Your quick guide to university

Everything you need to know about university from UCAS and funding to learning and life

Most offer campus tours, open and taster days – have a look at their websites. These are a great opportunity to talk to students and alumni, as well as teaching staff.

Which course will you choose?

What you choose to study is crucial. Think about the career you want, and also what subjects you enjoy and are good at.

Compare and contrast the courses and facilities available at different universities – they will all offer something different. A good starting point is unistats.direct.gov.uk

Pick up the phone and talk to university advisors. Find out whether the course you are interested in has work placement opportunities, how many hours of lectures

you’ll have, and who your lecturers are – and definitely go and check out the university for yourself.

Have you got everything it takes?

All courses have entry requirements, which universities and UCAS will list online. As well as proof of qualifications, you may need to provide references and write a personal statement explaining your course choice and demonstrating your experience in and passion for the subject. Some courses will require an admissions test, art portfolio or interview – these are perfect opportunities to sell yourself, check out the university, get a feel for the place and ask relevant questions about the course.

UCAS

All applications for full-time foundation or undergraduate courses starting in

Going to university gives you new skills, independence and confidence. You’ll meet new people and make friends and connections that last a lifetime.

It can also increase your earning potential – the UK government reported that university graduates will on average earn £100,000 more than non-graduates over their working life. (Lord Browne (2009))

Every university is different, so you’ll need to do your research and compare what’s on offer – it’s important to choose the right university for you. Spend time exploring websites and prospectuses. Go and visit the uni’s you’re interested in to get a real feel for the place.

“Graduates typically have higher employment rates than non-graduates.” (Graduates in the Labour Market – 2012 survey, Office for National Statistics)

September are made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) using their online application system, Apply. UCAS will handle the entire application process – you don’t need to approach the university direct.

For more in-depth information about the UCAS application process, visit: www.ucas.com

Applying direct

In some cases you can apply direct to your chosen university if you want to:

1) study part-time 2) start your course in January

Each university will have its own application process. Contact them to find out what to do and how to apply direct.

Is university right for you?

To study at university, you’ll need to pay tuition fees. How much you pay depends on which country you’re from and whether you want to study full or part-time. Don’t forget, you’ll also need to think about accommodation and day-to-day living costs.

To help you with tuition fees and living costs scholarships, student loans and grants are available. You might also want to consider supplementing your income with a part-time job.

Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans and Grants

Once you understand how tuition fees work, they are a lot less daunting than they may first appear.

The government will loan you the money to cover all of your tuition fees – you won’t have to pay these upfront. If you are a full-time student you can also apply for a maintenance loan, to help pay for day-to-day living costs such as rent, food and bills – the value of this loan depends on your household income (typically your parents’ earnings). Students from lower income households may also get a grant (which replaces some of the loan, and never has to be repaid).

These government student loans are different from ordinary loans – they are actually a very cheap long-term form of borrowing. Once you leave university, you only repay your loan once you are earning more than £21,000 per year. If you never earn this amount, you will never have to repay your loan. If your income drops below £21,000 for some reason, your repayments will stop for that period. And thirty years

after you graduate, your loan will be wiped – regardless of how much you may still owe.

The amount you repay each month is totally dependent on your earnings – it’s not based on how much you borrowed in the first place.

For example:

Salary Monthly repayment

£20,000 £0

£25,000 £30

£30,000 £67

£40,000 £142

(Correct at time of print, May 2013)

You will have to pay interest on your student loan, and the amount of interest you are charged is again affected by how much you earn. This won’t change the amount you pay back each month, but it will affect how long it takes you to pay back the loan.

When you balance the cost of tuition fees against the higher employment and earning potential of having a degree, it’s easier to think of the money as an investment in your future rather than just more debt.

Find out more about funding your studies at: www.gov.uk/student-finance

Money matters

Do your research

Don’t skimp on your research – the better informed you are, the better your decisions will be. Look in depth at the universities and courses available to you.

Select your course

You can apply for up to five different courses at one time. Make sure you meet each course’s entry requirements.

Write a personal statement

The personal statement is your chance to explain why you want to study your chosen subject in your application, and convince your chosen university that you will be a good selection for them. Remember that course leaders will see a lot of applications – make sure yours stands out from the crowd.

Apply

All applications for full-time foundation or undergraduate courses starting in September are made through UCAS using their online application system, Apply. UCAS will handle the entire application process.

The deadline for most UCAS applications is in mid-January each year. You can apply after that time, but it is best to meet the January deadline. Find out more about UCAS deadlines (for both applications and decisions) here: www.ucas.com/students/importantdates

Sort out your finances

It’s really important that you apply for your finance in time. The online application process opens around February of each year and the deadline to get your funds in place for the start of the new academic year would be around May for UK full-time students. Part-time and EU students have a slightly different application and timeline process. For everything you need to know about student finance go here: www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance

Get an offer – or offers!

UCAS will be able to tell you whether or not you have been offered a place on your chosen course. Track is UCAS’s online tracking system – you use this to reply to any offers received. If you decide to decline all your offers or if you do not receive any from your chosen university, you can go back into the system and use UCAS Extra to help you find an appropriate course.

Select your course

You make one ‘firm acceptance’ – your preferred choice from all the offers you have received. If this offer is dependent on you meeting certain conditions, e.g. specific exam grades, you can also accept one other offer – your ‘insurance choice’.

Remember to meet the deadline for selecting your course. All the information you need is here: www.ucas.com/students/importantdates

Clearing

If your application is unsuccessful, you decline all offers, miss application deadlines or don’t get the grades you need, you can enter into the UCAS Clearing scheme. This operates between mid-July and September. In mid-August UCAS publishes a list of courses which still have places open, and if you still need a place at university, you can approach these universities to try and secure a place.

On the other hand, if your results exceed your expectations, you have the option to use the UCAS Adjustment process and reconsider where and what to study – see www.ucas.com for more.

Now you can get ready for university!

Stay in touch with your chosen university – make sure you know all the support and services they can offer you, so you get the most out of the next few years.

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If you’re feeling overwhelmed by advice and information, take a look at our step by step guide:

The 7 steps of getting to university

Every course is designed and updated so that it is directly relevant to the current employment market. Influential speakers visit to inspire you and give solid, practical advice.

We help you find placements, work experience and voluntary opportunities to give you career experience while you study.

Many of our courses have built-in professional accreditation or input from professional bodies such as the Law Society and the Institute of Biomedical Science.

We offer undergraduate degree courses in over 100 subjects as well as 798 scholarships to help you out during the course of your studies (£1,000 cash + £2,000 towards your overall fees). In fact a quarter of our undergraduate students will have a London Met scholarship helping them through their studies – to see if you are eligible go to www.londonmet.ac.uk/nsp

At London Metropolitan University we believe that everyone has the right to an affordable quality education. Our courses have been ranked No1 for highest graduate starting salaries among modern universities (Sunday Times University Guide 2013) and yet with fees still significantly lower than other institutions, we offer genuine value for money.

London Met is a great place to study, located in the heart of one of the most culturally diverse and vibrant cities in the world. Study with us and enjoy more relevant courses, more industry links, more state-of-the-art facilities, a more vibrant social life and ultimately a more successful future.

“The calibre of students that attend the university is fantastic.” Anthony Angol, London City Airport

Could London Met be the place for you?A career head start

We have a £30 million Science Centre with one of Europe’s largest teaching labs. Law students can stage trials in our mock courtroom. For journalism students, there’s a working newsroom. Our business students can access our simulated Bloomberg trading room in Moorgate. Our Art School (The Cass) was recently voted one of the top 100 architecture and design schools in Europe (Domus Magazine).

Our flagship library on Holloway Road is a state-of-the-art learning centre with techno-booths and informal learning spaces. We have more strategically-placed libraries at our other hubs too.

As well as our printed collections, we also offer e-books and other electronic formats, and when you become a student you’ll get a Google Apps account for email and 5GB of cloud storage, accessible on and off campus. London Met’s libraries are also networked with other key resources such as the British Library.

Students have access to seven floors of IT equipment in the Technology Tower.

“My teachers are amazing (and I don’t mind if they find out by reading this) and they’ve always encouraged me. Their passion is infectious and they’ve helped fuel the fire for doing what I really love.”

Ellie de Rose, BA Creative Writing and Journalism student, entertainment editor at Verve Magazine, and peer mentor

Great teaching and world-class facilities

The social life at London Met is legendary. Much of it happens at the Rocket Complex in north London: bars, chill-out zones, cafes, cinema, clubs... Many activities and groups are run by the Students’ Union.

Joining the rugby team or taking up Aikido isn’t just about getting fit, it’s also a great way to have fun, make new friends and gain excellent teamwork skills. Cheerleading, football, basketball, squash, cricket, tennis

There’s more to us than lectures and libraries

and hockey are just a few of the sports in which you can participate.

Both campuses have fitness centres and at £60 a year membership it would be rude not to get involved!

The Metcard gets you into events and qualifies you for discounts on drinks and loads more. Check it out and see what else the Union has to offer at www.londonmetstudents.com

The Student Services department cares for your wellbeing and will ensure that you have access to any support you may need throughout your course.

Somewhere to call home

To get the most out of your time at London Met, you’ll need somewhere safe, affordable and comfortable to live. We can help. Halls of residence or privately rented rooms, shared flats or houses are all options and many are within walking distance.

Our Accommodation Bureau team will share their local knowledge to simplify your search and help you decide where to live. Visit the dedicated interactive website www.londonmetstudentprs.org which has a noticeboard for getting in touch with potential flatmates and properties currently available plus costs.

Getting a part-time job...

To help balance your budget, you might want a few hours’ paid work a week. We have an employment network (MetTemps) which matches students looking for a job with suitable vacancies at London Met and externally across the city.

...and in the longer term

We also offer comprehensive career consultancy. You can take advantage of our expertise and contacts during your time with us and for up to three years after you graduate.

“I became a Student Assistant at London Met to help pay my bills. It’s also been great work experience, it was fun meeting other students and I could fit it in between lectures!”

Saba Mesfin, Law graduate

A helping hand

If you have a disability or a condition like dyslexia or dyspraxia which makes learning difficult, we aim to help meet your needs and give you any support we can. See our website for more details.

Mature students

We have one of the largest numbers of mature and part-time students out of all UK universities – we can help you fit your course around other commitments. We can also assess relevant practical and personal experience if you don’t have formal educational qualifications – you may even be eligible for exemptions depending on your previous experience or study. If it’s been a long time since you studied last, we offer drop-in workshops for study skills

“The support you get is above and beyond any other university I know. I have friends at other universities who can’t get in touch with their lecturers, but at London Met their doors are always open. You get excellent career advice as well.”

Ricky O’Brien, Law (LLB) student who took part in the ESU National Mooting Competition 2012 where we came 5th out of 64 universities

“As a single mother I received incredible support and guidance from both teaching and non- teaching staff during my studies at London Met.”

Abby Godwin, BA Financial Services graduate, now a Derivatives Funding Operations Analyst at Goldman Sachs

Find out more about life as a London Met student: www.londonmet.ac.uk/studentservices

support as well as advice and information. Talk to our admissions office or see www.londonmet.ac.uk/admissions for more.

The support you need now and in the future

London Met is committed to widening access into education.

We believe in affordable quality education and offer competitive fees and great scholarships to reflect this. Firmly accept your place with us and you could gain a £1,000 cash scholarship with £2,000 fee waiver for the duration of your studies.

•National Scholarship Programme – 798 scholarships on offer - £1,000 cash and £2,000 towards your overall fees

• Sir John Cass’s Foundation Lord Mayor’s Scholarship Programme - For first year undergraduate students - £7,000 per year for three years

Find out more at www.londonmet.ac.uk/nspEmail us: admissions@londonmet.ac.uk Call us: 0207 133 4200

Explore what London Met has to offer you at: www.londonmet.ac.uk/future

Come and see us. Find out more about our open and taster days at: www.londonmet.ac.uk/open-days