How to choose the right university

Once you’ve decided to go to university the next big decision to make is which course to study and which university to study it at. With more than 50,000 courses nationwide there is a lot to choose from!

To try and help you make your decision, we have put together our top five things to consider when researching which university and course are right for you:

Course

Course length – take into consideration how long your course is; most are three years but some can be longer. Many courses offer a placement year and although this will make your degree a year longer, there are lots of benefits in terms of giving you work experience and transferable skills for future.

Variety and flexibility of modules – this can be a key deciding factor in choosing a course at one university over another, as modules tell you which subject areas you’ll be learning about during your degree.

Teaching methods – consider how the course is taught, how many hours you’ll be required to spend on campus and whether you perform better with exams or coursework. Some courses have lots of exams whereas other courses may have no exams at all. You’ll also find that some courses have a higher number of teaching hours (for example a lot of science based subjects), whereas other courses involve a lot more personal study.

To take a look at all of the courses we offer at DMU, go to our undergraduate course list.

Campus

There are lots of important questions to consider when deciding on the type of university you want to go to:

What is the university itself like?
Is it big or small?
Rural or urban?
Traditional or modern?
If you’re planning to live at home, how far is it from your home? How much time will you spend travelling?

All of these factors will have an impact on your experience and you are looking for the perfect combination. For example, at DMU we are unique in that we have all the benefits of being a campus based university, with all of our facilities on one site, as well as only being a 10 minute walk from Leicester city centre.

Top tip: If you want to find out more about a university and what its campus is like try to visit one of their open days. Here at DMU we have a number of open days throughout the year, take a look at our open days page for more information.

City

As well as the university and course itself, it is also really important to consider the city that you will be living in. Remember you will be there for three years at least so you need to like the area where you are going to be living, especially if you’re going to be moving cities. Look at shops, sports facilities, safety and cost of living as well as just the university itself.

This is another reason why going to open days is important as it enables you to take a look around the city while you are visiting the university.

Career

Things to consider in terms of your career when choosing which course to study:

It is always a good idea to look at where you want to go in your career before you finalise your degree choice. You need to consider where your degree will be able to take you in the future.

Some jobs require very specific qualifications (i.e. a doctor, lawyer or social worker) whereas others will need you to have a higher education qualification in general but it doesn’t need to be in a specific subject.

Some courses are recognised by professional bodies, whereas others may have the same title but not have the recognition. Being recognised or accredited by a professional body usually means that the course has had to meet a certain set of standards outlined by that professional body. This can be important when it comes to finding a job in industry, particularly for subjects such as journalism and psychology.

Cost

You need to look at how much fees are, the living costs and any additional costs as part of the course, such as lab costs or books. Also check what funding is available to help you, for more information on financial help at university take a look at our fees and funding pages.