What to study at uni and where to go?

Where to look for information about university courses

You can search university courses on the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) website, which has links to most institutions of higher education and the courses they offer. Applications to most courses are made online from the UCAS website, including music conservatoires. Look at course and university details carefully - courses with the same title can be very different.

Universities provide information about each course on their websites. You should also visit universities that you are interested in applying to, it's a great opportunity to meet course tutors, find out more about the course, chat to students and take a tour of the campus before applying.

Most universities also offer part-time courses or you can study with the Open University.

What about the quality of the course?

You are paying fees, so you need to check out the quality of the teaching and what students go on to do. These national surveys may help:

Entrance requirements and entrance tests

Universities set their own entry requirements. These are usually a mix of specific GCSE and advanced level qualifications. These are clearly set out in prospectuses and on university websites.

In addition, some universities require students to take entrance tests for courses including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and law. University prospectuses and websites will have details of any tests they require.

Get more information through The Russell Group's guide to post-16 subject choices.

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