Reviewed on May 1, 2025(Enrolled 2023)
What Students Say
Likes
- University of Liverpool (UoL) is part of Russel Group
- Many activities and communities like Guild encourages student engagement and collaboration.
- UoL offers good scholarships and I have received 2 scholarships of a total of £5000 worth.
Dislikes
- Professors were not experts in certain modules and do not encourage us to think out of the box or do complicated projects and strictly ask us to stay within the taught items and basics.
- To a course like this where the entry requirement tells that the student should already have an undergraduate in computer science specifically is also designed for students from basic psychology departments and so the course structure is made very basic without less application or AI level hands-on. Even for dissertation they do not allow us to think of a more complex models as the supervisors are from English background or politics.
- This course has to set an idea initially that it is theoretical and you won’t get proper hand on.
Course Curriculum
6
- Difficulty level was intermediate. The course was 80% theoretical and 20% practical.
- Most positive aspect is the basic understanding and especially how AI is shaped in the media field with some exposure to AI-powered chatbots. Database module assignments were outstanding and the data visualization aspects that were learned along with some theoretical exposure to LLMs were outstanding. The course helps you to write research papers and your reading and browsing aspects improve.
- Negative aspects include that the curriculum should be made more technical and hands-on, professors should allow students to go above and beyond what is taught based on their interests and not be restricted to staying within the curriculum.
Admission Experience
- I applied to the University of Liverpool and Royal Holloway, University of London.
- I applied to only 2 colleges and got approval for both of them and I haven’t faced any rejections from those applications. I had only confirmed the application with the University of Liverpool, as that was where I was aiming for and got it. From my experience, the application is a smooth process and is not complicated if applied through agencies.
- Firstly, the university is part of the Russell group and is well ranked. Secondly, my husband was living there and Liverpool is a really cool and affordable place to live. Thirdly, the pre-consumption is that studying for a master's in data science at a renowned University from the UK and the certificate has international acceptance, unlike Canadian universities.
I applied via an agency. You need to provide the following documents regarding your academic certificates, you can include IELTS score (which will enhance your application), based on my Uni, your passport and the employment confirmation from your previous company if you are experienced. Basically, the aim is to check your background and eligibility for the course and if the applicant is eligible for scholarships. If you are accepted, you will get an unconditional offer letter and then you apply for your UK visa and once you get confirmation then you can update them where in you will be asked to pay either completely or a percentage of the total amount as first instalment and then you will receive a CAS statement, which marks the complete onboarding process. - For a master's in Data science and communication, you should be an undergraduate in Computer Science. IELTS is not a must but was preferred to speed up or prioritise of your application and as I remember should have a minimum of 6 in all the 3 categories reading, writing and listening, and 6.5 for speaking and an overall of 6.5 is what I remember.
Overall experience was smooth. However, there was a visa interview on your passion for this course and course materials and they ask about the modules and interests and they tested how likely we would come back to India after the course. - I applied for the September intake. The admission process nearly took 4-5 months. Application was submitted around April mid and I got the unconditional offer letter around June and then applying for the visa took around a month and then it took another 1 month for the CAS statement to arrive. I don’t remember the exact dates however, the process took around 4-5 months.
Faculty
6
- 6:17, which is a pretty good amount of faculties considering the students' number.
- I would prefer a faculty that encourages us to do more Hands-on and even a session designed to discuss the UK job market and do’s and don’ts. For example, structuring your resume, how to build LinkedIn connections, etc., and also placement support should have helped.
- I think the computer science department faculty is good, as I had optional modules with those departments; their curriculum is good and allows the students to go above and beyond the taught curriculum.
Campus Life
8
- One campus across different areas. According to my knowledge, there are 3 campuses: North, Central and South. Central campus is the one our courses were mostly on, which is near the Metropolitan Cathedral. North campus is located near NHS hospital. South campus was where our faculty of our course were located, mostly for the social science and humanities faculties.
- 2 libraries are there which are fully furnished and allow students to sit there for hours and learn with a good collection of research papers and books and online websites and chats. I have not had a chance to check the medical services they provide; however, the campus encourages basketball and team-related activities and drinks with Pizza mostly initiated by Guild or department.
- Campus has different communities, like livUni Hindu societies or home-country-based cultural events like Holi, Navrathri, Diwali etc. The decorations throughout the Christmas are outstanding.
- The extracurricular activities I have already said.
Part Time Jobs
- On campus you receive emails of any research or internships you can be part of. 2 students out of 17 got into internships in my batch.
- 20 hours per week if you are student during term period and 40 hours during non term period (e.g., springtime)
- I believe it is difficult, as I haven’t heard of many students securing campus jobs.
- Most of the part-time wage is the base pay in the UK. In Sept 2023, it was £10.50 and then in April 2024, it was £11.44. An estimated average would be the base pay itself. If you are persistent, time your application, and are willing to work under any circumstances, then the chance of getting part-time work is around 90%.
- Generally, the procedure is to form a resume involving your previous volunteering or part-time experience; you can also include dummy experience and convince them. Through platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, TotalJobs, etc you can upload and apply for jobs in your job location. If applying for professional jobs, include your professional work experience truthfully and apply through these sites, preferably LinkedIn. Rejections are a part of daily life; however, the initial motivation is to realise you are not alone and it’s just a part-time thing and not your life. If there is a will, there will surely be a way. Be motivated and focus more on your academics and consider part-time secondary.
Placement
2
- The percentage, according to my knowledge and experience, is less than 10%. Employers, although they look into your education (or some of them would require a master's degree or equivalent specification), consider your experience the prime aspect.
- I believe it depends on the level of the job. If it is entry-level, then £30,000-45,000 per annum. If experienced, then £40,000 - £55,000 would be on average.
- Unfortunately, no campus recruitments are there in UK universities. LinkedIn connections, referral systems, and a catchy CV with a tailored skill set based on job descriptions, Sites like indeed and totaljobs could help. LinkedIn is the major platform, constantly updating via posts and learnings, and certifications, and keeping it active through a premium account might help. Dedication and persistence without losing hope is the key aspect. Referrals improve your CV to get notified by recruiters/hiring managers 50% of the time, whereas otherwise it is just 3%.
- I haven’t heard of any batchmates of mine getting placed. However, some of the data science and AI students got placed in a few companies; I can’t recollect the names now.
- The job descriptions like Graduate data analyst normally have the keyword graduate associated with the job role. Companies I have seen are Amadeus, Accenture, GWI, PWC etc.
Accommodation
Off Campus
6
- I stayed with my husband and so I didn’t use University accommodations. We found it using open rent or Zoopla apps.
- £650 per month excluding utility and electricity bills. Double bedroom, Open kitchen, One Bathroom not attached to bedroom. It was an apartment in Kensington area in Liverpool.
- Basically, most of the houses prefer residents of UK to international ones. The owners accept offers from them more than they do for us. This completely depends on the owners and their perspectives and the bond they define for that property.
Exams
- IELTS was not a requirement but acted to prioritize your application amongst others. No other exams were required other than the eligibility criteria specified for each course.
- Academic qualifications of 10th, 12th and B.Tech degrees with results of every semester and final certificate. You need an employer statement regarding your employment status; LOR is a must, Statement of Purpose is optional but it is always good to keep on hand, which might help in the application if added.
- The interview was not from the University end but it was a tie-up with the Visa and the purpose to study and a confirmation to return back to the home country. The interview process will ask about your passion about taking this course, your journey, the modules in the course and its description.
Fees
- For a master's in data science and communication, the tuition fee was £21,400 in Sept 2023-Sept 2024 (1 year full program). You should also show an extra £10,000 as a UK living fee in your bank account. If you are paying 40% before you reach college, then the rest of the fee will be asked to be paid on Jan 2024. Finally, the entire monthly expenditure comes around to £1200, in which £1000 is for rent and utility bills and £200 is for transportation, food and other expenses if you are renting a house like I did. However, if it is student accommodation, I think your entire monthly budget will fall under £700.
Scholarship
- Yes, I did receive 2 scholarships: the PGT Vice-Chancellor’s International Attainment Scholarship and the University of Liverpool’s Commonwealth Postgraduate Bursary.
- The scholarships had a total worth of £5000
- Yes, some of my batchmates have received one of these scholarships but very few had both of these.
- I am not aware of the number of students who receive this each year.
