In 2016, a record 535,200 pupils gained a place at a UK University. For those looking to apply this year, Manning’s has put together a comprehensive guide to selecting the right University for you.

How to choose my University

There are a number of factors that are going to come into play when choosing the University you wish to spend the next 3+ years of your life. Be sure not to rush this process; carefully consider the following

1. Which course do I want to study?

If you’re lucky enough to already know what you want to study, GREAT! For those that haven’t decided yet, do not worry! It’s an open secret that most teenagers – and many adults – have, at best, a vague idea what they’d like to do with their lives, and many have no clue at all. Fortunately, there are some great tools out there to help inspire your decision.

A great starting point if you fall into the ‘vague idea’ category is this Buzz Quiz, which analyses your personality, and proposes suitable careers for you.

Alternatively BestCourse4me allows you to enter the A Levels you’re studying and to see popular degrees taken by those studying similar subjects.  You can then explore career options and lifetime earnings potential based on completing those degrees.

If you have a general idea of the subject areas you attend to apply for then Student Hut offer a quiz to help you narrow down your options. However, the results are given in alphabetical order, so be careful to explore all options and not just plum for Aberdeen and Aberystwyth.

       2. What are the entry requirements?

For each University course, the UCAS website includes entry requirements. These may either be given as grades (e.g. AAB) or as a ‘Tariff’ – essentially a score that represents all of your A level / AS grades.

If you’ve got a solid indication of which grades you’ll achieve, you can calculate your tariff here. It’s worth noting that the Tariff changed in 2017, so don’t be alarmed if your points look a lot lower than the scores you’ve been hearing!  

       3. Where do I want to live?

For some students, the prospect of leaving for University can be a daunting one, and they’ll choose to stay as close as possible to their family home, creature comforts and mum and dad laundry service!  For others, getting as far away from home as possible is the number one reason for attending uni in the first place!  

Whether you choose to study near or far, there’s also the difference between Campus and City based Universities to take into account – would you rather study in an self contained University campus, with all your needs met on site, or spend your uni years in an institution firmly embedded in the culture of its home city?

Open Days are the best way to get a real feel for your University, the journey back home, and the city it’s located in. The Complete University Guide has a list of all open days, and will allow you to book online.  Manning’s Tutors would recommend attending around 4-5 open days, and certainly that of your first choice.

       4. What can I afford?

Okay, bit of a red herring here, as almost all Universities are charging the maximum tuition fees of £9,250 annually. However, there are other factors to take into account. For example, cost of living (rent / food / clothes etc.) or the pay scale of part-time work can vary greatly in the UK. Despite being aimed at expats, this website can help you compare. Don’t forget, if you choose to live further away, then include the costs of visits home to see your family and remember, peak times such as Christmas/summer are going to be more expensive!

       5. Which ranking factors matter most to me?

Universities are judged and ranked on a huge range of factors (facilities/research/teaching), so it’s up to you to decide what matters most to you. The following tables allow you to make different comparisons:

The Complete University Guide allows you to rank by entry requirements (on the old tariff), student satisfaction, research quality and graduate prospects.

The Guardian – also details spending per pupil, staff to pupil ratio and value added score (a measure of final degree results compared with entry requirements).

Finally the Times Higher Education publish a world rankings list, if global esteem is more your thing.

Happy Hunting!