Mail Students are able to receive letter-sized mail to their assigned housing address. If you are shipping a debit or credit card, we recommend that you disguise it as regular mail (i.e., put it in a birthday card or use a cardboard FedEx or UPS envelope). IES Abroad cannot accept any packages on your behalf before you arrive in London, or after you leave London. We urge family and friends not to ship any packages to you while you are abroad. However, if necessary, packages should be sent to your housing address after you have confirmed with your housing provider that you can receive packages...

Student Union Located in the University building in Northampton Square, the Students’ Union at City, University of London is an important resource for international students. The Union is home to City’s more than 40 clubs and societies, the University magazine, and a range of student services including the Student Advice Centre, which provides confidential advice on financial, housing, and legal issues. The University building also houses the university library, computer labs, and lecture halls. Faith City’s chaplaincy service seeks to cater to students of all faiths. The local community...

All costs below are shown in GBP ( £ ). Food & Drink Groceries per week, if you cook every meal at home 60-80 Breakfast at a restaurant 10-15 Lunch at a restaurant 15-20 Dinner at a restaurant 20-30 Soft drink 2-3 Coffee 3-5 Housing Linens (if not included in housing option) 20-30 Toiletries per week 3-10 Laundry per week 3-6 (wash), 2-4 (dry) Social Activity & Entertainment Movie 12-18 Theater performance 5-85 (lower captures Globe standing tickets) Museum entry fee Free (most museums; some exhibitions within the museums may carry charges) Fitness club membership per week 10-30 (included with...

Currency The currency of the United Kingdom is the pound sterling (£). The pound functions similarly to the US dollar in that it is subdivided into 100 units (pence). All money up to and including £2 is in coin. A common slang term you will probably hear in place of pound is quid. We recommend bringing a chip-and-PIN credit card which is common in Europe. You can read more about this type of card on the US News & World Report website. Handling Money Abroad Using cash in the UK is increasingly hard to use and some establishments are expressly cashless. You do not need to convert any USD to...

Commuting Daily commuting using the city's extensive public transportation system is a reality for all who live in or near London. Commuting time may take up to 45 minutes to the IES Abroad Center depending on the locations of your classes, internships, or other daily responsibilities. Public Transportation Oyster Photocard For travel to classes and around London you will need to use public transportation. The Oyster card is a ‘smartcard’ to which you can add a weekly or monthly ticket or top up with ‘pay as you go’ credit. It can be used on the tube, trams, buses, Docklands Light Railway...

The climate of London is usually temperate, neither excessively hot nor extremely cold. The weather is, however, changeable, damp, and often rainy. While each room has its own thermostat, you will find that the British are accustomed to considerably lower indoor temperatures during the winter than you may be. Therefore, sweaters, warm clothes, flannel pajamas, and a heavy outer coat as well as hat, gloves, and scarf are very practical items. Rainwear is a must during the entire year and umbrellas are always useful. Don’t forget to bring comfortable walking shoes! If you plan to visit the...

London has long been the center of the English-speaking world. It is a city always evolving while at the same time preserving the rich cultural heritage of its eventful history. Of course, London is renowned for its famous landmarks: Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, The Royal Albert Hall, Tower Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral. However, London is also a city of radical modernity: the Lloyds building in the City of London and Canary Wharf in Docklands offer some of the best illustrations of postmodern architecture in Europe. Pubs are still a centerpiece of social life where Londoners from...

Wall sockets/plugs are different in the UK. You will need an adapter to plug in your appliances as well as a converter to convert the voltage. Electricity in Britain operates at 240 volts AC, and the frequency of oscillation is 50 Hz (cycles) per second (as opposed to 110 and 60 in the US, respectively). Most modern cell phones, tablets, and laptops don’t need voltage converters when traveling between the UK and the United States, but other appliances such as hair dryers and hair curlers do! As they can explode and destroy the appliance when you plug them into the UK mains, we highly suggest...

Depending on yor citizenship and what you will be doing on your program, there are two ways to enter the U.K. Use the " Check if you need a U.K. visa" tool on the UKVI website to determine which of the following you will need: Standard Visitor (no visa required): For U.S., EU, (and some non-US) citizens studying for 6 months or less. Students must carry documentation with them upon entry into the U.K., but do not need to apply for a visa before arrival. Standard Visitor Visa: For students not from the U.S., the EU, or some additional countries. Students must apply for an receive their visa...