You might see AEGIS, UKiset, UCAS and OISC on our website or brochures and be confused by what they mean. As a guardianship organisation and education consultant, UKG works with other professional organisations specialised in international students’ welfare.
Below we will explain the main purpose of these organisations.
AEGIS
The Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students.
AEGIS was created to ensure that international students who are under 18 and studying in the UK are being looked after properly. The main purpose of AEGIS is to check that guardianship organisations respect the Code of Practice and current child care legislation. Therefore, AEGIS has strict guidelines for its accredited guardianship organisations to follow and organises workshops and conferences to promote best practice.
It is recommended that parents choose an AEGIS accredited educational guardian to ensure that their child will receive the right level of care and support during their stay in the UK. The British Council, The Independent Schools Council (ISC), The Boarding Schools Association (BSA) and many other professional educational associations support AEGIS as an independent organisation.
UKGuardianship has been accredited by AEGIS since 2016. Below is the summary statement from our most recent inspection:
“UKGuardianship demonstrates a genuine respect for the values of AEGIS and has many strengths. The Organisation takes its membership seriously and is proactive in seeking at all times to improve the quality of its provision.”
UCAS
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
Founded in 1992, UCAS is an organisation which helps students to apply for British universities by operating the application process. UCAS provides online application portals as well as useful search tools and information on their website.
UCAS have made the application process as simple as possible for students; however, there are many steps to complete and documents to submit. UKG is a UCAS registered centre which means that we can apply to universities on behalf of students through UCAS. This way, we can check that all the steps are completed and that all the documents, including the personal statement, are correct and of a high standard.
OISC
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.
As its name suggests, OISC is the official office of immigration advisers. An immigration adviser is a person who helps people to emigrate legally for study, travel or work. This adviser assists people with the required documents and the entire immigration process. The OISC’s role is to regulate advisers by enforcing a Code of Standards.
In order to ensure the smooth running of their work, OISC registers qualified and reliable advisers, spreads good practice throughout the sector and supports staff to ensure they are fit and competent to provide immigration advice.
UKG is a registered immigration adviser with OISC.
UKiset
UKiset is an assessment that students can take if they want to apply to British independent schools. The test assesses students’ academic potential and English language skills and the results are compared against British students of the same age. UKiset is designed for students aged between 9.5 and 18 years old from all around the world.
Many British schools accept UKiset so students can reduce the number of entrance exams they take – the UKiset test results can be sent to five schools. UKG is a UKiset test centre which means that we can organise, run and invigilate the exam either in our office or via Skype.
G5 Universities
G5 Universities or Golden Triangle.
Golden Triangle is a group, established in 2004, of the 5 top public universities in the UK: the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, the London School of Economics (LSE) and University College London (UCL). They are located in London, Cambridge and Oxford hence the name ‘Golden Triangle’.
As top-ranking universities, being offered a place in one of these universities is a very arduous task. For this reason, UKG has created a strong G5 preparation programme to stack all the odds in your favour in order to join one of these prestigious universities.
