Dear MRes Applicant,

We are delighted that you hold an unconditional offer to study on our MRes programme at Newcastle University. We thought that it would be helpful to set out what you need to do next so that you can take-up your offer and come to study at Newcastle, this September.

We are now looking forward to hearing from you to officially accept your unconditional offer. When you do so, you will need to pay a deposit or alternatively provide a letter of sponsorship from your sponsoring organisation. Once you have officially accepted your offer you can be issued a CAS number, which is essential for the visa application process. It is likely that your CAS number will be issued in May and you can then apply for your visa from the middle of June – as you cannot apply earlier than 3 months before commencing the MRes degree. You will also need to have evidence of your financial support when applying for a Tier 4 visa. Some information about the visa application procedure is given at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/international/visa/

The fee for the MRes course for 2016-2017 is £17, 080. This is fixed and will not change for this year. If you pay the whole fee when you register, you will qualify for a 2% discount. Otherwise you can pay half when you register and the rest in January 2017. For Newcastle University alumni who are self-funding, we offer a 20% tuition fee discount. Also a 10% International Family Discount is available for close relatives of international students who meet the relevant criteria. Details can be found at this webpage, http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding/fees/.

Before you join us, you need to apply for an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) certificate. You can do this online at https://www.gov.uk/academic-technology-approval-scheme. Our admissions office will provide you with all the relevant information for this - please use the exact wording we provide and do not change anything. Changing the specific phrasing may compromise your chance of getting your ATAS certificate issued. If you have any queries about the ATAS application, please contact Dawn Hull ().

We are very keen that you accept our offer and come to Newcastle in September.

·  As this recent survey shows we are ranked amongst the world’s elite Universities: (https://my.ncl.ac.uk/staff/nuconnections/item/rated-among-the-world-s-elite-institutions).

·  We are in the top 10 Universities in the UK for employability: (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/employability/).

·  We are ranked in the top 20 for global research power with 78% of our research classified as world leading.

·  Newcastle University is featured in a new film which showcases the strengths of the North to investors and businesses from all over the world. The video (https://youtu.be/1Dr0JYpcFtw) demonstrates the sectors of excellence in the region.

If, however, you decide not to come to Newcastle to study, it would be very helpful if you could notify us, or Dawn Hull as early as possible, so that we can offer your place to another applicant.

We hope that this information is helpful but if you have any questions please contact us on one of the email addresses shown below. We look forward to welcoming you in September.

Yours sincerely,

Prof Zosia Chrzanowska-Lightowlers ()

Dr Simon Whitehall ()

MRes Recruitment and Admissions Team