Visa and immigration

If you are from the UK, European Union or the European Economic Area you shouldn’t need a visa.

If you are from another country we recommend you go online and check your entry position by visiting https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration.

Students requiring visa will fall under the following categories:

  • Child Visitor Visa: For under 18s coming to the UK to undertake a short course of study as part of a visit of up to 6 months.
  • Student Visitor Visa: For students aged 18 and over coming to the UK for up to 6 months who do not intend to work and/or extend their stay.
  • For students aged 18 and over coming to the UK for up to 6 months and who will not be studying for more than 30 days of their trip.

We will provide an official stamped and signed letter to you so you can use it to apply for your visa.

We will also provide you with a template of a parental letter of consent which needs to be signed by student’s parents to authorize the student traveling to the UK on their own to attend LITE Regal Summer School course.

Getting to Cambridge

London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead and Luton airports are connected to Cambridge by the National Express coach service with regular service running from Heathrow and Gatwick airports every hour. The cost of a ticket is £20 - £35 per journey. Coaches from Luton and Stanstead airports run every 2 hours. The cost of a ticket is £10 - £20 per journey. You can book your tickets online at: https://www.nationalexpress.com/.

The Eurostar trains arrive to London St Pancras International, from where there are fast trains to Cambridge departing almost every 15 - 20 minutes. The journey takes 45 minutes approx. For further information on tickets and train times please visit https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/.

If you are traveilling from London you can either take a fast train from St. Pancras station or alternatively you can chose the National Express coach service from various location in London.

Getting to London

From Heathrow Airport

The quickest way to get from Heathrow to central London is to use the Heathrow Express service, which runs every 15 minutes and arrives at London Paddington station. The journey takes 15 minutes. 

National Express runs frequent 24 hour services to various locations in central London. 

London Underground's Piccadilly Line provides the most cost-effective rail route between Heathrow and the capital. Journey time by Tube is under an hour and you shouldn't have to wait longer than ten minutes for a train, even off-peak.

From Gatwick Airport

There are lots of options for getting to London from Gatwick.

The Gatwick Express non-stop train service to Victoria station runs every 15 minutes with a journey time of 30 minutes.

National Express operates direct services to London Victoria once an hour with a journey time of 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the time of day. 

easyBus is a low-cost frequent airport transfer service non-stop from Gatwick to London with prices from £2. Buses depart every 15 minutes at peak times and run from 4am until 1am. easyBus operate services to/from both North and South terminals to Earls Court/West Brompton and London Victoria coach station in central London.

From Stansted Airport

National Express Stansted Airport provide a number of routes to and from London to the airport. The service has been improved to provide quick and comfortable travel to Stansted Airport with an average journey time of 1 hour 5 minutes, with fares costing as low as £8.

Stansted Express trains are the quickest and most direct routes between Stansted Airport and London. Services run every 15 minutes and tickets can be booked for as little as £8 one-way when buying in advance. Stansted Express stops at and departs from Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale stations, which provide access to the wider Network Rail network and the London Underground for onward connections.

From Luton Airport

Thameslink operates direct services from Luton Airport to central London stations – Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St Pancras International. Luton Airport terminal is a short bus transfer from Luton Airport Parkway train station. For further details please visit https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/airport-travel/luton/

National Express will get you from the airport to the centre of London in as little as 35 minutes*, with free Wi-Fi and plug sockets on selected coaches, leather seats and headrests, ample leg room and toilets on board.

You can also choose to travel between London Luton Airport and London Victoria with GreenLine 757, located at bay 7 outside the terminal building. 

easyBus offers a high frequency, low cost express bus service between Central London and London Luton Airport. easyBus services run between the Airport and London Victoria Coach Station (with a number of intermediate stops) and directly non-stop to London Liverpool Street rail station. 

Arrival and departure days

Arrival day is always a Sunday. The rooms will be available to students from 12 noon, however you are welcome to arrive at any time of the day. LITE Regal registration team will be available on the site throughout whole day to assist you with your registration and room allocation. If you are arriving early in the morning or very late in the evening please do let us know so that we can make sure that one of our staff will meet you when you arrive at the porter's lodge. 

Departure day is always a Saturday. You will be required to check-out from your room by 10am. If you are departing later in the day, you will be able to store your luggage in the college. 

Airport transfer service

We can arrange a taxi for you with our local and reliable chauffeur firm from any airport or arrival destination for an extra charge. The driver will have your name on a board and will meet you as soon as you reach arrivals. They will then chauffeur you directly to our campus.

For extra piece of mind, we can also arrange for one of our staff members to meet you and accompany you directly to the summer school (for an additional fee). Please ensure, when booking a Taxi Transfer, that you complete the booking form available from our downloads page with all of the required information. It is also essential to provide a mobile telephone number on which a student may be contacted on arrival and departure days.

Transfer Fees

Cambridge: Transfers are priced at GBP 160.00 for a one-way transfer, and GBP 320.00 for transfers on both arrival and departure days.

London: Transfers are priced at GBP 70.00 for a one-way transfer, and GBP 140.00 for transfers on both arrival and departure days.

To apply for airport transfer please click here.

Pre-departure checklist

  • My flight / train journey has been booked for travel to and from UK
  • I have completed and signed ‘parental Letter of Consent’ for my journey (if travelling unsupervised from outside the UK)
  • I have a transfer from my College arranged for departure day
  • I know the College at which I will be staying
  • I know how to contact the College
  • I have photocopied / scanned my passport, traveller’s cheques and other important documents
  • I have stored a copy of the above documents at home and have packed digital / printed copies to take with me
  • I have the relevant amount of pocket money
  • I have read the packing suggestions and packed accordingly
  • I have familiarised myself with the Travel Insurance cover
  • I have completed the Student Questionnaire
  • I have checked that any prescription medicines I have are licensed for use in the UK, and have discussed alternatives with my doctor if they are not
  • I have read and understand the Important Rules & Regulations of the programme
  • I understand the key Terms & Conditions of enrolment

Travel and medical insurance

We strongly recommend that you arrange your own travel and medical insurance before you join us. This should also cover you in case you need to cancel your place on the summer school at short notice.

Emergencies

Our accommodation has residential staff, so there is always someone on site 24 hours a day. During the summer school, we provide a 24 hour emergency phone number that students, family and friends may call. As well as getting contact details from parents/guardians, we ask students to provide another emergency contact as a precaution.

Pocket money

We recommend bringing a small amount of spending money (£10-15 per day) so that you can buy lunch and other things such as shopping. We not do recommend bringing large amounts of physical cash – there are plenty of banks and ATMs in London and Cambridge which we will show you.

What to pack

The general dress code at LITE Regal is casual. Students are encouraged to wear whatever they feel comfortable in, as long as it is practical and appropriate, i.e. no offensive T-shirts, nothing too revealing etc.

We have put together a list of clothing that we suggest students bring:

  • Sweat shirts
  • Underwear and socks
  • Sweat pants / tracksuit bottoms (athletic wear)
  • Waterproof jacket / coat
  • Jeans / trousers, t-shirts, sleepwear
  • Swimming suit, sneakers, sandals / flip-flops
  • Formal / smart clothing

All students should bring various smart outfits to wear to the: Theatre, the Disco, Graduation Party. For girls this could include smart trousers, a skirt and blouse, or a dress. For boys, smart trousers and a shirt are encouraged. A shirt and tie also make for a smart combination.

Other Items

  • Bath towels, toiletries
  • Hat / baseball cap, sunglasses, sun screen
  • Small backpack, suitable for day trips
  • Camera, iPod, MP3 player, speakers, musical instruments

Computers & WiFi

We recommend that students bring a laptop or portable device for classroom work and homework purposes. Students will have access to wifi in common areas of the residence and within the classrooms.

Use of medication

Basic medications are available to our students from nurses who are available throughout the day on our campuses.

If a student requires to visit the doctor, it will come with an extra cost. As students who are not resident in the UK for more than 6 months are not eligible for National Health Service (NHS) treatment and they will need to pay for medical treatment in UK. We strongly advise that students obtain full travel & medical insurance to cover their stay at Summer School.

Please state in your application form if you have any medical condition or are taking medication we need to be aware of.