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APPLYING TO HIGHER EDUCATION

APPLYING TO HIGHER EDUCATION. SEPTEMBER 2013. 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

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APPLYING TO HIGHER EDUCATION

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  1. APPLYING TO HIGHER EDUCATION SEPTEMBER 2013

  2. 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 top earning graduate jobs of 2012 are law, investment banking and consultancy

  3. 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 23rd 2013 – 11th October 2013

  4. 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)

  5. UCAS application Timetable

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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 attached this to the electronic form and sends this to UCAS

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. Finance 4 - Bursaries • Universities have to provide additional support to students who receive the full grant – a minimum of £347 • These are non-repayable • A number of scholarships are available in engineering and IT • Universities also have “Access to Learning Funds” which are available to students on low incomes • Health Professional Degrees (S&LT, OT, Radiography etc) can have fees paid if pupil is accepted on NHS funded place

  17. Information available • www.hotcourses.com • www.prospects.ac.uk (What do graduates do? Section) • DEL – “Financial Support for Higher Education Students” (Apply in February/March) • DEL – Student Finance Branch • Education & Library Boards • www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport • www.studentfinanceni.com • www.moneysavingexpert.com • www.unistats.com

  18. 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!!

  19. 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

  20. QUESTIONS????

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