Chinese applying for English language study in UK : Visa?

[Onion Wushu]

Hello everybody,

I'm writing to you on behalf of a chinese friend who is looking for some answers. She is planning to go to UK at the end of the year to learn English first, before entering in university. She's planning to spend one year learning English language in private school. Currently, she doesn't have IELTS or TOEFL. So she plans to get the test in UK after her year studying english.

Whereas it is a requirement to get IELTS or TOEFL to go to university in UK, is it the same for private school? I mean, for chinese people, are they able to go to this kind of private school and deal with the visa process without IELTS? Or is it in any case a requirement to get a certificate before leaving China to go to UK private school or university?

Any experiences or tips? Any chinese people who left China without IELTS to go to private school in UK first before entering university? The UK Tier 4 visa is the visa she needs that's right?

Thanks a lot

[Greenie]

looking here would be a good start

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... /studying/