You can come to study in the UK at any age, and many international students attend school here before proceeding to higher education. 

Full-time education is compulsory in the UK up to the age of 16, and is provided both by state-funded and independent (fee-charging) schools. State-funded schools must follow the National Curriculum. 

Independent schools follow a similar curriculum as well as developing their own special expertise. 

Preparatory/primary education
Preparatory education (primary education in state schools) provides basic instruction across a range of subjects. Pupils will normally sit two Key Stage tests as part of the National Curriculum at the age of seven (Key Stage 1) and at the age of 11 (Key Stage 2). International students normally enter preparatory education, usually as boarders, at the age of seven and go on to an independent school for their secondary education at the age of 12 or 13. 

Secondary education
Secondary education is for pupils aged between 11 and 16. General education continues across a range of subjects until pupils are aged 14. At this point, they continue with English, maths and science, and choose four or five additional subjects to study for GCSE (SCE Standard-grade in Scotland). These courses usually take two years and finish with examinations at the age of 15 or 16. 

The most common age of entry for international students is usually:

• 12, with other preparatory students moving into secondary education, or 
• 14, in preparation for GCSEs or SCE Standard-grades.

Two further Key Stage tests are taken by pupils in secondary education:

• Key Stage 3 at the age of 14
• Key Stage 4 (GCSEs or SCE Standard-grades) at the age of 16. 

At the end of compulsory education, pupils have the choice of either leaving education to begin work or moving on to post-16 education. 

Post-16 education
Students who want to proceed to a degree course generally remain in secondary education until the age of 18. They usually complete A-levels (or SCE Higher-grades in Scotland) in three or more subjects. Some schools offer the International Baccalaureate as an alternative to A-levels or Scottish Highers. 

Students who want to train for a particular career choose from a very wide range of vocational courses, which are offered by further education (FE) institutions and by some schools. FE institutions may be state-funded or independent, but all of them are permitted to admit international students (and all of them charge fees). State-funded FE institutions include: 

• sixth-form colleges
• colleges of further education 
• tertiary colleges 
• specialist colleges 
• colleges of further and higher education. 

Independent FE colleges offer a narrower range of courses than the state sector; some colleges specialise and offer one subject area only. 

In addition to vocational qualifications, many FE institutions also offer GCSEs (or SCE Standard-grade), A-levels (or SCE Higher-grade), the International Baccalaureate and access or foundation courses (to prepare students for degree courses). Some also offer degree courses. 

Post-18 education
There are three main types of education available to students over the age of 18:

• vocational courses offered by FE institutions
• degree courses
• postgraduate study. 

Degree courses and postgraduate study are sometimes collectively called higher education (HE). Most professional courses, such as accountancy, dentistry, law, medicine, etc, are offered at higher education level. 

Degree courses lead to the award of a Bachelor's degree (or, in a few cases, a Master's degree). They are available from HE institutions (universities, HE colleges and institutes) and some FE institutions. 

Universities vary in size from less than 4,000 students to over 10,000, and teach a wide range of courses. HE colleges and institutes are typically smaller than the universities. Some run similar programmes to the universities and others specialise in one or more subjects. 

Postgraduate study leads to postgraduate certificates and diplomas, Master's degrees (including the MBA) and doctorates (eg PhD or DPhil). All are advanced academic programmes for students who already have a good first degree. They are offered by universities, and by some HE colleges and institutes.