Countdown to September as an International Foundation Year Student

How to get started at Salford

Once you have your unconditional offer, give yourself a big cheer, woohoo! But you can’t relax yet as there are more tasks you need to complete before you can become an official University of Salford student.

Below is a checklist of things you need to do once you have an unconditional offer.

• Submit your documents for CAS
• Apply for your Visa as soon as you have your CAS
• Book your accommodation
• Book your travel to arrive in time to complete Check-in on campus before Welcome Week and induction starts
• Start online registration
• Book your Check-in appointment
• Pack your essential documents and belongings and travel to the UK if you aren't already here
• Attend your Check-in appointment face-to-face on our campus
• Pay your tuition fees in full to get a 3% discount or set up a payment plan
• Complete online registration by filling in your personal details
• Access your university learning systems
• Join your on-campus induction and Welcome Week starting on Monday 8 September

Get ready to learn

Our academic support team are here to help you develop the skills and confidence you’ll need to succeed in your studies, now and at each stage of your university journey.

Whether you want to improve your writing or communication skills, develop your digital capabilities, find information for your assignments, brush up on your maths, or get into good study habits, you'll find a flexible range of support.

You can access eLearning online anytime, anyplace. Topics include learning at university, preparing for assessments, referencing, and much more. We run free online workshops on a wide range of topics throughout the year, and if you need more specialist support you can book an individual appointment with one of the team.

If English isn’t your first language, Learn English for Academic Purposes (LEAP) offers a range of free online workshops, help and support that you can benefit from while you study. Check out the video below to discover more about LEAP.

Visit our skills website to learn more about academic support at the University of Salford.

Timetables and term dates

We know that you’ll be keen to see your timetable for your first year, and although this won’t be available until early September, we can give you some general information about what to expect.

We divide the academic year into three terms, known as trimesters - each trimester is 13 weeks (39 weeks in total). The dates that your course starts and finishes within these weeks will vary, as all courses vary slightly in length.

See our term dates page for an overview of the 2025/26 academic year, including a breakdown of each trimester

Accommodation and settling in

If you're staying in Peel Park Quarter or John Lester and Eddie Colman Courts, our accommodation partner, Campus Living Villages, will email you closer to the start to term to invite you to book your time of arrival. There will be options to arrive outside of normal working hours, so no matter how far you’re travelling from, you’ll be able to move in at a time that suits you.

We want to make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible, since lots of students will be arriving on campus, so please do confirm your arrival and read the guidance CLV will send to you carefully.

If you have chosen to stay in other student accommodation, you will be contacted regarding your move-in options by your accommodation provider.

If you don't yet have your accommodation booked, you should have a look at our advice about accommodation which also details some rooms with availability in the local area.

Welcome Week

Welcome Week starts on Monday 8 September, and we’ve put together a packed week of activities to help you get settled in, meet your teaching staff, learn more about your course, make friends, and have a fun-filled start to life at the University of Salford.

There’ll be essential induction activities to introduce you to your course, tutors and support staff, and the opportunity to meet other students on your course.

There will also be a whole week of fun events to help you settle in and make friends including bungee jumps, bandeoke, wellbeing walks and much more!

Watch the video below to get a taste of what you can expect to experience during Welcome Week!

Getting support

Moving abroad for university is exciting, but it can be a stressful time too. There is support available to you at the University of Salford whenever you need it. For any issues that you might be dealing with, you will have access to our askUS student support teams.

If you would like to discuss any additional support you may need ahead of joining university, whether it's for a disability, your wellbeing or learner support, find more information on the askUS page.

We also have a peer support service called Rafiki, which is led by our students. If you experience any problems whilst studying at the University, they are here to listen and can also signpost you to other support services, both on and off campus. Rafiki is a drop-in service, so you don’t need to make an appointment.

Student Minds, the UK's student mental health charity, have a useful resource called Transitions to guide you through the process of moving and settling in to life at university.

Keep in touch

We will be sending you a digital welcome guide at the end of November to give you more information about how to get started at the university, so keep checking your emails.

Don't forget to follow us on TikTok, Instagram and X to keep up to date with all the latest happenings from our campus.

You can also contact our friendly Enquiries team with any questions you may have by emailing enquiries@salford.ac.uk or calling +44 (0)161 295 4545.