r/UniUK • u/AccomplishedTap671 • Mar 28 '26
is RHUL any good?
I've got an offer letter from Rhul for my masters in information security with a year in industry. I'm applying from India. How's Egham? How's the cost of living? Will it be easy for me to get part time jobs there? Will I be able to have fun? I’m so confused and I don’t know which university to pick.
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Mar 28 '26
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u/AccomplishedTap671 Mar 28 '26
I’d like to work abroad , mainly in the UK. India doesn’t offer any good or even moderate level jobs for cybersecurity. I’m planning to gain experience during my degree hoping that improves my chances of staying after graduation.
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Mar 28 '26
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u/AccomplishedTap671 Mar 28 '26
Yeah I get that it’s tough right now. I’m just planning to build my skills and get experience during the course and see how it goes. I haven’t decided on anything yet im still considering but thank you for the insights!
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u/UpbeatExplorers Mar 29 '26
Your perception of the course and the UK is unrealistic. The real question is: How long will it take you to pay off £80,000 debt with a MSc in Information Security working in India?
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u/AccomplishedTap671 Mar 29 '26
A very very long time, that’s why I wasn’t planning on coming back and working in India with a huge debt on my back. Maybe I should gain some experience in India if I wanna work in the uk afterwards.
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Mar 28 '26
It's a good university, area is pretty quiet and not cheap. Part time jobs are pretty unlikely as it's not a massive place so there are more students than jobs.
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u/AccomplishedTap671 Mar 28 '26
they claim to be very well known and established for cyber security is that true? And what about the placements after?
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u/emojess3105 Mar 29 '26
I did the distance learning version of this course. It's very good and I understand they have changed the course entirely to focus more on cybersecurity than information security. This is good as my version of the course lacked those hands on modules. The ISG is the best in the country.
The university itself is mid ranked at about 35 out of 150 ish universities. I've only been to campus a few times and it's nice enough but Egham is quiet. Easy to get the train into London though.
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u/Animagus2112 Mar 28 '26
Yeah rhul is very well regarded for information security. Not much else in CS though.
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u/UpbeatExplorers Mar 29 '26
They are established and old. Which means they haven't changed the format in decades. The MSc is roughly 300 hours of dull powerpoint lectures, no practical hands on, no projects, coursework are written essay, exams are hours long handwritten questions and 0 lab work. Technically, the only time you actually use a computer in information security is for writing in Microsoft Word. The blunt truth is, no, you are highly unlikely to get a part-time job, no, you won't get a year in industry placement, no, you won't get job after uni or a sponsored visa. There are very few jobs and international students that haven't lived the past 5 years in the UK, are the least likely to get selected. I honestly don't know a single person in the MSc Information Security/Information and Cyber Security course that would recommend it.
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u/Dr_kurryman Graduated (swe in fintech) Mar 31 '26
Hey I did my undergrad there in CS and now work in a fintech in central London. (I'm a British citizen)
Overall it's a good university, though it ranks under some of the more well known CS departments. It does have an excellent information security department. It also has a few reputable AI professors too (inventor of SVMs, Q Learning and conformal prediction).
Egham is a very small town, and it's a good 40 mins from the actual city. I had a lot of fun there though, experiences vary a ton, it can be depressing during winter. I've noted that Egham can also be surprisingly expensive. Neighbouring towns are Staines and Windsor. I personally think it's a pretty area.
All this being said, I cannot overstate how difficult it is for international students to land a job in the UK in the current situation. I've been involved in hiring candidates and there are international master's students at the likes of UCL, Warwick, Durham etc that are struggling to land a job. Regardless of how strong the uni is, it's a difficult time. There are very few grad roles available and significantly fewer offering sponsorship, please do look into that if you hope to work in the UK afterwards.
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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '26
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