The UK is a consistently popular choice for international students, offering a wealth of world-class institutions and some of the most multicultural cities in the world.

UK qualifications are recognised throughout the world for their high standards, opening up a multitude of opportunities for graduates.

As well as providing an invaluable education, the UK can also offer a fantastic lifestyle for students from bustling, cultural urban centres to spectacular countryside and recreation.

This issue of i-studentadvisor is packed with all the information students need to begin their education in the UK, from information on work and student visas through to accommodation, student banking and beyond. This issue also includes a special Business supplement, featuring insights from the UK’s leading business associations and graduates, as well as a look ahead to the future of business studies.

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If you have any feedback on i-studentadvisor UK 2010, email us at editorial@i-studentadvisor.com or leave a comment.

Figures released by UCAS revealed there were 481,854 accepted university applicants in 2009. This is 25,227 higher than the intake for 2008 – an increase of 5.5% overall.

UCAS also said the number of accepted applicants had gone up by 44% since 1999.

Chief executive Mary Curnock Cook said: “2009 saw an unprecedented demand for places at university or college, but significantly more students have been accepted into higher education than ever before.”

The number of international students accepted also rose this year by 10.1%, up from 51,603 to 56,791 reflecting the continued appeal the UK holds for foreign students.

Another significant statistic revealed by UCAS showed a 15.3% increase in students aged 25 and over.

Chief executive for Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge, said the increase “demonstrates how far we have moved away from the old model of university just being an activity for the 18 to 21-year-olds. Thirty-seven per cent of UK undergraduates are now aged over 25, and the proportions are increasing all the time, particularly for men.”

For more information on education in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland why not browse through our latest UK e-magazine, “A Guide To Studying in the UK”.

846,977 students across England, Northern Ireland and Wales sat the exams, with a total 75.1% passing with a grade C or above, and 97.5% passing with a grade E or above. The amount of students passing the exams with A to E grades has risen 0.8% from last year.

Entry numbers for students sitting A Levels this year increased by 2.3% from 2008. Figures for students sitting subjects such as maths, further mathematics, chemistry, physics and Spanish were also up from last year. However English, maths and biology are still amongst the top choices favoured by A Level students.

Director of the JCQ, Dr Jim Sinclair said: “These are excellent results. They are the outcome of the hard work of students and teachers, who deserve to be congratulated. It is particularly good to report improved uptake and outcomes for mathematics and science.”

As predicted the grade increase has received criticism, one comment posted on a Guardian Online article entitled ‘One in Four A Levels Passed at Grade A’ read: “25% of grades ‘A’. 75% of grades A – C. It’s a bit of a joke, isn’t it?” Whilst another read “This system is not working. The ever better results are not, to a large extent, a true reflection of ability or hard work, but merely a manipulation intended to make the system and those in charge look good.”

Defending the exam results, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said, “there is no difference in the quality of the examinations and there can be no question mark about the effort put in by young people.”

i-studentadvisor would like to congratulate all A Level students who received their results today.