Some students may decide to continue with their education by applying to a University or a Higher Education College to study levels 4-7. Students may choose to study at University if it is essential for entry into a profession (e.g. Teaching, Nursing, Social Work, etc) or because they have a real interest in the subject.
Whatever the reason your child wants to study at a higher level, Higher Education study will develop a range of academic and life skills, along with broader experiences that will allow them to develop professionally to progress their careers further.
How can you help?
Students will need to research course options, entry requirements and consider the methods of assessment on the course which will help their success. Attending Open Events at universities or Colleges of interest is highly recommended to support this research and to get an insight into what studying may be like.
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses across the UK are processed through the UCAS (University & Colleges Admission Service) system. This is an online system accessed through the UCAS website at www.ucas.com. UCAS also has a section and guide for parents to support your knowledge:
Chesterfield College have a team of Careers Adviser’s based in Student & Apprentice Services who are available to support your child with their UCAS application, provide general course & careers guidance. During their studies their course and personal tutor will also be very knowledgeable in this area and will be good at advising predicted grades and whether the subject would be suited for them to study at a higher level.
Student Finance
As parents you will be worried about the cost of university. However, the Student Finance system makes Higher Education accessible for all and do not hesitate to talk to the Student Finance team about any concerns you may have.
The cost of the tuition fee is around £9,250 for one academic year and your child will also need to fund their living costs.
Financial advice and information is available through Student Finance England www.gov.uk/studentfinance or www.sfengland.co.uk which details loans available for tuition and maintenance. Universities may also give out additional funding in the form of Bursaries and Scholarships, which will be available on their websites.
For further advice & guidance:
– Speak to Admissions Team at the Universities/Colleges of your choice
– UCAS Student Support line: 0371 468 0468
UCAS Deadlines and Timelines
There are different dates that you and your child need to be aware of when making an application and waiting for decisions. Please note that after they have submitted their UCAS application we will check it at college before it is sent to UCAS so any mistakes can be corrected before submission. College has an earlier UCAS submission internal deadline for students to give tutors time to add references and for applications to be checked.