HELP - Mature student doing second undergraduation in astrophysics :confused:

Hello ,

I am an MBA graduate from India, currently working at a company. I discovered myself and realized that I am passionate about astrophysics/astronomy after the completion of my postgraduate degree. I am 27 years old now, and I am thinking of studying Astrophysics or Astronomy. I have been exploring my options now on which university to study. My aim is to start my course on 2018 batch.I am researching on this topic, and I would like to know few things on this.Am I allowed to study under graduation in astrophysics or astronomy in universities as a mature student? Can I cope up with the syllabus?

If I am allowed, what are the eligibility criteria? Do I have to write any exams like International baccalaureate or A level exams to secure good scores?( I wanted to get into a good university). I am favouring to do A level exams as a private candidate, is it acceptable at the universities?

Do I have any chance of getting partial or full scholarship for my study?If the scholarships are not available, is it possible to take up a loan? Would I get any?Would I be able to support my living expenses through part time jobs?I have contacted few colleges and they gave me a very general reply. Thought I should ask in a public forum. Please do tell me what are the measures I need to take upon. I am so much passionate about studying this, and I would like to make my dream come reality. Thanks a lot in advance and I look forward to receive your valuable response.

Hi Sethubaskaran. To study astrophysics/astronomy you will need A levels in maths and physics, or an equivalent qualification. Your Higher Secondary Certificate may possibly be sufficient if you covered those subjects, though as that would have been some years ago, the universities might require a more recent relevant qualification. You may also need to take the IELTS exam -
https://www.ielts.org/ . Being a mature student won't have an adverse effect on your eligibility. Funding is likely to be the trickiest issue. I don't think you would be able to get a loan in the UK, even if you have been resident here for the requisite time, as you already have an undergraduate degree. Some universities offer international scholarships to cover tuition fees, but I think these are quite unusual. This one is offered by Royal Holloway:
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/undergraduate/feesandfunding/bursariesandscholarships/internationalscholarships.aspx
You should be able to find part-time work easily enough. Universities usually recommend a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time, and it would be difficult to completely cover your living expenses from this. If you can also arrange work in the holidays, it should be manageable.

I'm afraid you have almost no chance of getting a partial or full scholarship to study in the UK, the few that do exist are mostly at top universities and they are extremely competitive. Here are a few options you may not have considered:

The Open University has a Natural Sciences (Astronomy and planetary science) degree which you can study entirely online, it still has fees but they're not as much as most UK universities.

Birkbeck College, University of London offers a Planetary Science with Astronomy degree. Classes and lectures at Birkbeck are mostly held in the evening so it has a lot mature students who work in the day. Might be an option that suits you?

Leipzig University in Germany offers a Physics degree which is taught in English. It might not be exactly what you want to study (although there are some astrophysics modules), but it is free and it would be a good basis for doing an Astrophysics master's degree.

The University of Groningen in the Netherlands does an Astronomy degree which taught in English. There are fees but they are likely to be less than in the UK and the cost of living is lower in than in the UK.

As above, funding is your problem. You will not qualify for UK Student Finance. To get a study visa, you need to prove that you already have enough money to support yourself throughout your stay, so working to support yourself once here is not an option. You cannot get a study visa for a part-time course. As has been said, full scholarships in the US sense are non-existent in the UK. Had you considered studying in the States? They may actually have better funding opportunities for International students.

Thanks for the reply If UK wont allow me into any university, I have to rule out this option... UK would have been more compatible for me in terms of study and language (since I am from India, we follow UK based education system here). I am eager to study in US but most of the colleges dont accept second undergraduate degrees. Is US better option than UK in terms of finance? I am also okay to study in other european countries or australia. The important thing is to get into a good university and to a good program. Please do share the details you have.