If you're thinking of going to university it's really important that you research all the courses and universities that are available to you before you make a definite choice about what you want to do.
Think about making a note of any open days and spend some time looking around each campus if you can.
If you fancy staying closer to home there are lots of good universities available in the Manchester and Liverpool region.
If you aren’t sure whether university is the right next step, there are other options that you may not have thought of, such as school leaver programmes, higher apprenticeships or sponsored degree programmes. For more advice and information you can visit:
University application process
The way to apply for university is through UCAS. They will ask you to write and upload a personal statement so that they can send this out to all the universities that you apply for. You can apply for up to 5 universities at once.
The deadline for uploading your personal statement and completing the application is usually the 15th January.
If you are applying with college, they set their deadlines a lot earlier so that your tutors have time to gather your references. If you are applying independently, don’t forget that you need references from previous tutors.
Note: If you fancy a year out from education (to travel or to save up some money), UCAS will allow you to apply for university this year if you want to, but to defer your start date for one year.
Money
Have you already applied and don’t know what to do about student finance? Worried how you are going to cover your tuition fees or maintenance fees?
Student Finance supports and guides you through the process of applying for loans and grants that may be available to you. Everybody is entitled to the tuition fee loan that is available, however maintenance loans are only given to certain individuals based on your family income and whether you are living away at university or at home.
Student Finance will let you know what loans and grants are available to you once you have completed the online assessment.
Important: Don’t do the Student Finance application alone, get parents, carers, family or a friend who has been to college to do with it you, to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
There are lots of websites available to help you make your money go further when you get to university or when you get your first job.
Disability support in universities
Universities must make provision for students with disabilities. Support provided can include:
- Accommodation adapted for the needs of students with disabilities
- Professional care staff
- Help from volunteers.
Each university should publish a 'disability statement' setting out how it provides support. You can ask to see a copy of this statement and explore their website for further details on what they offer.
Support for care leavers
If you’re a young care leaver you can find out more about the support available for you to help you with starting sixth form college, university, training or finding a job.