Look at www.hero.ac.uk/rae for an extensive list of school ratings.

Most PhDs are selected on the basis of your proposal. Unlike India, where many universities insist on a Master of Arts and a Master of Philosophy, and sundry other silly entry requirements, here what they look at is whether you are capable of doing what you say you want to do. So if you can demonstrate in your proposal that you would make a good researcher, they will look at you. Now having said that, you would need to demonstrate you are capable -- in other words, you would need to show them you are capable of analytical thinking, perseverence, etc etc. And that would be easier if you were familiar with the system of education here. For instance, it would become easier if you have a Master's from here, or an undergraduate degree.

Yes, colleges -- or rather universities, or Uni, as it is known here -- do have placement programmes. And a lot of our students do get placed through campus interviews. But it is tough for a foreign student to get such placements -- tough, but not impossible -- because a foreign student, unlike a European Union student, needs a work permit to work here. It is highly unlikely to get a work permit as there are certain restrictions to issue it. Please read more on the page HSMP&Work permit.

Of course! Age doesn't matter at all -- besides, by the standards of this country, 31 is quite young. How old is not at all a problem.

Experience counts more important than qualification in UK. If you got some solid experience and don’t have any formal qualification still you will get admission as long as you can prove that your knowledge is good enough for that particular course. But you need to demonstrate your English language qualification and understanding of the subject; in your case business and accounting.

In UK, with your experience, you will be able to get through. Let me know your need, I will be able to find a course, and uni. for you.

Regarding scholarship, please refer the scholarship page in this website. At first you need to find a university that has a department in Mechanical Engineering, or we can find for you. A PhD works this way: the supervisor has an area of expertise, interest, which s/he would like to explore in detail. Now if your interest is also in that field, and you can convince him/her of that, then something could be worked out. But mostly, if they have bursaries coming up, they would announce on their web sites. And you would need to put in a proposal, be interviewed -- you know the regular route. The other option is that you pay for your PhD. But you would be paying double the fees (foreign student pays double the fees of a European Union or English student) and over three-four years that would be way too much.

UK education system is totally flexible; it always counts your proven experience and interest than anything else. It's up to you to choose what you want -- provided you are confident you can pick up as you go along. For instance, I know quite a few of the MA journalism students here are from other disciplines.

Once you secured an admission in one of the universities in the UK, you can make your application in person, through your representative or through a travel agent along with the offer letter and other documents. To protect you, if you are not making your application in person, you must give your representative or agent a letter giving them permission to represent you and collect the papers on your behalf. You must be in India when your application is submitted.

Whenever possible, embassy aim to make a decision on application without an interview and within 48 hours of it being received at the Visa Facilitation Services. However, different applications can take different amounts of time.. Remember that, at busy times of the year, it may take slightly longer for make a decision. UK Embassy recommends that you do not buy your ticket before they have issued your visa. Further information can be found at http://www.vfs-uk.co.in

Most decisions are based solely on the application form and accompanying papers. Therefore, you need to make your application clear to us. Everyone's circumstances are different. This is why we do not ask for a set list of documents. Specific guidance can be found at http://www.ukinindia.com.

You must be able to show that you have been accepted into a course of study at an educational establishment that is on the UK's Department for Education and Skills - Register of Education and Training Providers. The register can be found on the DfES website at: www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister

You must be able to show that you are going to follow one of the following:
* a recognised full-time degree course
* a course run during the week involving at least 15 hours of organised daytime study each week
* a full-time course at an independent fee-paying school

You must also:
* be able to pay for your course and support yourself and any dependants, and live in the UK without going into business or getting a job, or needing any help from public funds
* be able and intend to follow your chosen course
* intend to leave the UK when you complete your studies, if your course of study is below degree level.

If you graduated from a UK university or other educational institution within the last 12 months with a bachelor's degree, master's degree, PhD or (with effect from 1 May 2007) a postgraduate certificate or diploma, you can apply to stay in the UK to seek employment for 12 months after your degree course finishes, without getting a work permit.

If you successfully complete an HND, degree course, Master's, PhD or (with effect from 1 May 2007) a postgraduate certificate or diploma, awarded by a Scottish institution, you may be able to apply to live and work in Scotland for up to two years after achieving your qualification under the 'Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland' scheme. There are further requirements for postgraduate doctors and dentists.

If you meet all of the student visa rules and, most importantly, show us in your application that you meet all requirements, you will get your visa.

No, you have to take a full-time course. Evening courses or part time courses are not acceptable for overseas students.

I'm afraid not. Your mother can come and help you settle in at first on a visit visa and can visit you at other times. But a visiting visa is not guaranteed in the initial stage. Institutions have an international office and student counselors that help international students settle.

UK embassy assesses your application on the merits of your background and future intentions. We do not rely on refusals from other destinations.

You must be able to pay for your course and support yourself and any dependants. Potential earnings in the UK while you study should not be counted when the embassy assesses your financial situation. You must live in the UK without getting a job or needing any help from public funds. There is no set amount as each individual has different circumstances.

You should explain in your application why you dropped out. They may contact your US institution for more details.

It depends on a number of issues: where you will study, where you will live and what other support you have. You need to show that you have all the funds you need to live and study in the UK for the first year and evidence that funds will be available for the remaining years.

If it is a publicly funded institution offering a recognized course, yes.

SEGS, or Science and Engineering Graduates Scheme, has been eliminated. It's now called IGS, or International Graduates Scheme. You are allowed to work under this scheme, but there are a few details you should be aware of. Please have a look on the pages work with & after study and HSMP in this site for further details.

There is no restriction about who can sponsor a student, but we need to be satisfied that the funding is genuinely available. It is less probable that funding from a friend would be a satisfactory source than that from a family member.

If relatives are funding students, we ask that they show evidence of their income and savings and that their finances are fully documented. The more distant the relative, the more persuasive the argument must be to assure us that the funding would actually be used to pay for the studies. A letter from a distant relative would be useful to explain why he or she are sponsoring the studies.

It is often more difficult for us to verify funds that are held outside of the UK or India; without verification, we are less likely to be satisfied that an applicant's stated funds are genuinely available. Overall, we need to be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the funding is real, sufficient to cover all the students costs in the UK and that the money would used for those purposes.

Yes, of course you can. Just like everyone else, you will need to show that the funds are available and sufficient for the entire programme. For more information, have a look at our website www.ukinindia.com. Here, you'll find details about the documents we would like to see.

There is no restriction about who can sponsor a student but obviously embassy need to be satisfied that the funding is available. Just have him send a letter and have him clearly outline his available liquid assets. It shouldn't be a problem if he has sufficient funding and writes an explanatory letter.

The job market is very competitive. You can work in the UK for one year following graduation from a qualifying institute. You can work up to 20 hours a week during a term and 40 hours a week outside term time.

Very much English! Read, quite a bit wet at times and fairly cold, theoretically. It's not all that bad. The English like to moan about their climate, but to be honest, for someone who has lived in, say, Delhi, it should be no problem. Winters, you don't really feel it so much as you would in Delhi. Because, at home, at the uni, in public transport, everywhere indoors, it is centrally-heated. It could be a bit of problem, though, if you are in the habit of going for a walk at 3 am in December, especially when it is raining and without your jacket. Now things are changing here as same as it changes all over the world.

Both are publicly funded and not private universities. I advise you to look at http://www.hero.ac.uk/rae, which is a list of comparative research ratings of UK institutions.