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Choose the right course based on your preferences, not other people's

Checking the quality of courses

Newspapers publish all sorts of university and college league tables, but these should be treated with some caution. They are unlikely to tell the full story and the factors they highlight may not be the ones which matter most to you. There is The Complete University Guide, an interactive site which allows you to alter the weightings of the different measures to suit your own requirements and so create your own unique table.

If you want to find out more about each of the universities and colleges in the UK from a purely factual point of view, then make sure you look at the Entry Profiles available in Course Search. The profiles include entry requirements and fee information. You should also read university and college prospectuses and visit their websites.

Courses are unlike most consumer products and the concept of a "best buy" is not really appropriate. What will be best for you might not suit somebody else. You may wish to consult the data collected annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA): www.hesa.ac.uk.

Unistats

Unistats allows you to search for and compare data and information on university and college courses from across the UK. The site draws together comparable information on those areas that students have identified as important in making decisions about what and where to study.

The site draws on the following official data on higher education courses:

  • Student satisfaction from the National Student Survey
  • Student destinations on finishing their course from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey
  • How the course is taught and study patterns
  • How the course is assessed
  • Course accreditation
  • Course costs (such as tuition fees and accommodation)


Your goals

The better qualified you are, the more likely you are to find better paid, more satisfying employment. While it helps to have an employment goal in mind when you enter higher education, not all mature students are in that position, and even those who think they are certain of their plans might review them later. Many students of all ages change their minds by the time they graduate and each year thousands of graduates enter professions in areas unrelated to their studies.

Remember

  • Preparation and research is vital - spend time choosing the right course for you.
  • Make sure the course you choose covers the areas you want to study. Courses with the same title can vary significantly in content. A very good way to differentiate between them is by looking at the Entry Profiles on Course Search. Currently, 90% of courses listed have Entry Profiles.
  • Entry Profiles are complied by staff at the university or college, and provide information about:
    • the course
    • specific entry requirements
    • career possibilities
    • qualities or experience admissions staff are looking for in applicants
    • accommodation
    • access for students with special needs
    • open days
    • student life
    • increasingly, they also provide information about the institution's admission and selection criteria.
  • Make sure you check whether any parts of the course are compulsory and when you have to choose between options.
  • Check what opportunities there will be to change track later in the course if you need or want to.
  • Find out how many mature students are currently enrolled on the courses in which you are interested.
  • Getting to know yourself and mixing with school leavers can be interesting and educational in itself!
  • Mature students can play important roles as figures to whom younger students can relate. Your life and work experience will bring an extra dimension to seminar and tutorial groups, and will be valued.

Find out more about choosing the right course.