Key Information

Students apply to UK universities through an online application form on UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

• When students apply for university, they can apply for up to 5 courses at up to 5 universities.
• Students write 1 personal statement as part of the UCAS application, which goes to all 5 of their university choices. They should apply to courses which are similar so that their personal statement is relevant to all of them.
• Each university course has specific entry requirements such as A Level grades/UCAS points, specific subjects, GCSEs. Some courses will also expect work experience or require an admissions test and/or interview.
• It costs £20 to apply to 1 course through UCAS or £26 in total to apply to 5 courses. Students may be eligible for support with the cost if they are currently in receipt of bursary at college.
• Key dates in the university application process:

27th September 2021 – internal college deadline for early entry UCAS applications (students applying for Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry, the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge)
15th October 2021 – official UCAS deadline for early entry courses.
21st October 2021 – internal college deadline for all other UCAS applications (most students).
26th January 2022 – official UCAS deadline for all other courses.
March 2022 – students should have received a response by each of the universities they applied to.
March – June 2022 – students consider their offers and narrow down their university choices to 2: a firm (first choice) and an insurance (second choice).
August 2022 – students receive their A Level results and university places are confirmed to start in September.

How does College support students to apply to university?

• All students register on UCAS in Destinations Planning Sessions using a detailed step-by-step guide.
• Weekly support with all aspects of the application via the UCAS tutorial programme.
• Careers offer a bespoke programme of support for students applying for competitive and early entry courses.
• UCAS checking sessions – all students submitting a UCAS application will have their application form checked by a member of EHC staff and receive advice on making realistic choices.
• Mock interviews arranged by the careers team for students that need them.

How can parents & carers support?

• Speak to your young person about their university application and where they are up to with this. Encourage them to use our Careers Platform, Unifrog, which contains valuable information about university and allows students search for courses, create shortlists, explore subjects and related careers – and much more!
• Make sure they have made a start on their personal statement and have thoroughly researched their options. Attending open days in person or virtually is a great way to get to know a university if they are unsure!
• Encourage students to log into their UCAS account regularly and check their email – as this is how universities will communicate important information with them!

Common Misconceptions

You need to be wealthy to go to university – FALSE

While university fees and living costs are expensive, you don’t need to pay anything up front. The government provides a loan to cover tuition fees, and students apply for a means-tested maintenance loan to help with living costs.

The more student debt, the more you pay back – FALSE

Although students graduate with significant debt, they’ll pay back less each month than students did previously. This is because how much they repay each month depends on how much they earn, not how much they owe.

Key Information

• All home students are eligible for student finance support when going to university for the first time.
• Universities can charge up to £9,250 a year in tuition fees. All home students are eligible for a loan to cover this cost in full and students do not have to pay anything up front. The tuition fee loan is paid from the Student Loans Company directly to the university at the start of the academic year.
• Students can also apply for a maintenance loan to support with living costs. The amount of maintenance loan a student receives depends on where they live and is means-tested based on household income. The maintenance loan is paid directly to students in 3 installments across the academic year for them to manage themselves.
• Parents/carers must provide supporting evidence for Student Finance England to process a student’s application.
• Students first apply for their student finance in the spring before they start university (so by May 2022 for current Year 13 students going to university in September 2022). Students then have to re-apply for student finance support every year at university.
• There is additional non-repayable financial support that students can apply to at university, such as bursaries awarded to students based on personal circumstances, scholarships based on academic or extra-curricular achievements, as well as specific support for disabled students and those studying NHS eligible courses.
• Following Brexit, students from EU countries will need to provide further evidence to receive financial support – this will depend on factors such as settled or pre-settled status, as well as how long they have lived in the UK.

Student Loan Repayments after university – how do they work?

• Students are eligible to start paying back their student loan from 6 months after they graduate. Interest is charged on the loan from the start and the rate is based on the UK Retail Price Index.
• Student debt works more like a graduate tax, as the amount that a student will pay back depends on how much they go on to earn, not on how much they owe.
• Students will pay repay 9% of their income over the repayment threshold. The repayment threshold is currently £27,295. So, if a student was earning £30,000 per year, they would pay back £2,705 per year which equates to £20.28 per month. This is calculated and deducted from their monthly pay cheque automatically.
• If students ever earn below the threshold, all repayments will stop. The student debt it completely wiped after 30 years regardless of whether it’s been paid off. Most graduates will never pay it back in full.

Student Finance Information Presentation 

We know that student finance is the main thing that parents, carers and often students are concerned about when it comes to university. You might therefore find it useful to watch the presentation below from Leeds Beckett University, as this talks through all things that you need to know in terms of Student Finance and how it works.

How college support students who want to apply for apprenticeships and employment

In Year 13 students attend bespoke tutorials designed to support students explore their options for after Year 13. Each Tutor group is assigned a designated Careers Advisor, this means that students are aware who they can contact for support. Tutorials are used to develop employability skills, arrange work experience, CV writing, search for vacancies, support with writing job applications, preparations for interviews, attend mock interviews and preparing to start a new job.

Key Information about Apprenticeships

• An apprenticeship is a paid job with training. Apprentices are given real responsibilities, a contract of employment, holiday and sick pay- the same as any other employee in the company.
• Apprentices work a minimum of 30 hours per week. They must spend 20% of their time in ‘off the job’ training; some of that will be delivered by a training provider, but some of it can involve activities at the workplace that extend their learning outside of their day-to-day role.
• Depending on the level of apprenticeship, it can take between 1 and 4 years to complete
• A quarter of former apprentices are promoted within 12 months of completing their apprenticeship training
• Apprenticeships are available at levels 2 to 7- that’s GCSE level right up to Masters. Those who progress into higher apprenticeships could see increased earnings of an estimated £150,000 over a lifetime
• There are over 1,500 apprenticeship roles approved for delivery, covering more than 170 industries.
• After an apprenticeship 92% of people remain with the company they trained with.
• 1 in 5 companies have a former apprentice at Board level.
• Employers say that qualified apprentices are more employable than those with other qualifications.

• 89% of employers reported that apprentices helped their business improve the quality of their product or service

A student can apply for Apprenticeships and University if they are undecided about their career path.

What can parents do to help?

• Discuss different careers with your young person, this is especially useful for a student who hasn’t decided the type of career they want. You are in the best position to help them to identify their strengths and to know if their personality is more suited to one career over another whilst still respecting their decisions.
• Our Careers Platform- Unifrog, contains valuable information about apprenticeships and current apprenticeship vacancies are uploaded to the system every day. Students will begin applying at different times depending on the start date of the apprenticeship.
• Ensure that they attend their World of Work Tutorial every week, to help build a portfolio of information to help with securing employment or apprenticeship. They will also be required to engage with work experience opportunities and employer engagement events, to build the skills that employers look for.
• Sharing positive stories about your own work experience is helpful and we would encourage students to gain valuable skills through part time work
• You may be able to use your own network to investigate the job market by letting your connections know that your young person is looking for a position, but then ‘don’t get the job’ for them, once you have made the introduction they should have the skills and confidence manage it from.

What is Work Experience?

• Work experience is an opportunity to spend time within a work environment in an area of interest to you. This usually takes place in the office or on-site environment of the company and can range in length depending on what the employer can offer.
• The majority of work experience placements are unpaid; however, some companies do advertise for paid experiences/internships.

What benefits will I get from Work Experience? 

• Develop transferable skills such as communication, team working and independence
• Gain a better understanding of the roles available and help you to make an informed decision about your future career path.
• Create contacts enabling you to network with professionals for future job opportunities.
• Provide you with a discussion point in future applications and interviews.
• Offers clarification as to if the chosen sector is suitable or not.

Work experience plans 21/22

• Each World of Work student will aim to secure a work experience placement (minimum 3 days) in their area of interest.

• Support will be given by a member of the careers team to source and secure this.
• Work experience has been negatively affected by Covid over the last couple of years, and although things are starting to get back to normal, this is very much Covid dependent and cannot be guaranteed.
• Various other work related opportunities will be available throughout the year including employer visits/trips, employer talks within college, virtual work experiences and short online courses.

How can you support?

• If you or someone you know works within a company who would be able to offer a work experience placement/visit to either your young person on another student, please let us know by emailing [email protected]
• Encourage your young person to participate in work experience – the prospect of work experience can seem quite scary at first, especially if this is their first time in a work environment, but it will be hugely beneficial for them.
• Ensure your young person attends their weekly tutorial in order to receive the best support to source and secure work experience.