Pre-Arrival

When a new student has accepted a place on their chosen course, emails will be sent with full details of the date that they are expected to enrol at the University. You will not receive information about the exact timing of your lectures or your timetable before enrolment. This information will be accessible via their student portal or the MyBolton App during your first week.

The University of Bolton is located just 20 miles from Manchester Airport and we would recommend all international students who are flying to the UK to arrive here.

Train to Bolton

Manchester Airport has a mainline train station where you can get a direct train to Bolton for as little as £3.70 up to £7.40 (updated June 2023). The journey will only take 40 minutes and finding the station is very easy, just follow the signs in the airport terminal.
For train timetable information and bookings, please visit http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Taxi to Bolton

When you leave the airport there will be black cab taxis waiting outside and you can also book a taxi with Street Cars who have a desk or booth in arrivals. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are perfectly safe and reliable.

To inquire about the cost of your journey, please visit https://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/getting-to-and-from/by-taxi/

Please make sure that you have written down the address of where you want to go (including the full post code) to ensure that you have a smooth journey. Manchester and Bolton are also covered by app-based taxi services such as Uber.

Arriving at a different airport

If you arrive at another airport, the general advice is for you to travel to Bolton by train or coach.

You can find coach travel information here:  http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx and train travel here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

You may find it helpful to get advice from other people in your country who have had some experience of living in the UK. They may be able to give you good advice about a number of things you might need to bring.

Remember that you will be carrying all your luggage at times so do not pack too much. Flights will also have a luggage allowance and it can be expensive to exceed this.

You are advised to carry the following in your hand luggage (some of this will only apply to international students and not students from the EU):

• Valid Passport, with visa/UK entry clearance
• Original documents to prove financial support for tuition fees and maintenance
• Original offer letter from the University stating home address
• Originals of any other important documents (e.g. previous qualifications which have been listed in your CAS)
• Travel insurance details
• Health certificate/check-up
• Details of your destination including address/telephone number
• Proof of purchase for any IT equipment
• British Currency (see British money section below)
• Spare passport-size photographs
• Warm clothing, for example, pullover or a jacket
• Laptop (if applicable)

You are advised to carry the following in your suitcase(s):

• Photocopies of important documents (you should also leave a copy with your friends or family)
• All of your clothes and personal items
• Sharp objects (e.g. scissors, razor blades) in suitcase, not hand luggage

You should not bring:

• Very valuable items, e.g. jewellery that is expensive or of sentimental value
• Plants/seeds, dairy or meat products

Please make sure that you are financially secure and that your arrangements will cover all your tuition fees and living expenses while you are here.

We would recommend that you bring some British money with you when you travel. It can take 2 weeks to open a bank account so please ensure that you have enough to cover your expenses for this amount of time. You may want to consider the following expenses:

• Getting from the airport to the University
• Food and drink
• Paying for University accommodation. If you are living in private accommodation, then you may need to pay up to 2 months’ rent and a deposit
• Books and materials for study
• If you are bringing any family members with you then you should bring enough money to support their needs too

We would recommend that you arrange:

• Some British cash for the first few days
• Traveller’s cheques, to save carrying too much cash
• Travel Insurance for the journey and your first weeks in the UK

The unit of currency in the UK is Pound Sterling (£). It is divided into a hundred pence (p).

Please note: Euros/US Dollars are not widely accepted in shops but are easily exchangeable in travel agents, airports or banks. 

We hope the advice on these pages makes you feel more prepared and reassured about starting a degree in the UK at the University of Bolton. If you have any questions remaining, please contact international@bolton.ac.uk