Higher education

To most people, ‘higher education’ means going to university to study a degree. However, it’s worth noting that many other institutions offer degree courses. These include colleges, conservatoires, drama schools, art colleges and more.

There are many reasons people might choose higher education after 6th form or college. It may be that the career you’re interested in requires a degree.

You may want to increase your knowledge, expand your career options, increase your potential income, be more independent (especially if you live away from home) and meet a wide range of people. Higher education often involves lots of fun and socialising too.

Qualifications and subjects

The first degree studied after 6th form or college is called an ‘undergraduate degree’ – sometimes known as a ‘bachelor’s degree’.

You will see abbreviations that broadly show what broad subject area a degree is in, eg BA (bachelor of arts), BBSc (bachelor of science), BEng (bachelor of engineering), LLB (bachelor of law) and MBBS (bachelor of medicine). There are others too.

You can study one subject (most common) or it’s possible to study a joint or combined degree, with two or more subjects. Some degrees come as sandwich courses, which means you spend a year in the middle doing a work placement (this could be abroad).

Most degrees last for three years, but some are longer.

There are other shorter qualifications available, including diploma of higher education (DipHE), higher national diploma (HND) and foundation degree (FdA, FdEng or FdSc).

These options are shorter than a degree and at a slightly lower level. They tend to have lower entry requirements and can usually be topped up to a degree with further study.

You also sometimes get degree courses with a ‘foundation year’ or ‘year zero’. This is an extra year at the start which helps students reach the standard required for the full degree. These are aimed at those who don’t meet the standard entry requirements.

There are a huge range of higher education subjects available. These include subjects that train you for a particular career (e.g. education, law, medicine, physiotherapy, psychology). Or you can do broader subjects (e.g. English, history) – you may choose these based on what you’re best at or enjoy most.

Choosing what and where to study

There are many factors to consider when choosing a higher education course (this is why you should start researching and thinking about it early). These include:

preferred subjects (and what careers they might lead to)
course structure, content and assessment
predicted grades and entry requirements (very important)
whether to stay at home or move away (if away, consider city vs. country, accommodation type and cost, social activities/interests etc.)
league tables, student ratings and other similar stats
course costs and any extra financial support offered by institutions.

There are lots of free resources that can help you make higher education choices. These include:

It’s important to also look into different jobs you’re interested in and what qualifications they require. If you’re not sure what jobs you’re interested in, some careers websites include a careers quiz/assessment to help you get some ideas.

If you’re still really unsure about future job options, it’s worth noting that over half of graduate jobs don’t have a subject requirement, i.e. the employer just wants university graduates with the right skills and doesn’t mind what subject you studied!

Some careers where you need specific qualifications, you can take a relevant postgraduate course after your first degree (eg postgraduate teacher training courses and law conversion courses).

As well as checking out all the information online, it’s important to go to open days and see for yourself. See university websites or the Open Days website.

It’s really important to research carefully and make choices you are happy with. It’s not easy to change your choices once you have applied, so this will save you a lot of hassle later on.

When and how to apply

All applications to higher education in the UK are handled by UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)

You start the application process at the start of year 13 (although it’s a good idea to start researching before this). The deadline to apply for most courses is 15 January. However, some courses, such as medicine or dentistry, have earlier deadlines.

You can find detailed information about how and when to apply on the UCAS website.