Orientation information
Enrolment
Online enrolment information will be emailed to you approximately 5 to 6 weeks in advance of the beginning of the semester. Please make sure you read the information very carefully and follow all necessary steps to avoid problems upon arrival.
Don't forget to download the 'Life at King's' App before you arrive too (available in September). Search for 'Life at King's' in the App Store.
Please note that information relating to International Students in the app is aimed at degree-seeking students, not those on the Study Abroad programme. You are welcome to join university or departmental social events, but should be aware that any events aimed at international students may not always contain information that is relevant to you.
Study Abroad Orientation
King’s considers the Orientation programme to be a compulsory part of the Study Abroad programme and all students should attend the events that are relevant to them. Social events are not compulsory, and some may require a paid-for ticket.
Details of the Orientation schedule will be provided shortly before you arrive.
For January 2026, Study Abroad Orientation will be 12-15 January. We expect students to have arrived in London in time for Orientation.
Teaching begins on the Friday 16 January.
Any offer holder who believes they may need to arrive late must contact studyabroad@kcl.ac.uk in advance of the programme starting to discuss their options. Students who arrive late without prior authorisation from the Global Mobility Office may be withdrawn from the programme.
Other events you might like to attend (not run by us) are organised by KCLSU, who have lots of other events on their Facebook page too.
Support for Learning
Study Abroad students at King's are entitled to the same support services as degree-seeking students, so please don't be afraid to ask for help and guidance.
If you are entitled to learning support at your home university (e.g. accessible classrooms, extended deadlines, extra time in exams, receiving class materials in advance of the lecture, etc.) we strongly encourage you to contact our Disabilities team in advance to ensure that the appropriate academic accommodations are in place while you're at King's.
When we refer to the term 'disability' we also include long-term medical or mental health conditions and Specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) (e.g. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, etc), so if you have a diagnosis for any of those that may affect your studies, even if not supported at your home university, we strongly advise you contact our Disabilities team.
Students may be issued with a King's Inclusion Plan or a Personalised Assessment Arrangement depending on their specific needs.
We strongly recommend students start the process of applying for a KIP or PAA well before arriving at King's.
Visas
If you have any questions about immigration or life in the UK the Student Advice & International Student Support staff are here to assist you.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you are applying for the correct visa as applicable, and must not travel to the UK until any visa has been issued. Travelling without the correct visa may result in your withdrawal from the Study Abroad programme, or removal from the UK in extreme cases.
Please refer to the Immigration and Visa Advice webpage as well as the UK Border Agency websites for more information:
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Visitor Visa for study stays under 6 months - check if you need to apply in advance by using the Gov UK webpages (many nationalities do not need to apply in advance, but will still be in the UK under the terms of the visitor visa).
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Student Visa for study stays over 6 months. Students should not attempt to make a Student Visa application until they have been issued with a CAS Number by our Visa Compliance team. You will receive your CAS via the application portal.
All semester-only students will be automatically issued with a Visitor Visa letter even if you do not need to apply in advance for a visa. You can use this letter as proof of why you are travelling to the UK if asked (including for re-entry if you go abroad during your time at King's). Do not apply for a Visitor Visa unless specifically instructed by the Gov UK website!
For more information about the Student Visa, take a look at the Student Advice webpages as well as the information on the UKCISA information page. Please view the Student Visa application guides before starting your application.
Semester One and Full Year Students
Students can expect to hear from King's regarding visa instructions by the end of June if they have an unconditional offer. Please contact the Study Abroad Admissions team via the messaging facility on the Application Portal with any questions.
Semester Two Students
Students can expect to hear from King's regarding visa instructions by the end of November. Please contact the Study Abroad Admissions team via the messaging facility on the Application Portal with any questions.
Travelling in Europe
For information about visa and immigration requirements for students travelling outside the UK during or after their studies, please visit our student advice webpages.
Healthcare
We strongly recommend all students register with a GP (General Practitioner) as soon as they arrive in the UK.
Anyone in England can register and consult with a GP without charge. So access is free for all students, regardless of immigration status.
King's has its own Health Centre, or you can register with a practice local to your accommodation.
Being registered means you will get quicker access to an appointment should you need one (and if you ever need to submit a Mitigating Circumstances Form, it will make it easier to get the necessary evidence in time).
We also strongly recommend all students, regardless of NHS access entitlement, have some travel insurance.
Semester Students
Semester students will not pay the Healthcare Surcharge (even if coming under a visa) and so will not be covered by the NHS (National Health Service), aside from the basic emergency care (GP and A&E). Please see NHS information on what is and is not covered.
EU/EEA residents can use the EHIC (make sure you apply for it before leaving home) to access the NHS, but it only covers unplanned medically necessary treatment, so some services could still not be free.
The same applies to students from countries with reciprocal Healthcare Agreements (you should check your national provider to see what is covered).
Whilst there is no compulsory requirement to do so, it is strongly recommended you obtain in advance some Health Insurance to cover you during your stay.
We know you are young and feel invincible, but accidents or sudden illness do happen and you could end up with a costly bill. And it is even more necessary if you have needs for any regular checks, treatment or medication.
We cannot recommend any particular provider, Please contact your home university in the first instance as they might already have some cover or advice for you.
Full Year Students
Full year students are normally coming under a Student Visa and will be required to pay for the Healthcare Surcharge as part of their application.
This entitles you to use the NHS on the same basis as a UK resident during your stay.
We still advise you get a travel insurance however, as for example repatriation will not be covered by the NHS.
EU/EEA-based students who have an EHIC can request a refund of the Healthcare Surcharge, but that means you cannot do any paid work at all during your stay, and you then only have access in the same way as the visiting EU/EEA students. So you should think carefully before deciding on requesting it (you can do so retrospectively).
Please note that NHS wait times may be a lot longer than you are used to at home, so you may want to consider private healthcare insurance as you are only in the UK for a short time.
Transcripts
King's will provide a full Record of Agreed Results (RoAR) following your studies here. This will contain the details of the modules you studied, their King's credit value, and the marks you were awarded.
All modules will be graded, it is not possible to take modules at King's as Fail/Pass or attendance only.
No other document (certificate, diploma,etc) will be provided as the Study Abroad programme is non-award.
From 2018/19 onwards, all RoARs will be digital and available to students and their home institutions or relevant third-party providers via a safe and secure online portal (you will receive registration details during the semester. Please do not create an account without it, as this would not be linked to King's). Students will be able to use it to share securely they RoAR with any 3rd party of their choice afterwards.Hard copies will not be available.
Please note home institutions are solely responsible for any grade conversion. The King's Generic Marking Criteria is available for reference.
Semester One:
Students studying at King's for the first semester only can expect to have a complete RoAR (Record of Agreed Results) available on the online portal from mid-March onwards. This cannot be issued any earlier, no matter the circumstance, as King’s does not officially issue “provisional” or “unofficial” results and grades are not valid until ratified.
Semester Two and Full Year:
Students studying for the full academic year, or the second semester only, can expect to have a complete RoAR (Record of Agreed Results) available on the online portal from mid-July at the earliest. This cannot be issued any earlier, no matter the circumstance, as King’s does not officially issue “provisional” or “unofficial” results and grades are not valid until ratified.
Full year students will not be able to get an intermediate transcript of their semester 1 results, as these marks are not ratified until late June/early July.
Students in their final year of study should check with their home university for any impact this may have on graduation plans or postgraduate applications.
N.B. Students on the Study Abroad Plus programme who have taken 5AAYLIB4 Liberal Arts can expect to have a complete RoAR (inclusive of a ratified grade for this module) by the end of September.
Assessment
- Students studying at King's for Semester 1 only (September-December) will be set alternative assessment in lieu of in-person exams in January as necessary. However, they are expected to sit any online exams in January. Deadlines for essays (always submitted online) are often set for early/mid January. Please note that online exams may be held on London time and may not be moved to suit other time zones.
- Full Year students must be available in London for any in-person exam in early January (this exam period runs at the same time as the orientation for Semester 2 students).
The Exam timetable for Period 1 is normally released mid/end of November.
- Semester 2 and Full Year students will be enrolled until June and must be available in London for the formal examination period in May/June. The exam timetable for Period 2 is normally released in mid-March, so you should not arrange travel or other commitments (including internships) until then.
Assessment marking criteria
Mitigating circumstances
It is a requirement of King's College London that all students take or submit their assessments at times prescribed by King's. However, it is acknowledged that exceptionally, through illness or other unpredictable good cause, a student may be unable to meet these requirements. In such instances academic regulations allow students to submit details of their mitigating circumstances for consideration by Assessment Sub-Boards. The Boards will use the information submitted to determine whether the mitigating circumstances provided by the student are an acceptable reason for missing an assessment, for example.
If there are mitigating circumstances that may have affected your assessment when studying abroad at King's College London, please refer to the relevant process to follow on Student Services Online. Evidence is required for all Mitigating Circumstance Forms.
Please note that rescheduling an assessment might mean you have to take it in the next exam period (May/June or August) and therefore there will be a delay in your receiving a full transcript.