The education system in the UK is divided into three levels of school: six years of Primary education (Years 1-6), seven years of Secondary education (Years 7-13) and normally three to four years of Tertiary education (bachelor; postgraduate; doctorate degree), depending on the type of degree you choose to pursue.

Public examinations take place during years 10-11 (GCSE) and in the sixth form – years 12-13 (A-Level). After completing their A-Levels, students may apply to any local university or higher education college through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). To use UCAS, the students must have completed AS-Level and/or A-Levels (or other similarly recognised qualifications such as the HKDSE), UCAS runs on a points tariff system, which means that each grade is assigned a number of points. When you apply to a course at a UK university, the course will have a points' requirement that you will need to match in order to be considered for study. In addition to this, students will also have to have passed a recognised English Language test such as TOEFL.

For both local and international students who do not have the required academic results or language capability, there are other options such as the Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) qualifications, the International Baccalaureate (IB), the Cambridge Pre-U, Diploma or Foundation Year programmes, some of which are run in conjunction with universities.