BENEFITS OF UNIVERSITY

APPLYING THROUGH UCAS

STUDENT FINANCE

BENEFITS OF UNIVERSITY

Entering the workplace

• Graduateonlyprofessions

• Competitive• Earningpotential

Graduate vs. non-graduate salary

Subject Graduatesalary Non-graduatesalary

Economics £25,637 £16,249

MechanicalEngineering £24,337 £14,764

Psychology £18,173 £14,118

Architecture £17,873 £14,526

EnvironmentalScience £19,844 £14,686

Mathematics £23,160 £15,807

BusinessStudies £21,007 £15,776

SocialWork £24,630 £15,669

Geology £21,182 £13,950

Average £20,964 £13,721

Source: The Complete University Guide 2011“What do graduates earn and do?”

BENEFITS OF UNIVERSITY

• Study• Employability• Transferableskills

Guess the Degree

• VernonKay• VernonKay

Vernon Kay Harry Hill Sacha Baron CohenEnvironmental Science

Medicine History

Guess the Degree

• Vernon Kay • Vernon Kay

Chris MartinJK Rowling Jimmy CarrGreek & Latin

French Political Science

WHERE DO YOU START?

TYPES OF COURSES

• Differentdegreetypes

• Progressionroutes

Types of degree

• Specialistdegrees

• Nonspecialistcourses

A VARIETY OF COURSES TO SUIT EVERY INTEREST

• 39,000• 300• Specialise• Trysomethingnew

• Careeraspirations

Post-itis…orPost-itisn’t

CHOOSING THE RIGHT UNIVERSITY

WhattocontemplatewhenchoosingaUniversity?

• Location• Ithastheright

course• Anicecampus• Goodfacilities• Goodreputation• Theclubs/societies

ithas• It’scloseto

home/it’sfarfromhome!

• Greatatmosphere• Nice

accommodation

Top answers

THINGS TO CONSIDER

• Entryrequirements

• Course• Assessment• Studentlife• Employment

1. Thenumber ofscheduled teachinghours

2. Thedemographic ofpeoplewhogothere

3. Thelearningandassessmentstyle

4. Thefinancialsupport onofferattheuniversity

5. Degreeclassesawarded

http://university.which.co.uk/

FIVE THINGS STUDENTS WISH THEY’D CONSIDERED

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I DO WHILST AT UNIVERSITY?

• Transferableskills

• Volunteering• Workexperience

• Clubs/societies• Getinvolved!

RESEARCH YOU CAN DO

• Internet• Prospectus• Opendays• Leaguetables

THE STUDENT ROOM

THE STUDENT ROOM

USING THE UCAS WEBSITE

SEARCHING FOR COURSES

SEARCHING FOR A COURSE

SEARCHING FOR A COURSE

SEARCHING FOR A COURSE

TIPS FOR GETTING IT RIGHT!

• Startthinkingnow!

• Interests• Research• Requirements• Pursueyourinterests

APPLYING THROUGH UCAS AND PERSONAL STATEMENTS

WHAT IS UCAS?

• UniversitiesandCollegesAdmissionService

• UCASisthe“gobetween”betweentheinstitutionandtheapplicant

• UCASrecordsalldecisionsmadeaboutyou

• Onlineservicesocanbeaccessedfromanycomputer

WHAT ARE THE UCAS DEADLINES?

15October Oxford/CambridgeMedicineDentistryVeterinaryScience

15 January Allotherapplications

October- December Internalschool/collegedeadline

WHEN ARE STUDENTS MAKING THEIR APPLICATIONS?

Byapplicationmonth Totalapplicants(2013)

October 56,753

November 88,256

December 158,852

January 225,037

February 15,620

March 11,385

April 15,716

May 11,893

Year12 Year13

Startresearchingcoursesanduniversities

Startapplication- up to5choices

Attendopendays Keep todeadlines

Startplanning personalstatement

Attendapplicantdays

Getasummer joborvoluntary experience

Continue todoyour research

HOW CAN I PREPARE TO APPLY?

HOW CAN I PREPARE TO APPLY?

January February March April May

Deadline

Interviewsandapplicantdays

Institutionoffers/rejections

Applicantaccepts/declines(Firstandinsurancechoice)

Ifapplying toPlymouthyouwillreceiveanautomatedemailresponse - thiswilldetailwhathappensnext.Checkemailaccountregularlytocheckforimportantcommunication.

YOUR APPLICATION FORM

COURSE CHOICES

YOUR APPLICATION FORM

THE PERSONAL STATEMENT

WHERE SHOULD I START?

• Thinkhonestlyaboutyourself–whatmakesyouspecial,interestingorunique?

• Everyoneisdifferent!

• Mapoutyourideasthenbuildupparagraphs

• Writingaboutyourselfisnotsomethingyoudooften

• Expecttowriteseveraldrafts

WHAT SHOULD I PUT IN IT?

PersonalStatement

Reasonsforacademicsubjectchoice

Qualifications

Careeraspirations

Reflectionofwork

experience

Personalachievements– lifeskills,strengths

Takingayearout?

75%coveringacademicinterests,motivationandstrengths

25%covering theskillsdeveloped thatarenotdirectlyrelevanttothecourse

HOW SHOULD I STRUCTURE IT?

ThinkofABCwhenwriting:ActivityBenefitCourse

• Activity:beingapeermentor

• Benefit:Teamwork,communicationskills,leadership, commitment, timemanagement

• Course:Groupassignments,puttingacrossyourideas,good timekeeping forlecturesandfieldtrips,work/lifebalance,responsibility

“Ihavealwaysbeeninterestedinart.Iespeciallylikepaintings.Ilikelotsofdifferentstyles.Myfavouriteismodernart”

OR

“FrequenttripstoartgalleriesasvariedastheNationalPortraitGallery,theWallaceCollectionandtheTateModernhaveinspiredanunderstanding anddeepappreciationofpaintingasamediumacrossawiderangeofstyles.Thishasbeensupported byreadingtextslike…”

EVIDENCE WHAT YOU SAY!

WHAT ARE UNIVERSITIES LOOKING FOR?

• Awellstructuredpersonalstatementwhichidentifiesacademicandtransferableskills

• Whyyouaresuitableforthesubjectareaandwhatsortofpersonyouare

• Evidencethethingsyousayaboutyourself, relatedbacktoyourcoursechoice

• Examplestoshowyouhavemotivationandcommitment tocompleteyourcourse

HOW TO START… THE OPENING SENTENCE

“Fromthesmallestmoleculetothemostimportant issuesofthe

modernworld, chemistryisfundamental.Theburgeoning

worldenergycrisis,forexample,willonlybesolvedwiththehelpofChemistry,andthepossibility tobeinvolved inthisisanambitionof

mine”

“EarlierthisyearIwasinvolved inacaraccident,andasIsatamong thewreckageIwasshocked toseenotonepersonstoppedtohelpme.Didn’tanyonecareenough to

help? Ifitweren’tforthescienceofPsychology, thisandsomanyotherquestions

abouthumanbehaviourwouldgounanswered.”

“Totakeajourney inartistofollowapaththatisneverending;youwillneverknowallthereistoknoworseeanddiscoverallthere

isoutthere.”

TIPS FROM UCAS AND ADMISSIONS – DO’S

• Identify academicandtransferableskills

• Bereflective.Ifyoumakeapoint like'Ilikereading','Itravelledabroad',saywhatyougotfromit

• Evidence thethingsyousayaboutyourselfandrelatebacktoyourcoursechoice(ABC)

• Identifywhyyouaresuitableforthesubjectareaandwhatsortofpersonyouare

• Bepassionate

• Getitproofread

TIPS FROM UCAS AND ADMISSIONS – DON’TS

• Justlistyour interests,demonstratethem

• Listyourqualifications

• Includeirrelevantinformation

• Rush

• Missdeadlines

• Don'tbend thetruth

FINISHING YOUR APPLICATION

• Declareyourintention toapplyforstudentfinance

• Reference

• Checkalldetails

• Cannotcontinuetothepay/sendsectionuntilyouhavecompletedallothersections

• £23for2to5choices• £13for1choice

• Keepahardcopy

UCAS TRACK

• YouwillneedyourPersonalIDandthesameusernameandpasswordyouusedinApply

• Enablesyoutofollowtheprogressofyourapplication24/7

• Seeifanyofyouruniversity/collegechoicesofferyouanintervieworaplaceontheircourse

• Replytotheoffersyouget

• Confirmyourplace

DECISIONS

Admissions tutorscanmakeoneofthreedecisions:- Conditionaloffer- Unconditionaloffer- Unsuccessful

Applicantscanthenkeepamaximumoftwooffers:- Firmchoice- Insurancechoice

Anyremainingoffersmustbedeclined

UCAS EXTRA

• Ifall5choicesareusedandyouaren’tholding anyoffers,youcanapplyforacourse(ifvacancies)

• Apply fromendofFebruaryuntiltheendofJune

• Usecoursesearchtoseecoursevacancies

• Contacttheuniversity/college firsttoseeiftheywillconsideryourapplication

• Apply throughUCASTrack

• Youcanonlyapplytoonecourseatatime,soyouwillnotbeabletohaveaninsurancechoice

• www.ucas.com/students/offers/extra

RESULTS DAY

• CheckUCAStracktoconfirmyourplace

• Youcancallyouruniversitytoconfirmyourplace

• Don’tpanicifyoudropagrade

• Clearing:opensonAlevelresultsday

• Re-sits

STUDENT FINANCE

AIMS OF THIS PRESENTATION

• Explainwhatstudentfundingisavailabletosupportyouruniversityexperience

• Informationabouthowtoapplyforyourfunding

IMMEDIATE CONCERNS

• Youdon’thavetopaytuition feesupfront

• Student loansareavailabletocovertuitionfeesandlivingcosts

• Monthly repaymentsareaffordable, theyarebasedonwhatyouearn,notwhatyouowe

• After30yearsanyremainingdebtiswrittenoff

• Thenewsystemofloansdoesn’taffecttheabilitytogetamortgage

• Non-repayablefinancialhelpisalsoavailable

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

REPAYABLE• Tuition feeloan(coverstheentirecostsof

tuition fees)• Livingcostloan

NON-REPAYABLE• NationalScholarshipProgramme• Livingcostgrant• Bursariesandscholarships

SelectedNHScoursesofferdifferentfundingfortuition feesandlivingcosts

LIVING COST LOAN

• Livingcostloanavailabletoalleligiblefull-timestudents, irrespectiveofhouseholdincome

• For2015entry,everyoneisentitledtoatleast65%oftheloan.Theremaining35%is“meanstested”onhousehold income(gross incomeminuscertainallowancessuchaspensionsandcharitabledonations)

• Itispaidinthreeinstalments

Residencewhilstatuniversity

65%ofloan Maximumloanavailable

Parentalhome £2,967 £4,565

Elsewhere £3,731 £5,740

London £5,206 £8,009

**Figuresaresubjecttoparliamentaryapproval

LIVING COST GRANT - 2015

• Non-repayable,maximumof£3,387peryearofstudy• Incomeof£25,000orless– fullgrant• Incomebetween£25,000and£42,620– partialgrant(£50- £3,387)• Thelivingcostgrantistakenintoconsiderationwhenallocatingthelivingcostloanto

createanoverallpackage.

Household income

Living cost grant

Living cost loan Yearly total

£25,000 or less £3,387 £3,862 £7,249£30,000 £2,441 £4,335 £6,776£40,000 £547 £5,282 £5,829£50,000 £0 £4,836 £4,836Over £62,132 £0 £3,610 £3,610

**2014figures

OTHER FINANCIAL HELP

• PlymouthUniversitywillhavebursariesandscholarshipsavailable:someofwhichhasbeenmadepossiblebythegenerosityofouralumni

- Careleaversbursary(£2,000ayear)- Drakegoldandsilverawards- Academicscholarships- IncludingAcademicExcellenceAwards

• AccesstoLearningFund

• PlymouthUniversityRetentionFund:thisismoneyreleasedfromthetuitionfeestosupportstudentswhilsttheystudywithus.

DISABLED STUDENTS ALLOWANCE

• Helptowardstheadditionalcoststhatastudentmayfaceasaresultoftheirdisability,mental-healthcondition,specificallergyorspecificlearningdifficulty.

• Inadditiontothestandardstudentfinancepackageandisnotaffectedbyhouseholdincome

• Doesnothavetoberepaid

• Looksatthespecificneedsoftheindividualinrelationtotheircircumstancesandstudies.

APPLYING THROUGH STUDENT FINANCE ENGLAND

• Studentscanapplyforfinancialsupportandmaintaintheiraccountonlinewww.gov.uk/studentfinance

• Theapplicationopenedfor2014entryonMonday20JanuaryandclosedMay2014.

• WhencompletingtheUCASapplicationform,studentsareencouragedtoselecttheoptionthattheyintendtomakeanapplicationthroughStudentFinanceEngland– thiswillallowthemtocontactthestudentwhenitopens.

• Studentscanconsenttohaveuptotwopeoplespeakontheirbehalf– theymustberegisteredfirsttodoso

• Studentsareencouragedtocompletetheirapplicationasearlyaspossible

STUDENT FINANCE ENGLAND SUPPORT

• DedicatedStudentFinanceEnglandhubontheStudentRoomwebsite(www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance)- latestnews,adviceandtoolstohelpwithapplyingforfinance

• StudentFinanceEnglandhaveaFacebookgroup– abletoseenewsandupdates

• StudentFinanceEngland'surgeries'onFacebook,TwitterandtheStudentRoom– arepresentativeavailabletoanswerquestions

REPAYING THE LOANS

What? Tuitionfeesloanandlivingcostloan

When? FromAprilafterleavingthecourseandearningoverthethresholdof£21,000peryear

What? 9%ofearningsoverthreshold

How? Deductionsdirectlyfromwages,beforetax

Salary Monthly repayment Weeklyrepayment

£20,999 £0 £0

£23,000 £15.00 £3.48

£25,000 £30.00 £6.97

£30,000 £67.50 £15.70

£40,000 £142.50 £33.14

Graduateswillpaylesspermonth thantheydounder thecurrentsystemwhen“startingout”

REPAYING THE LOANS

•Ifyourearningsfall,yourcontributionsfall•Youcanrepayearly•Debtwrittenoffafter30yearsoryoubecomedisabledandcannotwork

•YourdebtisnotpassedontoanyoneelseYoursituation InterestappliedWhilstyouarestudying(andupuntil theAprilafteryouleaveyourcourse)

RPI+3%

Graduatesearningbelow£21,000(fromtheApril youleaveyourcourse)

RPI(norealrateofinterest)

Graduatesearningbetween£21,000andaround£41,000

Gradualscale – RPIifearning£21,000reachingamaximumofRPI+3%whenearning£41,000

Graduates earningabove£41,000 RPI+3%

Graduateearning£30,000pa(gross)=MonthlyGrossIncome£2,500

Monthlynetincome:£1,732.50

DeductionPension (at6%) £150.00

Tax £362.00

NationalInsurance £189.00

StudentLoan £67.50

GRADUATE CASE STUDY

BEFORE GETTING TO UNIVERSITY

• Funding

• Budgetplanner

• Arrivalmoney

• Studentbankaccount

• Learntofoodshop!

• Saveanymoneynow!

• Getaparttimejob

• Psychologysurveys

• Entrepreneurialflair

• Moneyandvouchers

HOW DO STUDENTS GET MORE MONEY

SUMMARY

Repayable Non-repayable

Tuition feeloan National ScholarshipProgrammeandothersupport

Livingcost loan Livingcostgrant

• Nothing ispaidupfront

• Repaymentofloans(tuition feeandlivingcost)startstheAprilafteryouleaveyourcourse.

• Yourepay9%ofyourearningsover£21,000

• Further informationatwww.gov.uk/studentfinance andwww.plymouth.ac.uk/money andwww.moneysavingexpert.co.uk