applying to higher education september 2015. why bother going to uni? the average graduate starting...
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APPLYING TO HIGHER EDUCATION
SEPTEMBER 2015
Why bother going to Uni?
The average graduate starting salary is approx £24000 (NI)
Graduates entering law, banking and finance, IT and engineering can expect salaries above this
the average lifetime earnings of a graduate are £227,000 more than those of a non-graduate with two A-levels
The UK has passed a significant milestone towards becoming a graduate economy, with more people now likely to have a degree than to have only reached school-level qualifications
How do you apply?
Most applications will be through UCAS (electronically)
Applications for universities in Ireland are through CAO (electronically)
A few institutions are direct entry Many European countries charge lower
tuition fees than the UK (www.studyineurope.eu)
UCAS Student Guidance Interviews - September 22nd 2014 – 10th October 2014
Applications through CAO
Closing date of early February (meeting in November)
Up to 10 degree and 10 diploma choices Listed in order of preference No personal statement or reference Different values for grades compared to
UCAS tariff No conditional offers – selection by order of
preference and results in August www.cao.ie No tuition fees but a €2500 registration fee
(pa)
UCAS application Timetable
Oxbridge and Medical / Dentistry / Veterinary
Applications
Closing date 15th October 2014Forms completed and handed in by 3rd OctoberSent by 13th October 2014
All other applications
Closing Date 15th January 2015Forms completed and handed in by 17th OctoberSent by 14th November 2014
The UCAS form
Register – username and password Personal details – name, address etc Choices – maximum of 5 realistic courses Education – schools attended, exams
completed and pending Employment – not very relevant to majority
of pupils Personal statement Cost £23
The Personal Statement
• A personal statement is probably the single most important piece of work that pupils have had to do so far
• Justify course choice (very important for a vocational course)
• Work experience• Activities inside & outside school• Positions of responsibility• Concluding statement
What happens next??
After the interview, pupils are asked to make any corrections as quickly as possible
Pupils then bring a finalised paper copy of their form to Mrs Browne
The form is checked one more time and pupils can now “pay and send”
The cost is £23 and paid online by debit/credit card
The form is automatically sent electronically to school
The school now writes the confidential reference and attaches this to the electronic form and sends this to UCAS
What happens then?? UCAS then sends the form electronically to all the
universities Admissions tutors then make a decision based on
the personal statement, predicted A-Level grades, admissions test scores, GCSE grades & A/S grades, evidence of motivation and the school reference
Some pupils may have to go to interview before a decision is made
They will reject an applicant, make a conditional offer or (rarely), an unconditional offer
What does an offer look like?
May be expressed as grades eg ABB May be expressed as UCAS Tariff points eg
320 points May be expressed as a combination of the
two eg 320 points to include an A in chemistry
A detailed break down of tariff points is available on the UCAS website
At A2, A=120, B=100,C=80, D=60, E=40 The 4th AS grade is worth half these points
What next?? If rejected, the decision is final but pupils can
ask for feedback Pupils must wait until all five decisions are
made before they can confirm any decision By early May, pupils accept a Firm
Conditional offer and an Insurance Conditional offer which should have lower grades
These are binding but there may be some leeway
UCAS Extra is available online from the end of February to the end of June if a pupil has no offers
Pupils can only apply to one course at a time in Extra
Finance 1 – Tuition fees
Universities in England, Scotland and Wales have now set their own tuition fees to a maximum of £9000
NI have set fees for NI students at £3575 All students will be eligible for a non-means
tested loan to cover their tuition fees. The student takes the responsibility for the loan which is repaid directly from their salary when they earn over £16,365
But they are optional
Finance 2 – Maintenance Loans
Loans are also available for living expenses Amount available depends on household
income (pre-tax income minus pension contributions and allowances for dependents)
London £6780 Living away from home £4840 Living at home £3750 If a pupil receives a maintenance grant, the
amount of maintenance loan available will be reduced
Also optional
Other info about loans
Loans are repaid at 9% of earnings above £16365
The time to repay is based on income and amount borrowed – not on a fixed time period
After 25 years, any remaining debt is wiped Interest on the amount is linked to inflation BUT, this means that you will owe the money
for longer and potentially repay more Loans do NOT go on credit files
Earnings (annually £)
Monthly repayment (£)
As a % of income
16365 0 0
17000 5 0.3
19000 20 1.2
21000 35 2.0
23000 50 2.6
24000 57 2.9
25000 65 3.1
Finance 3 - Grants
Grants are non-repayable Students from lower income households will
be eligible for a non-repayable grant up to £3475
If household income is less than £19203, student is eligible for the whole grant
If income is more than £41065, student is eligible for none of the grant
A sliding scale works in between the upper and lower limits
If a student is entitled to the maximum grant, the maximum maintenance loan is reduced
Finance 4 – Other support Universities have to provide additional support
to students who receive the full grant – a minimum of £347 (non-repayable)
Scholarships are available in engineering and IT “Access to Learning Funds” are available to
students on low incomes Health Professional Degrees (S<, OT,
Radiography etc) can have fees paid if pupil is accepted on NHS funded place
Disabled Students’ Allowance – pupils who have a diagnosed physical disability, mental health difficulties, or have a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, may be entitled
Information available www.hotcourses.com www.prospects.ac.uk (What do graduates do?
Section) DEL – “Financial Support for Higher Education
Students” (Usually opens in February) DEL – Student Finance Branch Education & Library Boards www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport www.studentfinanceni.com www.moneysavingexpert.com www.unistats.com www.mtssulby.com/dsa
How can I help?
Talk to your son / daughter about their choices
Check the form is completed correctly Discuss the content of the personal
statement and ask to read it Try to remind them of key dates Encourage, encourage, encourage!!
What if I need help??
www ucas.com/parents (sign up to receive the UCAS parent guide and quarterly email bulletins)
Contact Mrs Browne at school (90702777 or fmcauley789@c2kni.net)
Check the school’s website – all dates, presentations and useful websites are listed
QUESTIONS????
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