About UKCISA:
Reference material for advisers
- The UKCISA Manual
- Information Sheets for Students
- Making the Adjustment: orientation programmes
- Homeward Bound: organising courses for returnee students
- Internationalising students' unions
The UKCISA Manual
The UKCISA Manual is the definitive, annually updated guide to regulations and procedures for international students. It should be on the desk of every member of staff involved in advising international students. Its four sections cover Immigration; Fees and Student Support; Welfare, health and tax benefits; and Council Tax.
Download Manual 2008 order form.
Information Sheets for Students
UKCISA Information Sheets are intended for international students (though they may also be useful for staff working with them). They provide brief, easy to understand explanations of the issues and topics students most often ask about. There is a full list of titles in the Student Advice section of our website, from which all the sheets can be downloaded.
We review all of them annually, and whenever amendments are made revised copies are posted on the web and sent to Primary Contacts. Members in further and higher education institutions, students unions and voluntary organisations may photocopy the Information Sheets freely for internal distribution. All members may link to the Information Sheets from their own websites.
Homeward Bound: a pack for advisers and tutors organising courses for
students returning to their home countries after studying in the UK
by Elaine Unterhalter and Annette Hayton - 1993, Looseleaf
Students who have studied abroad experience what is sometimes called
"reverse culture shock" when reorienting to life in their
home country. This is often mitigated if they have been able to prepare
themselves and anticipate some of the changes and stresses they will
encounter. The materials in this pack are designed to assist in the
planning and running of workshops for international students in the
The first section analyses the nature of "reverse culture shock", and outlines the range of problems that different groups of students encounter on returning home. The second section outlines how workshops can be structured and suggests how to use and adapt the materials in the third section of the pack for different groups of students and conditions in a particular institution or organisation.
Internationalising students' unions (1998)
by Jo Holliday - 1998, ISBN 1 870679 30 X, 28pp
This booklet considers the specific role of students' unions in relation to their international student members, in terms of both representation and provision of services. It provides guidance on how to carry out an international audit, identifying services that can be offered, possible barriers and implementation strategies. It also gives guidance on the core services and activities which may be provided for international students. Finally, it explores the relationship of the union with the institution.
Only available online download as a PDF:
Internationalising Students' Unions
The Good Practice Guide is in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), so it is easy to read on screen or to print. You'll need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files.