Choosing a University or College

There are over 150 higher education providers to choose from in the UK.

You may have an idea about the type of institution you want to attend e.g. a traditional redbrick university, a newer university, campus based university or you may want to go to a local college.

Decide what’s most important to you and ask yourself:

• How good are the job prospects and the rate of graduate employment?
• What is the quality of teaching like?
• What are the study facilities like?
• What is the accommodation like? Does the university offer halls, what are the costs?
• Location – do you need a car? If so is there parking? What is local transport like?
• Do you like the environment?
• What opportunities are there to do work placements and which employers do they link with?
• What opportunities are there for part time jobs?
• Does the university or college have a good careers department?
• Are there opportunities to study abroad?
• Do you want to move away from home? If so, how far?
• Do you prefer a traditional or newer university?
• Do you prefer a campus university (accommodation and teaching facilities mainly on one site) or a non-campus university (accommodation and teaching facilities are located within a town or city)?
• How good are the social and sporting facilities?
• Does the university have a good reputation for the subject you are interested in?
• What student support is available? g. disability support, financial advice?
• What bursaries/scholarships does the university offer?

The best way to decide where to study is to make a shortlist of places to visit at an open day.  If you can’t manage to get to any or as many as you like you can do a virtual tour www.ucas.com/virtual-tours