Understanding higher education 

We know that as teachers and advisors you will already have a strong understanding of what Higher Education (HE) is.  However, the landscape of HE study is always changing so we’ve outline what HE study currently means in the UK and why, at Gateways, we think HE provides amazing opportunities for personal and academic development for young people. Higher education has changed, and is constantly changing to fit the needs of the wider community (both person focused and career focused) and as a result the contemporary HE landscape is very different to these traditional universities.

Higher education is now much more varied, and is accessible to everyone, no matter what their background, interests or future goals. Higher education refers to any qualification at Level 4 or above. In the UK, there are over 400 different higher education institutions (not just universities), with approximately 90,000 different courses for students to choose from; from Medicine and Dentistry, to Sport Psychology, to Fashion Marketing, and everything in between. With this much choice, in both location, subject area, and the format of teaching, there is something for everyone.

 

University undergraduate degree study

Understanding higher education 

We know that as teachers and advisors you will already have a strong understanding of what Higher Education (HE) is.  However, the landscape of HE study is always changing so we’ve outline what HE study currently means in the UK and why, at Gateways, we think HE provides amazing opportunities for personal and academic development for young people. Higher education has changed, and is constantly changing to fit the needs of the wider community (both person focused and career focused) and as a result the contemporary HE landscape is very different to these traditional universities.

Higher education is now much more varied, and is accessible to everyone, no matter what their background, interests or future goals. Higher education refers to any qualification at Level 4 or above. In the UK, there are over 400 different higher education institutions (not just universities), with approximately 90,000 different courses for students to choose from; from Medicine and Dentistry, to Sport Psychology, to Fashion Marketing, and everything in between. With this much choice, in both location, subject area, and the format of teaching, there is something for everyone.

University undergraduate degree study

This is the most common form of higher education, and students will receive a ‘Bachelor’s Degree’ through going to university to study their first degree. Bachelor’s degrees typically take 3 years to complete, but this can vary depending on the course and whether students choose to study abroad, do a year in industry, or complete an integrated masters. University is not only known for the qualification received, but for the all-round student experience that is available for students when they attend university. This includes the chance to live away from home, join societies, and meet people from all over the world. University is seen as a ‘stepping stone’ into adult life, where you gain a lot more independence and responsibility, but also have a huge support network behind you, including financial support, careers support, disability support, and much more. Most students at University will study full-time, though some institutions specialise in part-time study or distance learning, for example, the Open University.

In choosing to go to university, pupils will be able to select from approximately 50,000 different courses across 400+ institutions in the UK alone. Students should research the different degree programmes available to them – there will be many courses they have never heard of, but might be very interested in pursuing further. The best place for students to find this information, and to think about where they would like to study, is through the UCAS search tool: https://www.ucas.com/search. For more information about UCAS visit our UCAS and the applicant journey page.

Universities do not have curriculums so many courses with the same title can be taught completely differently across the different institutions, and have different course content. Most degrees have some core topics all students must study to achieve a base level of knowledge and skill in the given subject area, but alongside this students will be able to take modules in topics that are of specific interest to them. Those module choices will be driven by the specialities of the academic staff at the university.

Below is an example of first and second year students should research the different degree programmes available to them – there will be many courses they have never heard of, but might be very interested in pursuing further modules on the University of Manchester’s BA English Literature degree for 20/21 as an example of a course which offers students a chance to study areas of their interest in depth.

 

Year 1 Course unit (module) Title Credit rating Mandatory/optional
Reading Literature 20 Mandatory
Mapping the Medieval 20 Mandatory
Theory and Text 20 Mandatory
English Literature Tutorials 20 Mandatory
Literature and History 20 Optional
Year 2 Course unit (module) Title Credit rating Mandatory/optional
American Literature and Social Criticism, 1900-Present 20 Optional
Creative Writing: Fiction 20 Optional
Chaucer: Texts, Contexts, Conflicts 20 Optional
Gender, Sexuality and the Body: Theories and Histories 20 Optional
Writing, Identity and Nation 20 Optional
Creative Writing: Poetry 20 Optional
Creative Writing: Poetry 20 Optional
Medieval Metamorphoses 20 Optional
Renaissance Literature 20 Optional
Old English: Writing the Unreadable Past 20 Optional
Satire and the Novel: English Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century 20 Optional
Modernism 20 Optional
Romanticism (1776-1832) 20 Optional

 

HE study at FE colleges

Studying HE at an FE college

There are a growing number of FE colleges across the UK, that now teach higher education qualifications; including Higher National Diplomas and Certificates, Foundation Years, and in some cases, full Degrees. Colleges will be linked up with a university that offers the given course, but will focus on teaching students the skills and knowledge needed for a particular field. They tend to focus more on practical skills and vocational routes into given careers. Some students will choose to study at an FE college as the class sizes are less crowded, the overall size of the institution is smaller, and this gives them the opportunity to study from home and reduce additional expenses. FE Colleges will teach a wide range of HE courses, including Business, Administration and Law, Education, Arts and Media and Technology. FE colleges also tend to provide more opportunities for part time or evening study.

Within Greater Manchester there are a number of FE colleges who offer degree course, including The Manchester College and Salford City College.

To find out more about the courses on offer, follow this link: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/find-a-course/search

Degree level apprenticeships

Degree Apprenticeships

There are many different types of apprenticeships available, but a degree apprenticeship is a relatively new Level 4 qualification geared towards students who have a clear idea of the career that they want to pursue, and can be a great alternative to university.

Through a degree apprenticeship, young people can gain the skills, qualifications and experience needed to get into a specific career, as they combine work, training and study; whilst earning a wage of their own (‘earn while they learn’). An apprentice will spend the majority of their week in work (a minimum of 30 hours), where they will focus on learning to do the job. They will learn from colleagues, attend training sessions, and will be buddied up with someone more senior, who will monitor and review their progress. For the rest of the week (usually one day), they will attend a college, university or alternative training provider, where they will complete assessments to test both their academic learning and occupational competence.

Apprentices will gain a head start in their chosen profession and gain a full degree, without needing to pay student fees. They will also be paid a full wage, whilst still studying. Students must be well organised and able to cope with competing demands of work life and academic study at the same time, and they are not as commonly available as degrees at HEIs or FE colleges so students so many who take up apprenticeships will have to move away from home.

There are a huge number of webpages designated to finding out more about apprenticeships, but here are a few that we would recommend looking at:

 

Benefits of HE

Higher education is often seen as the ‘stepping stone’ for young people into the workplace and independent living. It is the midpoint between being a child and being an adult, as students  are encouraged to be independent in relation to their learning, their finances, and their living/social life whilst still having a huge amount of support behind them. We have separated the main benefits into three categories: Personal and Academic, Financial and Career Opportunities, and Social and Cultural. Many will cross over these categories and boundaries, but it is very important for you, and for your students, to understand these benefits in order to allow  them to make  their own decisions about higher education.

These are some of the common benefits of HE:

  • Studying something they love – With over 90,000 different courses to choose from, students are able to find a subject that they love and are passionate about, and can delve into the subject and learn about it in high levels of detail at university level.
  • Opening their eyes to new opportunities –  Higher education allows students an opportunity to explore subject areas that they are interested in, and find out about careers and opportunities they may never have heard of before. They will be able to explore careers fairs, volunteering opportunities, and speak to professionals in fields that they are interested in.
  • Improve social responsibility skills – Most HEIs provide students with volunteering opportunities enabling them to support their local community and tackle social issues like sustainability, inclusion, and community wellbeing. At the University of Manchester we pride ourselves on  rewarding students who take part in these endeavours with our Stellify Award.
  • Take up new activities – Whether it is joining a Students’ Union society for their course, picking up a new social interest like dancing, languages, and hobbies, or taking part in a new sport or leisure activity, degree study often gives students a gateway into accessing new activities where they can learn skills and make friends.
  • Increased career opportunities – Employers are aware of the key skills and personality traits that students who have completed a degree will graduate with, which will make them adapt to the workplace a lot better. These include: communication skills, people skills, problem solving skills, confidence, motivation, resilience, and many more. And, of course, there are some careers such as medicine, nursing, teaching, where having a degree in a related subject is requirement to enter that job market.
  • Higher earning potential – Statistics provided by the Department of Education show that working-age graduates, on average, earn £10,000 a year more than those who have not got a degree.
  • Career support and work experience – Each higher education institution will have a careers department that will support students with a range of different things, including finding relevant and credible work experience and internships, supporting with writing job applications, and practising having interviews. All careers services are different, but you can view the University of Manchester’s careers department here, which lists all the services that they provide: https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/

 

But don’t just take our word for it. See what some of our current UG students have to say:

 

 

 

Choosing what and where and UCAS

Choosing what to study and where can be a very hard decision for a lot of students, but ultimately it should be down to them to choose the form of HE, and the subject area that best suits them. There are a huge number of resources, webpages, and activities that will support your students in making the right decision.

UCAS is one of the best places to research what and where to study, as they are the ‘University and Colleges Admissions Services’ and therefore hold no bias towards any particular institution or form of HE qualification. The following article is designed to help pupils make these decisions: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/ucas-undergraduate-what-study. You can also visit the GM Higher website, a collaborate network of universities and FE colleges in Greater Manchester. They have some fantastic videos and worksheets that aim to inform students from Year 7 through to Year 13 about the options available to them.

Here are some key questions your pupils should think about when considering a course/institution for degree study:

  • What grades  or qualifications are required?
  • Does the institution have a good reputation for that course?
  • How is the course taught?
  • What modules are available?
  • How much contact time is there?
  • How much independent study is expected?
  • What support is available to students?
  • Can you study abroad, do an internship or get work experience whilst on the course?
  • What careers can the course lead to?
  • Is the institution based in a town or city?

 

UCAS

UCAS stands for ‘Universities and Colleges Admissions Service’. It is the organisation that manages application to higher education courses in the UK. In the final year of college/sixth form, students who are applying to study an undergraduate degree at universities or colleges will fill out a UCAS form online where they provide information about themselves, and apply for up to five higher education courses.

Anyone wishing to study in a UK HEI will need to apply through UCAS, and through its website you can search for courses using filters such as the course name, location, style of learning.

Visit our UCAS and the applicant journey page for more information

 

 

Contextual admissions

Contextual Admissions

Contextual admissions refers to the process whereby universities and colleges use data and information, in addition to your student’s UCAS application, to understand their attainment and potential in the context of their individual circumstances.

Contextual data includes the use of educational information (school attainment), geo-demographic information (the student’s postcode/area), and socio-economic background data (household income – usually shown by a student receiving free school meals, bursaries, etc.). It also includes the context of a child having been in care.

‘Research shows that socio-economic background, domicile, type of school, and subject choice can all impact a student’s attainment at A level (or other Level 3 qualification). Contextual admissions is used by some HEI’s admissions teams to mitigate these factors, and allows circumstances outside of attainment to be taken into account when a student applies to university.

How does The University of Manchester use contextual data?

Here at Manchester, we use:

  • Postcode
  • Whether a young person has been in care or looked after
  • The performance of students’  secondary school where they took their GCSEs
  • The performance of the school/college where students’ took their A level or equivalent qualifications

If a student lives in a postcode that has low progression to higher education, they will receive a WP flag.  This means that our admissions staff will be encouraged to give your student’s application further consideration than someone without a WP flag.

If a student lives in a low progression postcode and meets at least one of the education indicators, or if a student has been in care for more than three months, they will receive a WP Plus flag. This would mean that a student is potentially eligible for a contextual offer, which is usually one grade lower than the standard offer. For more information, visit our Contextual Data webpages, where you will also find a list of Frequently Asked Questions, should you have any – https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/applications/after-you-apply/contextual-data/

Understanding UCAS and the applicant journey

A quick overview of UCAS and the applicant journey

Read more

Outreach at the University of Manchester

Visit the University of Manchester’s Schools and Colleges webpages to find out about other outreach opportunities for and you school

School and Colleges webpages