Checklist: On Arrival

When you arrive in the UK at an airport, seaport or Eurostar terminal you will need to show your passport or travel document with your visa or entry clearance sticker to an Immigration Officer. 

You may be asked to show evidence that you are coming to the UK for the same purpose as stated on your visa or entry clearance sticker, so it is a good idea to carry the documents you used to apply for your immigration permission in your hand luggage. If the Immigration Officer is happy that you meet the requirements, he or she will stamp your passport with his or her date stamp and allow you to enter the UK. 

Please note, the queues to come through immigration at this time of year can be very long, by ensuring that you have all the necessary documents ready for inspection you can help speed up the process. 

Should you have any significant difficulties at this stage, and you need to speak to a member of staff from Queen Mary, you can call the emergency contact number on +44 (0)7519 131776.

There will be a free bus service for new international students arriving at Heathrow Airport on Saturday 17th September or Sunday 18th September 2010. Please register to use this service.

We regret we cannot arrange airport collection on any other days, or from alternative airports. For advice regarding travel to the University outside of these times, or from other airports, please see How To Find Us.

Important information
The buses will run from Terminal 3, at London’s Heathrow Airport, to Queen Mary, Mile End campus. We expect that buses will leave Terminal 3 every two hours. Upon arrival you will be allocated to the next available bus.

You must register to use this service; if you do not register we cannot guarantee you a place on one of the coaches. 

How to find your bus

After going through immigration and customs, look for people wearing Queen Mary, University of London blue t-shirts. They will wait by ‘Arrivals’ in Terminal 3 of London Heathrow Airport, and will direct you to your bus. They will be holding up a ‘Queen Mary, University of London’ sign.

If you arrive into another terminal, please follow the signs to Terminal 3 arrivals where members of Queen Mary staff will be waiting throughout the pickup period.
This service is free of charge to all new Queen Mary students. If you would like to use this service, you must book a place using our online booking form. If you do not book a place there may not be any space left on the bus for you. We will send you confirmation of your booking at the end of August. 

Family and friends

The airport collection service is for Queen Mary students only. If you are travelling with family members or friends they are welcome to travel on the coach only if there are spaces available. Priority will always be given to students. If a coach is full, Queen Mary staff will assist in directing your family or friends to the university using an alternative form of transport.

If you have not already booked a place on the airport collection service please do so now.

If you are unable to make use of the airport collection service from Heathrow on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th September, please use the information below to plan your own journey to campus. 

Travelling to Queen Mary:

By London Underground

From Heathrow Airport 

From Gatwick Airport

From Stansted Airport

By taxi

By bus

The Medical Campuses:

The Whitechapel Campus

Charterhouse Square Campus

West Smithfield Campus

By London Underground

The easiest way to get to the main campus at Mile End is by using the London Underground, otherwise known as the ‘tube’. Both Mile End and Stepney Green stations are only five minutes' walk from the Mile End campus. For more information, maps and details of routes and prices visit the Transport For London website. 

From Mile End station, turn left outside the station and walk along Mile End Road towards the bridge. Cross Burdett Road and continue along Mile End Road, under the bridge and beyond. Just beyond the canal, cross at the traffic lights and continue in the same direction until you see a clock tower on your right. The main entrance to the College is in the Queens’ Building, behind the clock tower.

From Stepney Green station, turn left outside the station and walk along Mile End Road for five to ten minutes until you see the College clock tower on your left. The main entrance is in the Queens' Building, behind the clock tower.

From Heathrow airport

Please remember- if you are arriving at Heathrow on Saturday 17th or Sunday 18th September there will be a FREE bus service running to the Mile End campus. Click here to book onto this service. 

If you are arriving before or after this weekend, you will need to make your own arrangements for travel from the airport. The cheapest way to get to the Mile End campus from Heathrow airport is to use the London Underground. Take the Piccadilly Line eastbound to Hammersmith. Change train at Hammersmith and take the District Line eastbound to Stepney Green. Please see above for directions from Stepney Green station to the Mile end campus.

From Gatwick airport

The cheapest way to get to the Mile End campus from Gatwick airport is to use the train and the London Underground. Take the overground rail service from the airport to Victoria station in London .You will see signs for the train station at Gatwick in the airport, and trains to London Victoria station are clearly advertised on the timetable boards in the ticket hall. Ask staff at the station if you are not sure which ticket you need, or where to catch your train. Once you reach London Victoria, follow the signs in the station for the Underground. Take the District Line eastbound to Stepney Green. See above for directions from Stepney Green station to the Mile End campus.

From Stansted airport

Trains run frequently from Stansted airport to Liverpool Street station in central London. Ask staff at the station if you are not sure which ticket you need, or where to catch your train. From Liverpool Street station, follow signs to the Underground. Take the eastbound Central line to Mile End station. See above for directions from Mile End station to the Mile End campus.

By taxi

If you arrive at one of London 's airports with a lot of luggage you could take a taxi to your accommodation, but this is an expensive option. Approximate fares using a licensed black cab from the airports are: Heathrow £60, Gatwick £100, Stansted £80.
These taxis run on meters, which increase the fare both by distance and by time, so if there is slow traffic the cost increases. Sometimes it is possible to agree a set price with the driver before travelling.

By bus

The number 25 bus, which runs from Oxford Circus in central London to a final destination of 'Ilford', travels along Mile End Road approximately every ten minutes throughout the day. The bus stops outside the College. You can ask your bus driver to tell you when you have reached the College bus stop. Look out for the College's clock tower, as the main entrance is in the Queens' Building behind the clock tower.

Visit the Transport for London website at www.tfl.gov.uk.

The Medical Campuses


The Whitechapel Campus
Charterhouse Square Campus
West Smithfield Campus

The Whitechapel campus (Royal London Hospital ) of the School of Medicine and Dentistry is about 15 minutes’ walk from the main campus at Mile End. It is also a short bus ride, or underground journey on either the District or Hammersmith & City lines, to Whitechapel. As you come out of Whitechapel tube station, you are on Whitechapel Road. The Royal London Hospital is opposite the station.

You can reach the Charterhouse Square campus from the Barbican tube station (Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines). Turn left as you leave Barbican, and take the first road on the left (Carthusian Street ). The entrance to the Charterhouse Square site is through the brick gateway at the end of the first turning on the right.

The West Smithfield campus (St Bartholomew's Hospital) is near the Barbican or Farringdon underground stations. Turn right out of Barbican tube, and turn first right at the traffic lights, into Long Lane. Walk down Long Lane, with the market on your right, into the square which opens up on your left. You will see the entrance to Barts. From Farringdon tube walk up to Smithfield and through the centre of the market building. Barts is on the other side of the square.

You can get detailed directions to all these sites from the School of Medicine and Dentistry and you will get further information from the School’s orientation programme, which the school will send you before the start of term.

Queen Mary accommodation check-in

When you arrive at Queen Mary between 9am-5pm (either on the coaches, or if you have made your own way), you can collect your keys from your halls of residence. The name of your residence is written on your licence agreement. Student helpers and staff will be available to help you to find your room when you arrive.

If you arrive at Queen Mary after 5pm, the keys for Mile End residences will be held at the reception of France House in the Student Village (which is open 24 hours daily). Keys for Floyer House and Dawson Hall will be kept at those residences. Staff and students will advise you how to get there when you arrive. You will need a copy of your licence agreement to collect your keys.

If your accommodation is not with Queen Mary, you can continue your journey from Mile End. You can do this by tube, bus or if you have a lot of luggage, you can order a taxi at France House reception. Staff and students will be available to offer advice or directions.

If you still need to make alternative arrangements for your accommodation please visit the following website for advice and guidance, including details on local hotels and hostels [new window]: www.residences.qmul.ac.uk/alternative

If you arrive on the 18th and 19th September computer facilities will be available for you to e-mail home.  There will be an information point and an IT helpdesk when you arrive on campus, and they will be able to tell you where to go to do this.

You can of course also contact home by using a public telephone. There are many phone boxes across London and throughout the UK. There is a payphone centrally located on the Mile End campus.  Public telephones take coins, pre-paid phone cards, or credit cards. You can buy phone cards from newsagents, Post Offices and supermarkets. International students can also buy pre-paid international phone cards to call home for less.

All students at Queen Mary have free email and internet access. There are open access areas on the campus and within academic departments. There are also data points in QM residences. You can get your QM e-mail address either at the IT point on the arrival day or from Computer Services after you enrol on your course.
You can find more advice on contacting home here.

Your first few days at university are bound to be overwhelming, you are probably feeling a mixture of nervousness, excitement and uncertainty. Just remember that almost all other students around you will be feeling exactly the same! Over 35% of students starting this September will be international students, so will be experiencing very similar emotions. For home students, even though they have not moved to a new country, they are probably also feeling lost, overwhelmed and excited - for most of them it will be the first time they have lived away from home.

With this in mind, Student and Campus Services and the Students' Union have organised a number of events throughout the week to help in ensuring you are able to meet other students quickly and easily. There should be something to interest everyone - whether you enjoy night club events, sporting activities, or altogether more 'chilled out' events. There will be timetable available here nearer to the time, and once you arrive at the College all events will be well advertised. 

You will hopefully find that the atmosphere on arrival is warm and welcoming, and - because everyone is experiencing the same emotions- you will meet and chat to more people in your first week than perhaps you ever have! In the meantime, why not use the International Student Facebook Page to meet other students ahead of your arrival in September? Click here to be redirected. 

If you are feeling particularly distressed, homesick or lonely during your first few weeks at Queen Mary, University of London, there are services and people to advice and help you through. Visit the Advice and Counseling website or call +44 (0)20 7882 8717 during office hours to make an appointment.

If you have not already paid, the Cashier's Office (1st floor, Queens' Building, Mile End Road) will be open to take payment for tuition fees over the first weekend (Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th), from 10am till 4pm; and Monday - Friday from 9.30am - 4pm following that. They will be able to take payment by card, cash and cheque. You will need to keep hold of your receipt once you have paid to take to enrolment.

For details on how to pay your tuition fees in advance, including methods of payment and early payment discounts please click here. 

Contacts

If you have any queries about fee payment please contact the Fees Office:

Tel: +44(0)20 7882 7676,  +44 (0)20 7882 3685 or  +44 (0)20 7882 7775
Fax: +44 (0)20 7882 3024
Email: fees@qmul.ac.uk

Enrolment is the process of officially registering with the University, and it is compulsory that you do this during your first week at the College. More information regarding when you can enrol will be available here closer to the time. Enrolment will be open during the arrival weekend (18th and 19th September) and it is highly recommended that you book a time slot to enrol during this time - to allow you to avoid lengthy queues during Welcome Week (Monday 19th - Friday 23rd September), and therefore enable you attend more events and activities organised by the College and your academic departments.

Please check back for information on the documentation you will need to enrol, and for advice on how to book a slot. 

Students from some countries will have a stamp in their passport, or wording on their sticker, that tells them to register with the police. If your spouse or children entered the UK as your dependants, they may also have this stamp.

If you have to register with the police, you must do so within seven days of your arrival in the UK. It is a criminal offence if you do not. If there is no instruction on your sticker about registering with the police, you do not need to do anything.

Students arriving 17th and 18th September 2011.

Queen Mary students will be able to register with the police on Saturday 24th September as a group. This will cut queuing time significantly as the service will be opening exclusively for students from Queen Mary, University of London.

To book a place on the group registration please click here. You will be able to select a time slot for your registration. Please see below for the address and directions to the OVRO, plus details of what you will need to take with you.

Please note: the seven day rule does not apply if you are part of the group registration.

If you are not able to attend the group registration

To register, you will need to go to (within 7 days):

The Overseas Visitors Records Office
180 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1LH.

The nearest underground station is Borough on the Northern line.

The office is open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday. During September, we advise that you go as early as possible, as people start to queue around 7am. If you go in the afternoon, it is unlikely that you will be seen that day. You can telephone +44 (0)20 7230 1208 for recorded information about the procedure.

You will need to take:

• your passport
• registration fee of £34
• details of your UK address, your home address and information about your course at Queen Mary.

(you don’t need to take a photo with you as it will be taken there)

Take a small bag - this will make it faster to go through the security checks. Don't take any sharp objects (for example scissors) as these will be taken from you.

After you have registered, you will need to inform the overseas records office each time you are granted an extension of your permission to stay in the UK. You also need to inform the police if you change address but you can do this at any local police station.

The College can seem large and confusing on arrival, and you might feel like you will never be able to find your way around! But you will quickly become used to the campus, and where the key building are for you and your studies. During the first week there will be student helpers and staff available to assist you in finding your way to certain buildings or locations, and you can always stop and ask them to point you in the right direction. You might also like to familiarise yourself with the campus by having a campus tour, which will be led by current students. During your first few days you can come to the Information Point (located in the Student Village, Mile End on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September, and in the foyer of the Francis Bancroft Building, Mile End from Monday 19th - Wednesday 21st September) and ask them there to arrange a tour for you. 

The Library

From the beginning of term the Library will be running a four-week programme of sessions to introduce you to the library.

Library Tours

There is no need to sign up for the following, just come along to the Welcome Desk and join one of the tours.

* Mile End Library: 7 days a week throughout the day, starting on Saturday 17 September
* Whitechapel Library will run every Monday to Friday at 1 pm, starting 19 September

Drop-in sessions
IT Services will hold IT clinics in the Library at Mile End from Saturday 17 September for any issues with connecting to the network, login problems, accessing the wireless network, printing or any other IT enquiries, and the same IT session will take place at Whitechapel Library on Thursdays from 2 - 4 pm.

The Library at Whitechapel will also be running the following drop-in sessions on specific aspects of the Library:

* On Mondays from 2 - 4 pm: using the Library, where you can find out about searching the library catalogue, how to access resources from home and how to add credit to your ID card as well as other general library enquiries
* On Tuesdays from 12 - 1 pm: Blackboard sessions, where you can get help with using Queen Mary's online learning environment

Come along with any questions you have about the Library.

Healthcare

There is a Student Health Service (SHS) on the Mile End campus.  If you live in postcodes E1, E2, E3 or E14, you can register as a patient with the SHS (although international and EU students, see below).  The Mile End campus is within postcode E1.  You should register with the SHS as soon as possible - do not wait until you become unwell, as you will not be able to see a doctor quickly unless you are a registered patient.

If you are living in QM residences you should be able to register with the SHS online. You will be sent more information about this by QM Housing Services.  If you are not living in QM residences, but you are living within the London postcodes mentioned, you should visit the SHS on the Mile End campus during the first week of term to complete your registration.  If you are not living within the London postcodes mentioned you should register with a doctor's surgery close to where you are living, as soon as you arrive in London.  If you become unwell while you are on the Mile End campus, you may be able to see a doctor at the SHS as a temporary patient but you will need to already be registered with a doctor somewhere.

International and EEA students studying on a course in the UK of 6 months or more

You can register with the SHS if you live in one of the London postcode areas listed above.  This entitles you to the same free of charge National Health Service treatment as a UK national. EEA nationals should get a European Health Insurance Card before travelling to the UK. For more information about your entitlement to medical treatment, and general advice about keeping healthy during your studies in the UK see: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/info_sheets/keeping_healthy.php#nhs_eea

International students (from outside the EEA) studying on a course of less than 6 months

You can use the SHS, but you cannot register as a patient.  You must arrange medical insurance before you travel to the UK, as you will normally be charged by the SHS for a consultation and any treatment.  You are not normally entitled to free medical treatment in the UK, except certain services like initial treatment in an emergency.  If you become unwell, contact the SHS as soon as possible to request an appointment with a GP (doctor). For more information about your entitlement to medical treatment and general advice about keeping healthy during your studies in the UK see: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/info_sheets/keeping_healthy.php#nhs_eea

Nationals of certain countries may benefit from reciprocal healthcare agreements between the UK and your home country, which may means that certain, but not all, medical treatment might be free of charge as part of the National Health Service. You should arrange medical insurance before travelling to the UK so that you are covered for medical treatment that is not available to you free of charge. For more information about which
countries have these agreements with the UK and general advice about keeping healthy during your studies in the UK see: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/info_sheets/keeping_healthy.php#nhs_eea

EEA nationals studying in the UK on a course of less than 6 months

You can use the SHS on the Mile End campus, but you cannot register as a patient.  As you are an EEA national, you are covered by reciprocal healthcare agreements between the UK and your home country.  This means that you can receive certain treatment and services free of charge under the UK's National Health Service.  This is usually limited to ill health that arises while you are in the UK, rather than pre-existing medical conditions. You should therefore also arrange medical insurance before you travel to the UK, to cover you for any medical treatment that you cannot receive free of charge in the UK.  For more information see: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/info_sheets/keeping_healthy.php#nhs_eea

 For more information on the College Student Health Service, please visit www.studenthealth.qmul.ac.uk

Family Welcome Receptions
Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September

Take time out from the stress of moving-in to join us for a welcome cup of tea or coffee in The Hive, near to Ground Café, on Queen Mary’s Mile End campus during Moving-in Weekend.

The families and friends of new first-year students are invited to attend our Principal’s Welcome Receptions on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September at 11.30am and 2.30pm on Saturday and at 11.30am on Sunday. This is an occasion where you can meet other families and friends of new students and senior members of the Principal's Office, as well as representatives from the Students' Union.

Choose to attend ONE of three receptions:

• Saturday 17 September – 11.30am (speeches at 12 noon) or 2.30pm (speeches at 3pm)
• Sunday 18 September – 11.30am (speeches at 12 noon)

Booking information

Book online at www.qmul.ac.uk/alumni/familyfriends

Alternatively, you can download and return the attached PDF or email alumni@qmul.ac.uk or telephone +44(0)20 7882 7790. Please indicate which day you would like to attend, the time of the sitting and the total number of places you require.

Booking deadline: Wednesday 14 September

The Principal’s Welcome Receptions are part of the Queen Mary Family and Friends’ Programme which is coordinated by the Alumni Relations Office. The Family and Friends’ Programme provides a direct link between the College and you, the families and friends of new and current students, both in the UK and around the world.

We hope to engage you in the life of Queen Mary during the coming years by inviting you to join the Family and Friends’ Programme which includes invitations to events, the opportunity to be kept informed about developments at the College and for you to support the Family and Friends Book Fund. For more information, including how to join, visit www.qmul.ac.uk/alumni/familyfriends.

On Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September there will be a market - Q-Market - located in Library Square on the Mile End campus. There will be stalls selling student living essentials such as bedding, linen, kitchen ware and adaptors. There will also be representatives from various services on campus, such as the gym (Q-Motion), Security and the Student Health Service, along with a photo booth to get your QM Fresher photos- for free! These are great as a souvenir to mark the start of your time as a student here at Queen Mary, University of London.  

We will also offer a complimentary (free) shuttle bus service over the weekend between the College and a local supermarket, to enable you to stock up on any items you weren't able to bring with you, or to fill your cupboards with food and drink.

There will be more information on all the above on arrival at the University. If you can not find the information please visit the Information Point, which will be located in the Student Village on the Mile End campus on both days. 

Step Fourteen: Open a bank account