with a group of friends and let people know where you’re heading and when to expect you back!

Safety and hygiene

When you travel, please take precautions to protect you and everyone else on the transport network too! Here are TfL’s top tips to stay hygienic when travelling:

Plan your journey in advance and, where possible, try to travel when it’s less busy
Wear a face covering, unless you are exempt for age, health or accessibility reasons. This is currently a legal requirement.
Maintain social distancing where possible
Wash your hands before and after your journey
Carry hand sanitiser or use sanitiser points at stations
Use contactless or Oyster to pay for your travel

Learn more about student travel

Get to know your area

Dawson Hall

Dawson Hall is our student accommodation based at Charterhouse Square. It might be a further walk to Whitechapel campus but is just a short cycle, bus or tube journey away, and is conveniently located for fun days out in Central London. Plus you’ll likely never be able to live in Central London for that price ever again!

Nearest library: West Smithfield

Nearby Gyms: The Gym, Virgin Active, Pure Gym

Nearby GP Surgery: Neeman Practice

Nearby Adventure: St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millenium Bridge

Floyer House

Our student accommodation in Whitechapel, a minute’s walk away from Garrod, the Perrin, our Whitechapel library, and The Royal London Hospital. There’s a charming outdoor courtyard in the middle of the building; a perfect place to chill out with your flatmates after a long day of lectures.

Nearest library: Whitechapel

Nearby Gyms: Qmotion, The Gym, Puregym

Nearby GP Surgery: QM Student Health Service

Nearby Adventure: Tower Bridge

Albert Stern

This smaller student accommodation is situated on Mile End Road, just a minute’s walk from the Mile End Campus. It’s in a prime location for everything you could need: Mile End library, transport links, restaurants, pubs; and Victoria park is just a short walk away!

Nearest library: Mile End

Nearby Gyms: The Gym, Qmotion

Nearby GP Surgery: QM Student Health Service

Nearby Adventure: Victoria Park

Travel between our campuses

Student Testimonials

Find out more about what our students have said about the different Halls of residences available to medical and dental students…

Student Testimonials