Luther King House, the home of the Partnership for Theological Education is approximately three miles south of the centre of Manchester.  There is a varied community at Luther King House.  A small number of participants are resident on the site or in the greater Manchester area, but most commute to Manchester for the days they need to be here to study.

A series of welcome events are held for new arrivals to give you the chance to meet others studying on your own course, or who are part of the other study communities here.

Accommodation

There are study bedrooms on site which are used (at a charge) by those studying on the midweek and weekend programmes. There are a small number of flats on site which may be used by those studying at LKH.  Flats are normally allocated in July on the basis of need.  There are usually three or four available each year.  If students are unsuccessful in obtaining one of these flats, then assistance (not financial) will be given in finding alternative accommodation.

What's on site?

People studying at the Partnership are able to use:

• A specialist library with extended opening hours
  
• Internet access in the library
  
• The small chapel where worship is held weekly during term time and where prayers take place on a daily basis
  
• A small games and TV room
  
• A small prayer room
  
• Laundry equipment for residents in the LKH flats
  
• Photocopying services (a charge is made)
  
• Bed and breakfast facilities (at a discounted cost).

• Access help and advice on public funding
  

What can Manchester offer?

While the facilities at LKH are geared to a small specialist institution there are a wealth of resources in Manchester:

• Access to the Manchester University Library and some careers advice facilities
• Sporting facilities, many built for the Commonwealth Games
• Specialist shops catering to the needs of the many overseas communities settled in Manchester.

You will find useful general information about Manchester at: www.manchesteronline.co.uk

Student Life

There are almost 200 students studying at Luther King House.  Many study on a part time basis and are spread across six different programmes so it is easy to gain the impression that we are smaller than we are.  Many of those studying here have had previous careers in other fields, so you will see an older that average student population if you join us here.  Although we are a small learning community we benefit with links to Manchester University and to other theological colleges.

The existing student body organises a some social events each year.  Friendship groups also develop and organise other activities.  For example, this year, a group will travel to the Greenbelt Festival and others travelled together to other Christian events.  We are only a short distance from the International Society which is an organisation which helps overseas students and their families engage with British society, as well as running a range of social activities.

International Students

International students are welcome at Luther King house.  Recently we have hosted two Chevening scholars and students financed via funding from the Council For World Mission as well as students who are self-financing.

Luther King House has been granted a UKBA Tier 4 licence to sponsor students studying with us.  When making an application you should send a photocopy or electronic scan of the details page of your passport which you should certify is a true copy of the original.

It is important that every student is able to read and write English well and that you can comply with UK Borders Agencies requirements for study.  Even when students come from countries where English is spoken, they may still need to provide evidence of proficiency in English, for example through successful completion of an English language GCSE or through an IELTS or TOEFL qualification.

It is unusual for LKH to recruit students to our undergraduate course from overseas since a placement where a student has an environment to explore and implement class-room learning is essential.  However, if your church has an international base then you may be able to identify a suitable placement early on in the application process.  Students without a receiving church in the UK will almost always be rejected.

At present, LKH only admits students in September, although there are plans to explore a January admission period for 2010-11.

Regretfully, there are very limited bursary funds and any students contemplating moving to the UK to study should ensure that they have sufficient finance to meet both their fees and their own living costs. The British Council is a UK Government funded body which has a wealth of information about studying in the UK:  http://www.britcoun.org/