Living abroad is a big step, and it does take time to adjust. We hope that you will be fine but there is additional support available to all international and EU students should you need it.

International student support

We have dedicated International advisors in our Student Support team to help you with a range of issues including:

• Adjusting to a new and unfamiliar culture
• Being confused by new values, behaviours, beliefs and lifestyles
• Feeling lonely and isolated
• Adjusting to the informal nature of UK culture
• Feeling the loss of your familiar life
• Adapting to different social hierarchies
• Feeling you have to achieve perfect academic results possibly as a result of family pressure
• Wondering how to make friends with UK students
• Anxieties about returning home after your time in the UK
• Relationship concerns.

We also offer a full, confidential counselling service where you can discuss any issues you have with a professional counsellor.

Coping with homesickness

Missing your friends and family back home is only natural. So here are some tips to help:

1. Make connections with people from your own culture and background, if possible.
2. Keep in touch with family and friends via the internet (Skype, email etc.).
3. Keep busy - join in the activities provided by the Students Union.
4. Watch films and read books about travel that you find inspiring.
5. Cardiff is a lovely city to walk about in and is very safe in the daytime. Many people go into town to enjoy the city on their own.
6. Keep active - physical activity can lift your mood.
7. Eat well and try to discover where to buy the food you enjoy.
8. Plan your time well, mark on your calendar activities and study times this can help you put your feelings of loneliness into some kind of perspective.
9. Make as much effort as you are able socially, even if this doesn’t always bring instant results. Keep trying.
10. Establish some kind of daily routine.
11. Make your room comfortable and familiar.
12. Sometimes you will feel less homesick and it is important to ask yourself; "what am I doing that is making me feel better?".
13. Think that all this hard work will take you into a new phase of life with better employment prospects.
14. Send photos home so that your friends and family have a good understanding of your current life.

If life begins to upset you, contact our counselling service -  you are not alone.

We take great care to help you settle into your new way of life in Cardiff by organising a range of induction and orientation activities.

Induction

Upon arrival, you will be given a welcome pack of information which includes a copy of the Induction programme. This consists of a range of social events as well as other important enrolment and financial tasks that you need to do when you first arrive and before your studies begin.

Depending on the time of year, the programme of events can include parties, welcome talks, information, sports and societies fairs, quizzes, tours of the University campus and the city.

All these events are designed to give you the best possible start and aimed at helping you settle as easily as possible into your new life in Cardiff.

Something for everyone

There are different events organised for international students, Erasmus+ and Study Abroad / exchange students so please check the induction timetable for the events relevant to you.

You will receive a welcome pack when you arrive at the University which includes a full timetable of events. Most international student events are free. However to attend Freshers’ social events in the Students Union, you will need to buy a Freshers’ wristband.

View the induction timetable for full details of the programme of events taking place in September.

Depending on which country you are from, you may need to register with the Police here in the UK.

You will need to register within seven days of your arrival in the UK if it states this:

• on your entry clearance vignette (visa) or
• as a remark on your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or
• on your Home Office decision letter.

You must contact our International Office if these documents do not state that you need to register with the Police, but you are from one of the following countries:

If your husband, wife or child entered the UK as your dependant, they will also have to register with the police within seven days of their arrival in the UK.

Book an appointment

You must book an appointment to register with the Police. Registration takes place every Wednesday at International Student Support (3rd Floor, Students Union Building).

You must book an appointment in advance by using the on-line booking system.

Required documents

If you are registering with the police for the first time you will need to bring:

• your passport and BRP card/letter
• two passport-sized photographs
• your student ID card
• registration fee of £34 (if you are a student sponsored by the British Council you will have this fee-refunded);
• a completed Police Registration Questionnaire, provided for you by Cardiff University (see related documents)
• Police Registration Questionnaire Guidance Notes (see related documents)

Please come to your appointment with all the above items. If you don’t have all the documents the Police cannot issue a Registration certificate.

If you have previously registered

If you have previously studied in the UK and already have a Police Registration Certificate you will need to renew your Police Registration Certificate in Cardiff if you have any of the following changes to your circumstances (see table below).

You will need to take your passport and the original Police Registration Certificate with you to your Police appointment.

If you lose your Police Registration Certificate

If you lose your certificate, you will need to re-register with the Police as if you were a new student arriving in the UK for the first time.

Renewal of a certificate is free. There will be a £34 charge if you have lost and need to replace your Police Registration Certificate.

Simply book an appointment to re-register.