University Finance Explained

The Schools and Colleges Liaison Officer from Royal Holloway, University of London, delivered a fantastic workshop for Year 12 students this week.

Charlotte began by giving the students an overview of higher education, and many students were surprised to hear that there are over 50,000 courses to choose from in the UK and over 395 higher education institutes in which to study them. The choices continued when it came to the type of university; city universities like Manchester and Liverpool offer a very different experience to campus universities like Loughborough or Royal Holloway... and then there's the collegiate universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham where students apply to individual colleges within the main university!

Keen to stress that the decision each student makes will be a personal one, Charlotte encouraged the sixth formers to consider a range of information before narrowing down their five choices. The course content varies at each institution and so does the style of teaching, quality of accommodation and opportunities for placements abroad, which all play a part in the decision making process.

After a whistle-stop tour of the UCAS application process, our students learnt about the finance options available to undergraduates and the way that student loans are repaid. They were told that loans begin to be repaid from the April after graduating for those earning £25,000 or above, and 9% of the amount over this threshold is deducted. 

Finally, the students were encouraged to use the next few months to visit as many universities as they could, as there really isn't anything better for getting a sense of whether somewhere is right for them.

Whose wishing to plan their university visits can find lots of information below:

 University Open Days 2024

We would like to thank Charlotte for visiting Charters Sixth Form and delivering such an informative workshop.