Things You Need to Bring with You to Study in the UK

This is a comprehensive list of important items you should bring to the UK as an international student. It has been compiled by international students and graduates. Read it over carefully, and hopefully you won’t forget anything important! If you do forget something, don’t worry: you can buy most items after you arrive to the UK (except for your important documents, of course!).

Essential Items

You certainly don't want to leave home without your important documents. There is nothing worse than leaving your passport in your room or losing it – if you don’t have your passport, you won’t be able to enter the UK. Therefore, please double check before you leave for the airport that your most important items are in a safe place in your bags.

Examples of important items:

• Passport

• Airline ticket

• Your latest education graduate certificate & transcript (you may need it to enrol on your course)

• Passport sized-photos

• Cash (Note: you must declare cash sums of £7,500 or more. If you don’t declare your cash or give incorrect information, you could face a penalty of up to £5,000.)

• Other official documents (identity card, driving licence, etc.)

Clothing:

Certain countries will have different clothing requirements. Summer temperatures in the UK are warm, but generally not extremely hot. For winter, the average temperature in the UK for January 2015 was 3.7°C. This may not be below freezing, but UK winters can be cold, especially depending on the region. So you should pack warm clothes, such as:

• Jacket

• Jeans/trousers

• Sweaters

• T-shirts (Long sleeve shirts/Short sleeve shirts)

• Shoes (Walking shoes/Trainers/Leather shoes/Formal shoes)

• Underwear (two weeks’ worth)

• A tailored suit (for formal party/work)

• Pajamas

• Swimsuit

• Belt

• Socks

Casual Wear Example

Formal Wear Example

Personal Hygiene Products

It is convenient to buy personal products in supermarkets, but you may need time to get used to UK products and shopping. So make sure you pack enough of your favourite deodorant, vitamins, feminine hygiene products, medications, etc.

Some example products:

• Travel-size shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, shower gel

• Moisturiser

• Toothbrush and dental floss

• Towel

• Hair brush/Comb

• Feminine products

• Nail clippers

• Medication