There are 3 main options after sixth form or college.
University, Degree Apprenticeship or Full time Job.
Please note that you can apply to more than one of these options and see what you get offered – then decide which to accept.
You can go to university for a full time course.
This can be a 2 year Foundation Degree or a 3 year graduate degree course. If you decide to take the 2 year foundation course you have the option of continuing at university for a further year and gaining the full graduate degree qualification. (some courses may have some variations of this timescale.)
Some students decide to take a gap year before starting university and that needs careful research before committing to that option. The adventurous student can consider working or studying abroad. This experience can enhance their CV and open up new possibilities.
The next option is a Higher or Degree Apprenticeships.
The higher apprenticeship equates to the Foundation Degree and the Degree Apprenticeship equates to the 3 year degree course. We have a full page dedicated to apprenticeship information for all levels of qualification.
The last option is a full time job.
Again we have a dedicated page to help you find work.
There are lots of online tools to help you decide what to study. Here are a few of the best.
Discover Uni – is a website launched by a partnership of UK-wide higher education funders and regulators, including the Office for Students – is designed to be an impartial, authoritative source of data, advice and guidance to help prospective students of all ages and at all stages of the decision making journey take their next steps.
www.ucas.com – THE place to find out where you can study your chosen subject and what qualifications you need to get in. Provides links to each university’s own website for you to find out more.
Another useful website is The Student Room Uni Guide ( this has taken over from the Which University website).
Read Online Guides About Courses, Universities, UCAS, Finance, Exams And More.
From the Russell Group comes another tool for choosing your degree. The Russell Group’s 24 members are world-class, research-intensive universities. They are unique institutions, each with their own history and ethos,
If you don’t know what you want to study, go to UK Universities offering degrees | Coursefindr for more research into Higher Education.
University League Tables
NB while these tables can be useful you often find that the ranking can vary according to which newspaper collected the data.
Compare data about each university on
If you want to see what people do after a degree course look at www.prospects.ac.uk or https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students
More information about destinations after university, salaries, etc. Read the HIGH FLYERS GRADUATE REPORT for info about salaries and the companies offering the best recruitment.
Have you thought about studying abroad?
If you’re a UK student thinking of going to university, you may not have considered the option of studying abroad. Although the UK boasts some of the best universities in the world, there are lots of benefits to getting your degree overseas.
Not only is it a great opportunity to see the world, meet new people, experience a different culture, and learn a new language, but it could be a cheaper option too. The process is easier than you think.
Sometimes it mey be less expensive than studying in the UK.
Are you worried about the cost of university? – see this section
If you are concerned about the cost of university watch this powerpoint presentation. NOTE the amount can change each year so do check out the latest goverment information. This powerpoint is to show you how to work out how much money you may have.
Student Finance from the UK government
Finance information from UCAS
The adventurous student can consider working or studying abroad. This experience can enhance their CV and open up new possibilities. There are lots of organisations offering gap year experiences. A good starting point for your research is UCAS. Please be aware that many organisations charge you for a gap year experience and many are a profit making business.
Go to our dedicated pages for all apprenticeship information. Just click on the icon.
Go to our dedicated pages for all employment information. Just click on the icon.