Institution Types
State/Public Uni
Most Common
Private Uni
Very Few
Undergraduate Only
Very Few
Junior College
Not Available
Arts Schools
Yes, mostly public
Business Schools
A few private
American Schools
3 - in London
Research Focused
Some, the best known are the Russel Group Universities
Teaching Focused
Yes - look at the TEF Rankings
Good to Know
St. Clare's is a UCAS Centre and around 50-60% of St. Clare's students choose to stay in the UK for their Undergraduate degree.
The majority of Universities in the UK are Public, State Funded Institutions, these include Art Schools. There are also a few private institutions including some business and hospitality schools.
There are a large range of Universities in the UK from large to small and from modern to traditional. They all operate their own teaching models and all have their unique selling points and strengths as an institution.
Degree Length
• Standard degrees are 3 years in England and Wales
• Adding a placement or study abroad year will add 1 year to your degree
• In Scotland, the standard degree is 4 years but with very high IB grades, you may be able to enter in year 2 and study for just 3 years.
• There are also 5-year degrees during which you gain both your bachelors and masters degree.
Education Model
Single and Joint Honours are the most common degree models
• There are some institutions that offer degrees where you can combine multiple subjects in a major/minor style
• In Scotland, most degrees follow a flexible model enabling you to take subjects outside of your primary interest in year 1 and 2
Gap Years
Gap Years are widely accepted in the UK. You can apply whilst in IB 2 for deferred entry on your UCAS form, or apply during a Gap Year. If you are applying for a math's or science subject, it is wise to plan how to keep up with your academic skills in those areas during your Gap Year.
Placements
Many courses offer the opportunity to take a year long placement or internship as part of your degree. Different universities have different names for these and you might see them called: Professional Experience; Industry Experience; Year in Industry or Placement and you might also hear them being referred to as a Sandwich Year.
You will typically have a lower tuition fee for the year whilst maintaining access to the university library and a tutor who supports you. These placements are often paid, but not always.
Something to check when researching, is how much support the university gives you with securing a placement for the year as this can vary greatly.
Application Process
The majority of applications are made via UCAS where you can apply for up to 5 courses on your 1 application form
1 UCAS Personal Statement
10-20 Hours for up to 5 applications (excluding research time)
IB students start working towards their Personal Statement in Easter of IB 1 and register on UCAS at the end of the summer term in IB 1. The internal college deadline to apply by is 30 November except for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, Oxford and Cambridge applications which have a 15 October deadline
UFP students will start working on their Personal Statement and Application form in October. The application deadline is the last Wednesday in January
All public universities require undergraduate applications via UCAS. Most private universities give this as an option although some also allow direction application.
Students can apply for up to 5 courses on UCAS. They submit one application form, with one personal statement and that application and statement is sent to all 5 courses.
Foundation year applications are direct for all universities, unless it is integrated into a full degree.
Grade Conversion
24 points plus gives you lots of courses at research universities and UAS. 30 points plus gives you access to some university colleges, while most will be looking for 32-34 overall points excluding EE and TOK. Admission can be competitive at these colleges though, and application review is holistic.
Research Resources
Concourse Global Clearing
Application Portal
Concourse is a platform where universities search for candidates they want, rather than you completing lots of complex, time consuming and expensive applications. You complete one profile, which institutions view an anonymised version of. If they feel you are a fit for them, they will make you an offer and if you're interested, you can connect with them, share your full details and speak to them about what they can offer you.
UCAS
Application Portal | Explore Options
UCAS is the platform you will use to apply to universities in the UK. Its Course Search allows you to search all UK courses and has some filter options but the results will always be organised in alphabetical order. Ensure you select Undergraduate as the course type
GoToUniversity
Explore Options
This site is run by a company that supports university applications and whilst its university database is not exhaustive, within the application requirements tab on each university profile they have the average IB scores accepted and where available the application success rate.
They also have average living costs for the area, rankings overviews and some scholarship information.
Be aware that they list programs in all languages, not just English and the IB scores and success rate percentages are averages across the whole institution. However, they are a good indicator if the university does not publish more detailed information.
What Uni
Explore Options
WhatUni is a UK search and comparison site for UK degree courses. They have a range of filters you can search on, including looking for modules on specific topics. You can order your results by a choice of different factors based on what is most important to you. You can save options on the site to compare against each other if you create a free account. They also have
a prospectus ordering service
Virtual Open Days and Events search and book system
Student Reviews
Ratings on things like student life and campus facilities based on their massive survey of university students each year.
Advice Articles
Guides to courses and a quiz to find courses that lead to the careers you want or match the subjects you like to study most click here
Admission Report
Explore Options
The Admission Report team use publically available data alongside data they collect through Freedom of Information requests to allow you to access detailed and accurate statistics on applications, offers and enrollments at a university level and a course level.
The limitation is that they only have this for a small percentage of institutions, but they have focused on the most competitive ones.
The Complete University Guide
Explore Options
The Complete University Guide is a UK site that started as focused on Subject Based League Tables but has developed into a good information site. They have useful university profiles, a course search function, useful advice articles. and a search function for virtual events and open days.
If you like using League Tables, then their article on how to do this effectively is very useful to read. https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/where-to-study/how-to-use-university-league-tables
Costs
The cost of University tuition in the UK is dependent on your citizenship and residency. Universities are also free to set their own fee rate within certain guidelines
If you are classed as a home student, live in England or Wales and have British Citizenship or settled/pre-settled status your maximum tuition fee is £9,250 a year for universities in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and £9,000 a year for universities in Ireland
If you are classified as a home student, live in Scotland and have British Citizenship or settled/pre-settled status you will not pay any tuition fee in Scotland, but will pay up to £9,000 a year for universities in Wales and £9,250 for universities in England and Ireland
If you are a British Citizen who is not currently living in the UK or a British Overseas territory, you may still be able to be classed as a home student if you have spent more than 7 years of your life living in the UK.
If you are an international student, fees are set at individual course level and vary from £9,250-£65,000 a year. Generally, Medicine and Engineering are the most expensive, with humanities degrees being the least expensive,
Alongside tuition, you need to factor in the cost of living which can vary greatly across the UK with London being the most expensive. A budget of between £190 and £350 per/week would be realistic dependent on your accommodation choices and geographic location.
Funding
The UK Governments provide financial support in the form of loans and in some situations bursaries, to help students afford the cost of university. There are some quite complex eligibility requirements you can check at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies.
If you are classed as a home student and live in England or Wales you are eligible for
A tuition fee loan for the cost of your course up to the fee cap (Private universities can choose to charge more than this fee rate)
A maintenance loan to help with living costs. How much your are eligible for depends on a number of factors including family income.
See more details at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/new-fulltime-students
There are some bursaries and scholarships available for home students. These tend to be for students with financial need or difficult circumstances.
There are some scholarships for International students, although very few of them will cover the full cost of tuition and living.
You can find information about what universities offer on the finance pages of their websites. We have also included websites where you can search for scholarships in the research resources.
Universities
Explore the university profiles for this country on the CareersExplore Platform.
Arts University Bournemouth
There are days when our campus seems to overflow with the shared energy of our students as they interrogate, explore and realise their own creative stories.
As a specialist creative arts university we want our students to be experts in their discipline and so we offer single subjects.
City Island Campus
Small Institution <5000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
English & Media
Performing Arts
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus-based university in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath. We enjoy a strong sense of community both on and off campus and provide excellent graduate prospects.
All courses at University of Bath offer the opportunity of a professional placement or study abroad.
Suburban Campus
Large Institution 15,000-30,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
Language & Culture
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
University of Birmingham
Birmingham is a truly global university producing world-leading research. With over 8,700 international students from approximately 150 countries, our campus is truly a diverse and global place which attracts the brightest and best international students.
We are a Russell Group university which hosts outstanding teaching and learning on campus.
City Campus, Suburban Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Language & Culture
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Performing Arts
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
University of Brighton
Integrated or Thematic degrees, Researched Focused Institution, Teaching Focused Institution, Vocationally Focused Institution (multiple integrated internships)
City Campus
Large Institution 15,000-30,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Language & Culture
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Performing Arts
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
University of Bristol
Studying at Bristol gives you the opportunity to be part of a world-class university, based in a vibrant community with a a thriving eco culture and endless historic charm.
Bristol's academic facilities are located in a defined campus area, separate to the accommodation.
City Campus
Large Institution 15,000-30,000
Areas of Study
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Language & Culture
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Performing Arts
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
Brunel University London
At Brunel you'll learn from academics who are leaders in their field and explore areas that interest you in your subject of choice. You'll have every opportunity to grow and we'll support and encourage you to be inspired, develop your ideas and successfully shape your future career.
Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model), Integrated or Thematic degrees, Researched Focused Institution, Teaching Focused Institution
Suburban Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Performing Arts
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
University of Cambridge
Single Subject Focus (Joint degrees available), Researched Focused Institution, Teaching Focused Institution
City Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Language & Culture
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
Cardiff University
We are an ambitious and innovative university with a bold and strategic vision located in a beautiful and thriving capital city.
We have 350 different courses in a wide range of subjects
City Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Language & Culture
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Performing Arts
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
University of Chichester
Be Passionate, Be Inspired, Be You. The University of Chichester - where our students are known by name and not a number.
Both Single and Dual honours at Undergraduate with a focus on practical application
City Island Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Performing Arts
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
City University London
It’s innovative, fun, energised, focussed, forward-looking and diverse.
We offer a range of programmes aimed at equipping students for professional life.
City Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Areas of Study
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Performing Arts
Society & Social Sciences
University of Dundee
Our core purpose is to transform lives, working locally and globally through the creation, sharing and application of knowledge.
The full spectrum as we have a broad range of courses across 10 academic schools.
City Island Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Language & Culture
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
Durham University
A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.
Single Subject Focus (Joint degrees available), Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model), Integrated or Thematic degrees, Researched Focused Institution, Vocationally Focused Institution (multiple integrated internships)
City Campus, City Island Campus, Suburban Campus
Large Institution 15,000-30,000
A high volume of applications means a number of programmes can be more selective than others
Areas of Study
Business
Computing & ICT
Engineering
English & Media
Interdisciplinary Studies
Language & Culture
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Mathematics
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences