Visit universities and see for yourself This will be one of the most important steps in your decision making process. Go to Open Days, take the opportunity to speak to lecturers and staff and connect with current students and ask them about their experience at the university you are considering. Explore the buildings and imagine yourself there, can you see yourself living and studying there? Make sure you take a checklist of questions and you think about what you want to get out of the day beforehand so that you make the most of the experience.
Campus university or city life? Universities come in all shapes and sizes and it’ s important to consider where you would feel most comfortable. Campus universities tend to be contained to one particular area, with student housing, shops and health care facilities all available on-site. They can vary in size so do some research into how many students are studying and living there at any one time. As well as campus universities, there are also those that are more city based which means that buildings and facilities are spread across a larger geographical area. This can also be appealing if you like the excitement of travelling around a larger city and experiencing life outside of the university itself. Again, this is something that is entirely dependent on you and might only become clear once you have attended a number of open days at universities that are located in diverse settings.
For more information refer to these websites: UCAS Finance and Support: https:// www. ucas. com / money-and-student-life / money / student-finance / student-finance-in-england
The Complete University Guide: https:// www. thecompleteuniversityguide. co. uk /
Student Finance England: https:// www. gov. uk / browse / education / studentfinance
COST
To attend University in the UK you will need to apply for student finance for your tuition fee loan and maintenance loan.
• Tuition Fee Loan – This loan covers your university fees and is paid directly to your university. There is no upfront cost you need to pay.
• Maintenance Loan – This loan is to help cover your living costs like accommodation, food, books and travel. The amount you receive is dependent on the location of where you choose to study and your household income.
You will need to apply for student finance through, the new student finance system. The new system is called your Lifelong Learning Entitlement( LLE). It replaces previous higher education and some further education funding. All courses that qualify for funding will be worth a certain number of credits. For example, a year of studying a bachelor’ s degree full time is usually worth 120 credits and will be a £ 9,790 tuition fee per year( for 2027). You can apply for Tuition Fee Loans up to a total amount of £ 39,160( for 2027) which will be 4 years of fulltime study or 480 credits. Depending on your course, you may be able to get funding for more than 4 years.
The amount of Maintenance loan you could be eligible for could be up to a maximum of £ 14,135 per year( for 2027). This loan will be paid in three instalments directly into your bank account throughout the year.
When it comes to repaying your loans, you will only need to start repaying when you earn over £ 25,000 a year. Moreover, your loans will be written off after 40 years and you do not usually need to pay back extra financial help such as grants, allowances or bursaries. It is important to note you will be charged 4.1 % interest from the day the first loan payment is made to you or your university, college or training provider, until your loans are repaid in full or written off.
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