Higher Education

When thinking about Higher Education there are a number of factors to consider;

Fortunately, there are plenty of websites that can help you answer your questions and ease your concerns.

Directgov website has a comprehensive Higher Education section that covers a wide variety of topics from choosing the right course through to the application process and funding.  The site offers advice to parents and would-be-students, and provides links to appropriate websites.

Aimhigher is a Department for Education and Skills initiative that aims to provide prospective students with information and guidance on higher education institutions and courses, as well as offering information and assurance on financial matters to students entering higher education.

Finding a course

HERO.ac.uk is the official gateway to Higher Education in the UK.  This site provides information on all aspects of Higher Education, including sections on choosing a type of course, a subject to study, and an institution at which to study.

Help with choosing the right course is also available from Prospects.ac.uk.  Prospects is aimed at graduates, but their site has a useful 'What jobs would suit me?' section where you can build your profile based on your interests, motivations, general skills and people skills, and the tool will offer suggestions of career paths that may be suitable to you.

UCAS provide a similar facility through their Stamford Test tool, where you again enter your preferences, and the site will offer related courses that may be suitable for you.

The UCAS site allows you to search for undergraduate courses at UK universities and colleges, and provides details of the entry requirements.  Information about each institution, such as student intake is provided, and direct links are given to that institution's website on a category basis, for instance accommodation, fees, and sporting facilities.

Applying

UCAS (Universities & Colleges Admissions Service) is the central organisation that processes applications for full-time undergraduate courses at UK universities and colleges.  Their website offers guidance on applying for courses and provides a tariff calculator where you can enter your achieved or predicted grades to calculate an achievement score to be used in the application process.

Financial support

Information about student finance can be found on both the Directgov website and the Aimhigher website.  You can read about tuition fees, loans, grants and scholarships, and find out how to apply for them.

Other links

Higher Education establishments in Shropshire and surrounding counties.

• Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
• Shrewsbury College of Art and Technology
• Walford and North Shropshire College
• Harper Adams University College
• New College Telford
• Telford College of Arts & Technology
• University of Wolverhampton
• North East Wales Institute of Higher Education
• Staffordshire University
• Keele University

Support4Learning.org.uk have a comprehensive page of links to higher education resources.