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University
In this section “university” refers to university-level courses at universities, university colleges and other colleges. Together these courses are also known as “higher education”.
This section is split into five sub-sections:
University – the basics
Applying to university
University money matters
University-level study in Somerset and the South West
Useful university websites
University – the basics
Here are some basics about university and higher education. Talk to your Connexions personal adviser to learn more. Plan ahead - it’s never too early to find out as much as you can!
| |  | University-level courses build upon work done in colleges and sixth forms. This means you start this level of study around the age of eighteen. You can start later – at any age – if you prefer | | | | University-level courses last a minimum of two years but most last three years (with others taking four, five or even six years). Courses usually lead to a degree (BA, BSc, etc), a foundation degree or a Higher National Diploma | | | | There are thousands of courses all over the country. You can study close to home or far away. It’s not just universities that do university-level courses. You can study at hundreds of colleges including several in Somerset. Click here for Somerset Courses | | | | It’s possible to study from home without attending university in the normal way. The Open University - www.open.ac.uk/you - runs all sorts of courses. Alternatively you may be able to gain university-level qualifications through your job. This could be through day-release or a self-study package | | | | There are hundreds of subjects available (and many can be studied from scratch). Some involve in-depth academic study; others relate to specific career areas. You can study just one subject or several | | | | University is no longer reserved for a few people. The government would like around 50% of young people to undertake university-level study. If you are doing well at school it could be for you! | | | | Statistics show that people who go to university often earn more, do more responsible jobs and are less likely to be out-of-work. This means it’s a good career move for most people. There's plenty of stuff about careers after university at www.prospects.ac.uk and www.gradsouthwest.com | | | | Financial help is available. You’ll be allowed to take out a loan to cover some of your living costs and, depending on your family’s income, you may be entitled to various grants and bursaries. Click here for more information |
Remember you can discover loads more from websites, prospectuses and books and by attending university and college events, tasters and open days.
Applying to university
This section gives you an outline of how to apply to university. More at www.ucas.com, Your Connexions personal adviser can give you plenty of advice and help you through the whole process.
| | | Just about every university-level course in the country – over 50,000 at hundreds of universities and colleges – is included in the application system known as UCAS | | | | UCAS allows you to make your application in one go. Most applications are now made online at www.ucas.com. You need to select your courses, give details of yourself, write a personal statement and get a teacher to give you a reference | | | | For entry in September 2008 and beyond you’ll be able to apply for a maximum of five courses through UCAS. For medicine, veterinary and dentistry you can apply for no more than four courses (although you can use remaining choices for something else) | | | | It’s a straightforward system but you need to be well-prepared and produce a good quality application. Many universities make decisions mainly – or even entirely - on the basis of the application form | | | | Universities can offer you a place without interviewing you: sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t | | | | If you apply when still at school or college you are likely to be made conditional offers. This means you'll be set target grades in your forthcoming exams (eg BBB, 300 points or whatever) | | | | If you apply after you've left school or college (with all your exams in the bag) you could be made unconditional offers. This means you won't need to add to your exam passes | | | | Applications are normally made between the September and January before you wish to start university. Later applications are accepted but it’s recommended you apply on time. Applications for Oxford, Cambridge, veterinary, medicine and dentistry must be made between September and mid-October | | | | If you are planning a year out before university you can ask for deferred entry which involves your place being held back for a year | | | | Universities usually make their decisions between October and May. This means you should know where you stand by the time you take your college or sixth form exams in June. If you are unsuccessful in getting places you have another chance before your exams (through UCAS Extra) or when you get your results (through clearing) | | | | Slightly different rules apply for art and design courses with some applications being made between January and March. | | | | If you don’t get a place you can always re-apply in the future. There is no age limit on when you can go to university and many people go as mature students later in life |
University money matters
This information covers full-time degrees, foundation degrees and HNDs at colleges and universities in England. Some general starting points:
| | | Student loans are the same for English students whether they study in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. | | | | For English students the fees system is broadly the same in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (but is different in Scotland). Within England universities and colleges can charge differing amounts but cannot exceed an agreed maximum. | | | | Government grants - together with bursaries from universities and colleges - are available to many students. Recent rule changes mean there is extra money for more people than before. | | | | Each English university or college can give out extra money as it likes. This differs between places and depends on your financial circumstances | | | | There is a separate system is for nursing diplomas, nursing degrees and degrees in certain health subjects (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, radiography and others). For these you don’t pay fees and you’re likely to receive a grant (known as a NHS bursary) to cover some of your living, travel and equipment costs. See www.nhsstudentgrants.co.uk | | | | Separate arrangements also exist for social work courses - see www.ppa.org.uk/swb | | | | Funding rules are different for part-time university courses. See www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance |
Grants (and money given out)
| | | Many students are given money – known as grants or bursaries - that they don’t need to pay back. This can go towards fees, rent, travel, books or whatever you choose. Whether you receive anything usually depends on your household (family) income. | | | | Anyone starting university in 2009, with an annual family income under £25,000, will receive at least £3,225 each year. This is made up of a government grant (£2,906) and a bursary (£319) from your college or university. If your annual household income is somewhere between £25,000 and £50,000 you’ll still receive some of this money (but it gets less the more your family earns). Over £50,000 and you won’t be entitled to this type of support. | | | | On top of this there may be more money available from each college or university depending on your family income. The amounts - and stipulations - vary between places. For more go to www.ucas.com/students/studentfinance or http://bursarymap.direct.gov.uk | | | | Universities can also award scholarships and bursaries irrespective of your household income. These could be given for certain subjects, to students of outstanding ability and for all sorts of other reasons. Look at university websites, the UCAS site and prospectuses to see what might available | | | | Extra help is available for students with disabilities. The Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) can help with equipment, care and other costs. Special arrangements also exist for students who have been in care. |
Fees
| | | Fees cover the cost of your teaching. They don’t include things like rent, food, books and travel | | | | You don’t have to pay your fees until you’ve finished studying (unless you decide otherwise) | | | | Your fees bill is added to your loans bill (if any) and you only start paying everything back once you earn a certain wage | | | | During the 2009/2010 academic year your fees bill could be up to £3,225. The actual amount will depend on the course and the university or college you attend (some will charge less than others) |
Loans
| | | Student loans are designed to cover rent, food, travel, books, spending money and other things you need at university | | | | For the 2008/2009 academic year you may be able to borrow up to £6,928 a year if you are studying in London; up to £3,838 if you are living at home all the time; up to £4,950 if you’re away from home anywhere other than London
| | | | Loans will be slightly less for the final year of your course. The amount you can borrow may be reduced if your household income is over a certain level | | | | The amount you can borrow may also be reduced if you are receiving a government grant or university bursary | | | | You don’t have to take out a loan. Nor do you have to borrow the full amount in any year | | | | Like fees, you start repaying your loan after finishing university (but only when you start earning a certain amount) |
Extra Living Expenses
| | | It’s unlikely your loan - and any grants and bursaries - will meet all of your living expenses. Many estimates suggest it’ll only cover 60-70% of what you really need | | | | This means you might need another £2-3,000 each year from other sources (including part-time jobs and other borrowing). Make sure you take account of this | | | | Careful budgeting will make your money go further. See www.studentmoney.org for tips about this |
Paying it back afterwards
| | | When you’ve finished your course you’ll need to start paying your fees and paying back your loan. As an example you might have borrowed around £3,500 each year with another £3,000 each year for fees | | | | The actual amount may be higher or lower depending on whether you’ve studied in London, your circumstances, the length of your course, the fees you’ve been charged and how much you’ve borrowed | | | | You only start paying back when you earn a certain amount (at the moment this is £15,000 per year) | | | | The amount you are charged for your loan is much less than you’d pay to a bank or building society (this makes it cheaper than normal) | | | | You’ll be given a long time to repay the money and – normally – it’ll be taken straight out of your pay with tax, national insurance, pension and other deductions | | | | At some stage you could decide to take a "repayment holiday" when you could choose not to make repayments for up to five years. However you'd still have to make these repayments eventually! This rule only applies to students finishing higher education in 2011 or afterwards | | | | The amount you pay back each year = (your salary minus £15,000) x 9%. This means around £8.65 a week if you earn £20,000 per year; £25.96 a week if you earn £30,000; £43.27 per week if your annual salary is £40,000 |
Applying for financial support
| | | For courses starting in 2009 you'll be able to apply for student finance from February 2009 onwards | | | | This will be through a new service called Student Finance England www.studentfinanceengland.co.uk | | | | The application decides if you are entitled to a government grant. It also calculates the maximum amount of loan you may be able to borrow (and gives you the chance to start your loan application) | | | | Your application also ensures that your fees will be no more than the maximum in any one year (if you fail to apply your bill could be bigger!) | | | | The process should also trigger applications for grants and bursaries given out by individual universities and colleges (but you may need to contact them to make sure) | | | | College and sixth form students receiving EMA are given advance notification of how much they would receive at university. This is through the HE Student Support Guarantee |
Finding out more
| | | Talk to your school, college or Connexions PA | | | | Ring Student Finance England on 08456 077577 | | | | Visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance |
University-level study in Somerset and the South West
University-level study in Somerset, Higher Education in the South West
University-level study in SOMERSET
Even though Somerset doesn’t have a university it is possible to do university-level study in the county. You can do this full-time or part-time; when you are 18 or later in life.
This section gives you information about each college and provider. You’ll find more at the Somerset Colleges’ website: www.thinklearning.co.uk
Bournemouth University (Nursing) www.bournemouth.ac.uk/hsc
Bournemouth runs nursing degrees and diplomas at Yeovil College in partnership with local hospitals. Similar courses also run in Dorset and Hampshire.
Bridgwater College www.bridgwater.ac.uk
Bridgwater has around 300 students on full-time university-level courses (plus more studying part-time). Subjects include sport, humanities, computing, music technology, business, early childhood studies, agriculture, horticulture and animal science. Courses are run in partnership with Bath Spa, Bournemouth, Oxford Brookes and Plymouth universities.
Open University www.open.ac.uk/you
Around 1500-2000 Somerset people do Open University courses at any one time. Courses lead to a wide variety of certificate, diploma, degree and post-qualification awards. Depending on the programme, seminars and tutorials may be held in Taunton, Yeovil or just outside the county in Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Weston-super-Mare, etc.
University of Plymouth (Nursing) www.plymouth.ac.uk/healtheducation
Plymouth offers diploma and degree level nursing on four sites in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. The Somerset campus, based at SCAT in Taunton, runs diploma-level training courses in adult and mental health nursing.
Richard Huish College www.richuish.ac.uk
Richard Huish runs part-time and work-based business, legal and accounting courses for several hundred students. These lead to a variety of professional and university-level qualifications run in partnership with professional bodies (CIMA, AAT, ACCA, etc) and the University of the West of England, Bristol.
Somerset College of Arts and Technology www.somerset.ac.uk
SCAT has over 600 students on full-time university-level courses (with others studying part-time). Many courses are run in partnership with the University of Plymouth. Subjects include fashion design, textile design, graphic design, media make-up, health and social care, business, early childhood studies, computing and the built environment.
Strode College www.strode-college.ac.uk
Strode College runs full-time and part-time university-level courses in subjects such as combined studies (in conjunction with Bath Spa University), computing and public services.
Yeovil College www.ucy.ac.uk
Yeovil has around 700 university-level students, many studying part-time. Full-time courses cover subjects such as theatre, graphics and packaging, sport, English and history, business and computing & internet technology. Courses are run in partnership with Bournemouth and Exeter universities.
Higher Education in the SOUTH WEST
This section looks at major HE providers in the counties surrounding Somerset. Additionally most FE colleges in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire do some university-level work.
Slightly further away there are large HE institutions at places like Cardiff, Newport, Oxford, Pontypridd, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Winchester and Worcester.
University of Bath www.bath.ac.uk
Bath has 8,000 full-time undergraduate students, many of whom are doing engineering, management and science courses. The university, located on a hillside to the east of the city, is known for its sporting facilities and the strong vocational focus of its courses. Bath also works with nearby colleges in delivering programmes and is involved in developing a new campus in Swindon.
Bath Spa University www.bathspa.ac.uk
Bath Spa has 3000 full-time undergraduates studying a wide range of subjects including fine art, design, education, dance & drama, geographic information systems, food, health, humanities and social sciences. It has two main campuses at Newton Park (in the countryside to the west of the city) and at Sion Hill (art and design) in the city centre.
Bournemouth University www.bournemouth.ac.uk
Bournemouth has over 8,000 students on full-time undergraduate programmes. It has a strong career focus with many students doing sandwich courses. Subjects include accounting, business, public relations, tourism, health, electronics, environmental management, media and communications, visualisation and animation, fashion and textiles, television production and law. Some courses are run in partnership with colleges in Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset.
The Arts Institute at Bournemouth www.aib.ac.uk
The Arts Institute, located next to Bournemouth University, has around a thousand students on university-level courses. Subjects include arts and event production, film and animation, screen and stage costume, photography, model making, garden design, illustration, 3D design and fashion.
University of Bristol www.bris.ac.uk
Bristol has over 10,000 full-time undergraduates. Chiefly based in the Clifton area of the city, it has strong research interests and - at undergraduate level - offers a diverse range of courses in arts, humanities, foreign languages, science, engineering, social sciences and law. It is also the region's provider of dentistry and veterinary education as well as home to one of the South West's two medical schools.
University of the West of England, Bristol www.uwe.ac.uk
UWE has around 15,000 full-time undergraduates. Most study at the main Frenchay campus with smaller numbers at Bower Ashton (art and design), elsewhere in the city and at Hartpury, Gloucestershire (animal, agriculture and sport courses). Other subject areas include accounting, architecture, building and planning, business, computing, education, health, social sciences, engineering, environmental studies, humanities, applied science, law and nursing.
Dartington College of Arts - now part of University College Falmouth www.falmouth.ac.uk
Dartington - located in the countryside just outside Totnes in Devon - provides degree-level education in performing arts and related disciplines. It has around 500 undergraduates. Subjects include music, writing, scripted media, choreography, fine art, theatre, digital arts, sound practices, visual arts practices, cultural management and cultural entrepreneurship. The college has mergeed with University College Falmouth and all courses will move to Cornwall in 2010.
University of Exeter www.exeter.ac.uk
Around 8000 students are enrolled on undergraduate programmes at Exeter. The university offers a wide range of arts, social sciences, classical studies, languages, law, engineering, mathematics, sport, computing and science courses. The main campus is located close to the city with other students attending a new site in Cornwall.
University College Falmouth www.falmouth.ac.uk
Falmouth has 2,000 students on undergraduate courses and will grow as it links to the Combined Universities in Cornwall project. It specialises in media and design education and runs courses in broadcasting, English, media, film, history of art and design, journalism, fine art, garden design, photography, illustration, textile design, interior & landscape design and design for sustainability.
University of Gloucestershire www.glos.ac.uk
Gloucestershire, located on various sites in Cheltenham and Gloucester, has 5,000 students on undergraduate courses. Subjects include business, landscape architecture, marketing, multimedia, advertising, fine art, graphic design, photography, leisure, teacher training, sport and exercise sciences, tourism and environmental policy.
University College Plymouth Marjon www.marjon.ac.uk
UCP Marjon, on the outskirts of Plymouth, has just over 2,000 studying for undergraduate degrees. Around half follow teacher training programmes. Other subjects include art and design, community studies, drama, English, geography, history, information technology, media, public relations, leisure and tourism, sports, sustainable development, speech and language therapy and theology.
Peninsula Medical School www.pms.ac.uk
Peninsula Medical School is one of several new UK medical schools. It is run jointly by the universities of Exeter and Plymouth together with the NHS in Devon and Cornwall. Students opt to begin their studies in either Exeter or Plymouth. The school also runs postgraduate medical courses and is set to expand its portfolio of courses in coming years.
University of Plymouth www.plymouth.ac.uk
Plymouth currently has sites in Plymouth, Exeter and Exmouth but will soon focus on its main site in Plymouth (as well as running courses at colleges throughout Cornwall, Devon and Somerset). The university's 17,000 undergraduate students study subjects as diverse as architecture, law, business, teaching, humanities, social sciences, civil engineering, computing, health care, art & design, agriculture, environmental studies and marine studies.
Royal Agricultural College www.royagcol.ac.uk
The Royal Agricultural College - based at Cirencester in Gloucestershire - has around 400 undergraduates. Subjects include agriculture (with animal management, crop production, land management and organic farming specialisations), business (including agri-food), farm mechanisation, horticulture (amenity and crop management), equine studies, property agency and rural land management.
Useful university websites
General stuff
www.direct.gov.uk/uni - government site covering all things HE
www.uni4me.co.uk - tells you what uni is all about
www.gr8choice.org - a SW England angle on HE
A-Z of courses
www.ucas.com - lists all full-time courses in the UK
What to study?
www.ucas.com/students/beforeyouapply/whattostudy/stamfordtest - Q & A Stamford Test for subject ideas
www.ukcoursefinder.co.uk - may help you find the ideal course
Where to study?
www.hero.ac.uk - maps and links to University sites
www.push.co.uk - for a slightly alternative view of where to go
Open days
www.opendays.com - details of open days
University rankings & quality guides
www.unistats.com – official UCAS-backed site giving information about degree results, career outcomes and how students feel about their courses
http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2009 - unofficial league tables
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/- more unofficial league tables
www.qaa.ac.uk/students - student-friendly information about quality standards
Money matters
www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance - official info about finance
www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk - all the basics plus online application forms (2008 entry)
www.studentfinanceengland.co.uk - all the basics plus online application forms (2009 entry)
www.ucas.com/students/studentfinance - includes scholarships and bursaries awarded by each university
www.studentmoney.org - includes advice about budgeting, repayments and scholarships
www.nhsstudentgrants.co.uk - finance basics for health courses
Gap year
www.yearoutgroup.org - all the main year out organisations
www.gap-year.com - run down on the options and lots of links
Study abroad
http://univ.cc -links to over 7000 universities in 175 countries
www.fulbright.co.uk - the run down on study in the USA
www.erasmus.ac.uk - exchange programmes at European unis
www.studyoptions.com – study in Australia or New Zealand
www.aucc.ca - studying in Canada
Uni-level study in Somerset
www.thinklearning.co.uk - uni-level study at Somerset colleges
After university
www.prospects.ac.uk - information about careers and further study
www.gradsouthwest.com - jobs in the South West after uni
www.bestvaluehe.org.uk - discover what happens to students afterwards
Student life
www.nus.org.uk - advice from the National Union of Students
Students with disabilities
www.skill.org.uk - National Bureau for Students with Disabilities
YOUR WAY FORWARD: an essential booklet for college and sixth form students
Covers topics such as applying to university, student finance, work and study abroad, taking a gap year and employment. Copies usually available from your local Connexions centre or your school or college. Follow this link to request a copy.
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