International Student: Pre-enrolment Explained

Pre-enrolment is a quick and easy online task where you can confirm the details we hold about you and your programme. Completing pre-enrolment is the first step towards starting out at UCL.

Enrolment for New Students - Video

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Enrolment Steps - Infographic

Enrolment steps for International student (visual). Information is available below in text.

What is pre-enrolment and when does it happen?

Pre-enrolment is an online task where you can confirm the details we hold about you and your programme. This includes your personal details and information about your trusted contact and your fees.

Completing pre-enrolment is the first step toward becoming a fully enrolled UCL student. Once you are enrolled and have collected your ID card you will be able to access all the facilities and support on offer at UCL.

When pre-enrolment is available for your programme, you’ll receive a pre-enrolment invitation email with instructions. This email can only be sent once you've accepted your offer, met any conditions and completed any statutory checks if applicable. You can easily complete pre-enrolment online on your phone or laptop – it only takes a few minutes to complete.

As part of pre-enrolment, you’ll also be asked to accept several academic and financial terms and conditions, data protection statements, and to confirm your membership with Students’ Union UCL. For reference, view more information on our regulations, data protection and policies.

The pre-enrolment process

Step 1: Create a UCL account

Pre-enrolment is done on Portico, and to log onto Portico you need a UCL ID and password. Please use the My Account - New Students page to create your UCL ID and password. You will need your student number and access to a mobile phone or an email address.

You can find your student number in your email invitation to pre-enrol and correspondence from UCL admissions.

Please keep your UCL ID and password safe as you will need this to log on to all UCL online services throughout your time at UCL. If you forget your password you can reset it at the My Account page above.

Step 2: Log on to Portico

Log on to Portico using your UCL ID and password. Your UCL ID consists of 7 letters, the last few are your initials.

Check and confirm your details:

You will be asked to check that the details we have about you, your trusted contact, and your programme of study are correct. At this stage, you can also declare a disability.

Step 3: Upload your identity documents and a photo of yourself

Upload a photo of your identity documents:

If you do not have any of the ID documents listed on the Portico task, you can select 'I do not have any of the above'.

Please contact us via askUCL to confirm your situation and a member of the enrolment team will be able to advise you further.

Upload a photo of yourself:

You will be asked to upload a photo of yourself that will serve a dual purpose; to identify you and to be used on your UCL student ID card. The photo that you upload must comply with the standards specified below.

You must not modify the photo as your ID card and your student record must show your true likeness. If your photo does not meet the requirements, we reserve the right to take a new one at the point of ID card collection.

Image Guidelines

Your photo must:

Be taken against a plain, light-coloured background (preferably white)
Contain no other objects or people
Be a true likeness of yourself
Be in focus with no red-eye
Be in colour with no effects or filters
Be no more than 5MB
Be one of the following file formats: JPEG or JPG

In your photo, you must:

Be facing forwards looking straight at the camera
Have no shadows on your face or behind you
Have a neutral expression or be smiling, with your mouth closed
Have your eyes open and clearly visible (with no sunglasses or tinted glasses)
Have no reflection or glare on your glasses, and the frames should not cover your eyes (you may find it easier to remove your glasses)
Include your full head, without any head covering (unless it is worn for religious beliefs or medical reasons), and have nothing covering your face (please make sure nothing covers the outline of your eyes, nose or mouth)
Be a true likeness of yourself
Be in focus with no red-eye
Be in colour with no effects or filters
Be no more than 5MB
Be one of the following file formats: JPEG or JPG

Step 4: Upload visa documents

You will also be asked to upload the photo page of your passport and copies of your visa documents. Please use the guidance below to see what documents you will need to upload in addition to your passport photo page. Please see our Visa Document Guidelines for more information.

You might be asked to provide a copy of your entry clearance travel vignette (a sticker in your passport) with a UK arrival stamp or your boarding pass if you enter through an e-gate. You can complete pre-enrolment before you arrive in the UK, but we won't be able to complete your full enrolment until you provide evidence of your UK arrival. Once you arrive in the UK, you can upload your evidence. Please see instructions in FAQs for uploading documents to Portico.

Confirmation of pre-enrolment

Once you have completed your pre-enrolment, you will receive a confirmation email. It will advise you that your documents will be checked as soon as possible, and if everything is correct you will then be enrolled at UCL.

Next Steps

If you were unable to upload your documents or photo please contact us via askUCL. See instructions in FAQs.

Once you have received an email confirming you have been enrolled at UCL, you will be able to collect your ID card, following instructions in your enrolment email. Once you have collected your student ID card, you will have full access to buildings across UCL and can borrow books from UCL's Libraries. From your programme start date, you will have full access to online library resources.

Pre-enrolment FAQs

To see how to use the letter self-service please have a look at the video on the confirmation of registration and award webpage.

When do I pre-enrol?

You will receive an invite to pre-enrol once you have met all of the conditions of your offer, completed any statutory checks and accepted your place at UCL. If you are an international student, you will only receive the pre-enrolment invite once you have received your Confirmation of Acceptance (CAS) from UCL.

What is the deadline for pre-enrolment?

The latest date to pre-enrol is two weeks after the start date of your programme.

I don’t have any of the ID documentation listed. Can I still complete the pre-enrolment task?

If you do not have any of the ID listed on the Portico task, please contact the enrolment team via askUCL and tell us about your situation, so we can advise on the next steps. Further information on what you should provide as part of pre-enrolment if you are studying on a visa can be found on our website.

I don’t have my visa yet. Can I still complete the pre-enrolment task?

Yes, you will be able to complete pre-enrolment before you obtain your visa. If you have applied for a student visa and your BRP has been delivered to UCL, you will be asked to upload a copy of the travel vignette in your passport (see final FAQ below). Further information on what you should provide as part of pre-enrolment if you are studying on a visa can be found on our website.

I’ve uploaded a photo and I’d like to change it. Can I do this?

Once you've uploaded your photo for your UCL ID card, you will not be able to change this. You may have the opportunity to take a new photo when collecting your ID card.

What are the photo guidelines?

If you upload a photo to the pre-enrolment task that does not meet the criteria, the Student and Registry Services team will get in touch to discuss this further. In most cases, you will be requested to upload a new photo to the pre-enrolment task in Portico.

Your photo must:

Be taken against a plain, light-coloured background, preferably white
Contain no other objects or people
Have no shadows on your face or behind you
Be a true likeness of yourself
Be in focus with no red-eye
Be in colour with no effects or filters
Be no more than 5MB
Be one of the following file formats: JPEG or JPG

In your photo you must:

Be facing forwards looking straight at the camera
Have a neutral expression or be smiling, with your mouth closed
Have your eyes open and clearly visible (with no sunglasses or tinted glasses)
Have no reflection or glare on your glasses, and the frames should not cover your eyes (you may find it easier to remove your glasses)
Include your full head, without any head covering (unless it is worn for religious beliefs or medical reasons), and have nothing covering your face (please make sure nothing covers the outline of your eyes, nose or mouth)

When uploading I have told the image is too big/too small. What should I do?

The image should be in either JPEG or JPG file format and should be no more than 5MB in size. Please upload another photo that meets these criteria.

If you upload a photo to the pre-enrolment task that does not meet the criteria, the Student and Registry Services team will get in touch to request you upload a new photo.

I’m receiving server error messages when I try to upload my photo, what should I do?

Please contact us via askUCL and a member of the team will get in touch to discuss this further with you.

I have now completed pre-enrolment. Can I have a student status letter?

You will not be able to receive a student status letter until you are enrolled on your programme of study at UCL. Once you receive confirmation of enrolment, you will be able to print your letters from Portico (see next FAQ for instructions).

I am now enrolled. How can I download a student status letter from Portico?

Students can print off their own statements by logging into Portico. If they are unable to print letters off themselves, Students can request these statements by logging onto askUCL.

A step-by-step guide for students to printing statements from Portico:

Log in to Portico with your UCL user ID and password on the main page ('My Portico'). Under 'Enrolment and Study Details', you will see a tab called 'Statement of Student Status'.
Under 'Enrolment and Study Details', you will see a tab called 'Statement of Student Status'. After clicking on this tab you will be asked to select the type of Statement you require and after doing this, click ‘Next’
If you selected ‘Confirmation of your student status’ you will see your addresses, which we ask that you keep updated. If they are no longer current, please select ‘Edit’ and make the relevant changes.
If you selected ‘For a bank account’ you will see a drop-down box with names of different banks. Select the bank you would like to open an account with and click ‘Next’. This is to make sure that the confirmation letter is addressed to the bank, which is what UK banks require.
You will then see your addresses, which we ask that you keep updated. If they are no longer current, please select ‘Edit’ and make the relevant changes.
Select ‘Download a Statement of Student Status’ or ‘Download a Bank letter’ depending on your previous selection.
Select the location where you would like to keep the file, choose a file name and click ‘Save’

Banks and councils can be very particular about addresses. When updating your address, make sure to include your full address, including your room number. For example:

Room or Flat Number	Room 123A or Flat 12
Name of Residence (if applicable)	Residence/ Building name
House Number and Name of Street	23 City Road
City	London
Postcode	WC1A 4AH

I have completed the pre-enrolment task, but my personal details have changed. What should I do?

You can log in to Portico and update your personal details. Personal details that you can currently update are (a) your contact details, and (b) your trusted contact address.

If the details you would like to change cannot be updated on Portico, please log an enquiry on askUCL.

Can I change my name on my student record?

If you provide us with official ID documentation, we can change your name on your student record.

To submit evidence for a name change, please log an enquiry on askUCL.

How can I change my email address to my preferred name?

Contact the ISD service desk and request a new mail alias. Please bear in mind that not all combinations of first/last name and/or initials will be available, as they may be in use already or associated with a historical account.

Contact the ISD service desk if you have any issues with this.

I am missing a visa/ID document/photo which is preventing me from completing Enrolment. What should I do?

If you now have copies of these item(s), please go to your Portico Homepage and under the section 'Further documentation to complete enrolment' upload the relevant document.
This can be done via the relevant buttons:
upload visa document
upload ID
upload photo replacement button

Please note, that once you've completed the upload you will not receive a notification to say the upload has been completed. Due to the high volume of students registering at UCL, It may take several days for the enrolment team to assess your documents and complete your enrolment. All documents must be uploaded for you to be enrolled.

I don't have a stamped entry clearance vignette or boarding pass yet. What should I do?

You can still complete pre-enrolment before you arrive in the UK by uploading an unstamped vignette, but we won't be able to complete your enrolment until you provide evidence of your UK arrival. If you haven't arrived in the UK yet, you can simply provide us with a copy of your stamped vignette (or your boarding pass if you entered through an e-gate) as soon as you have arrived in the UK.

I may have to arrive late for my course, what do I need to do? (Taught students only)

All new students have two weeks after the start date of their programme to enrol. For students with courses starting 25th September, the deadline to enrol is 13th October. If you are experiencing exceptional difficulties in meeting the enrolment deadline, you should contact your department to discuss whether late enrolment may be possible.

I am a research student who did not enrol by my deadline, what do I need to do?

Please contact your academic department to check if you can delay your start date. Your department will need to confirm the details to Admissions and the Research Degrees team, if this is approved.

I am unable to continue my enrolment after making a tuition fee payment. I keep going around in a loop. What should I do?

If after making a tuition fee payment via Flywire you are returning to the online payments page, then please follow these next steps to continue your enrolment:

1. Click the back button at the bottom of the ‘online payments’ screen.
2. You will then return to section 6, Fee Details, of the enrolment task where it will be confirmed that you have initiated a payment. You will then need to reconfirm that your fees are correct and select no from the drop-down menu. You should then click next at the bottom of the page to continue with your enrolment.

For more information and guidace, view the following support document: PDF icon flywire_support.pdf

ID card and BRP collection FAQs

I'm a new student, how do I collect my student ID card?

You will receive instructions on how to collect your ID card in your enrolment confirmation email. You can also find information on the New Student ID Card Collection page.
When collecting your ID card (and BRP if applicable), please ensure you bring your own form of ID e.g. passport, driving license or EU identity card.

Please note that you will require a Student ID Card to access certain UCL buildings and, once issued, you must carry this at all times on campus.

Where do I collect my ID card?

Check to see where to collect your ID card from on the New Student ID Card Collection page.

I am a returning student and need a replacement ID card. Where can I get this from?

If you have lost your old ID card, or never collected one, you can book an appointment using the link in your confirmation of re-enrolment email. Once you have been re-enrolled you will also be given a link to the booking system on your Portico homepage.

When collecting your ID card, please ensure you bring your own form of ID e.g. passport, driving license or EU identity card.

I am a current student and my end date has been extended. Can I get a new ID card?

Your existing ID card should still work as usual, even if it doesn’t show your updated end date. We recommend you try out your current ID card when you return to campus.

If for any reason your card does not work, you will need to book an appointment to collect a replacement card using the link in your confirmation of re-enrolment email or via Portico once you are re-enrolled.