Applying to Higher Education and the

Financial Changes for 2012

Hayley Chancellor

Head of Year 13

What do our Year 12’s want to do?Question 1: Are you sure of what you want to do

when you leave the sixth form?

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69%

31%

Question 4: Of those that answered that they DO want to go to university, how many know what

course they want to study

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Question 3: Are you planning on going to University?

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48% have no idea what they

would like to study

88%would

like to go to university

• Career opportunities enhanced by having a degree

•Graduates are twice as likely to be employed as non-graduates, and are much more likely to be promoted to managerial and senior positions.

• 50% less chance of being unemployed

• Likely to earn on average £250,000 more over your lifetime than someone without a degree

• It’s challenging, rewarding and certainly enjoyable

Why go on to higher education?

Did you know…?Did you know…?• There are 304 institutions offering HE

courses

• There are 55,000 courses in the UK

• There are 780,000 UCAS applicants each year

• 40% of University applicants are from state schools

HOW ON EARTH IS IT POSSIBLE TO CHOOSE JUST 5????

THE PROCESS OF UCASTHE PROCESS OF UCAS Personal

Statement finalised Submit

UCAS Form

UCAS DEADLINE

EXAMS

Firm choicedecided/

Insurance choice decided (backup)

Uni Open DaysProspectus’

Med, Dentistry and Oxb. group

Start to get offers

What will the university do when they receive the

application form?

Excitement – first thoughts, (open days)

boredom

worry

Personal statement and decisions - Worry and stress

excitement

boredom

Research By:

The Emotional Journey

2009

No. of Applications No. of Acceptances

Medicine 69,869 7,967

Dentistry 11,755 1,217

Nursing 134,267 25,007

Sports Science 49,982 10,783

Psychology 80,850 15,397

Vet. Medicine 7,167 886

Law 91,459 17,402

English Studies 57,635 10,402

Training Teachers 46,949 8,007

History 46,970 8,552

Most competitive courses in 2010

• Exceptional GCSE profile – several A*-A grades

• May be entrance tests for some courses

• Academic rigour – evidence of time management, deadlines, handling a heavy work load

• Strong personal statement – rounded personality + extra curricular

• Strong well informed reference

Competitive Courses –Typical requirements

www.ukcoursefinder.com - Not sure about what course to do/ Submit online questionnaire www.ucas.com Look at courses/ entry requirements/ university linksLINK

www.unistats.com - student views

www.bma.org.uk - becoming a doctor

www.oxbridge-admissions.info

Helpful Websites

Research universities and courses at open days

• Book early

• Watch out for subject specific open days

Use

website to:

• Search

• Access open days calendar

• Book for many of them

• Get advice

• Subscribe to newsletter

UCAS Fair Revisio

n kit

Applicant DayOpen

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Newsletter

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Results Day

Guide

Applicant Day invite

Acknowledgement card

Prospectus request

Advert

Submit UCAS Form

Submit UCAS Form

UCAS deadline

UCAS deadline

ResultsResultsExamsExams

Firm choice

decision

Firm choice

decision

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Newsletter

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Attend open day

Attend open day

Start Researching NOW!

• Tuition fees

• 22% of HE students drop out of university in the first year

• Use university websites to their full capacity.Contact course leaders/ admissions tutor

• Visit

The Location

• Live at home• Live away?• Preferred Regions?• Preferred Cities?• With friends?• With relatives?

The Institutions - branding• Campus – based on its own site (eg Keele,

Lancaster)• City – Located in the heart of the city ( eg

Manchester, UCL)• Collegiate – Made up of separate member colleges

(eg Cambridge, Durham)• ‘Russell Group’ (eg Bristol, Manchester,

Glasgow, Cardiff, Warwick) Top unis - research

• ‘Red Brick’ (eg Sheffield, Reading) Pre WWI• ‘New’ (eg Hertfordshire, Westminster) Post 1992

opendays.com website

Open Days

• A chance to see the university• A chance to meet the staff and students• A chance for students to determine “is it right for

me?”

BUT REMEMBER

• The university is trying to sell itself to you, you must dig below the surface.

UCAS Extra – End of Feb to the beginning of June

- For students who have used all 5 choices and had no offers back (5 rejections)

- Can apply for 1 course at a time

- There will be a decision from the university within 21 days

- This is preferable to clearing

- Everyone will meet minimum entry requirements - therefore apply for a course that has lower entry requirements than predicted grades to enable you to pass through the extra sifts

Oxbridge

• 3 students are interviewed per place – all have the entry requirements

• The interview is subject based – no questions on personality

• When you apply for Cambridge you could apply for a particular college if you do not get offered a place at this college you are put into a pool system with all the colleges

• When you apply to Oxford all decisions are made before Christmas

SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT

15TH OCTOBERDeadline for UCASApplications for

Oxford or Cambridge & Medicine, Dentistry

or Veterinary Science courses

15TH JANApplication

deadlinefor all other

courses

24TH MARCHApplication Deadline for

Art and Design courses

A LEVELRESULTS

FEB – JUNEUCAS EXTRA

JULY – SEPTCLEARING

IMPORTANT UCAS DEADLINES

Part 2:

Financial Changes for students applying for 2012 entry to HE

• Most details of the new student finance system are still subject to approval

• Most universities are likely to charge between £6,000 and £9,000 in tuition fees

• There will be no up-front fees for any UK/EU student

• Students applying in 2011 for a deferred entry will come under the 2012 fee regulations

4 Types of Finance

• Tuition Fees Loan

• Living Costs Grant

• Living Costs Loan

• Scholarships

Tuition Fees Loan

• Cannot pay fees up front

• Students can receive a repayable loan paid directly to the institution from Student Finance England

Living Costs Grant• Non repayable

• Dependent on:

- If household income is below £25,000 then a maximum grant of £3,850 is available

- If family qualifies for housing benefit, Armed Forces benefits, single parent family or they have a disability

• If household income is between £25,000-£42,600 then a partial sum is available

Living Costs Loan

• 65% of loan available is non-means tested with the remaining 35% dependent upon household income

• Repayable and dependent on:1. Household income – ranges on tiered basis from £3,850

grant + £3,875 Loan (Income £25k or less) to £3,875 loan only (income above £62.5k).

Example; An income of £40k would enable a grant of £523 + loan of £5,239

2. Where the student will be living i.e., at home, at uni, in London

National Scholarships Programme• Universities have to have a scholarship scheme if they are

charging £6,000+

• Eligible for a scholarship if:- The student lives in an area of a low progression to

university- Household income of less that £25,000- Has incapacity benefits- Is a looked after child (using statutory definition)

CHECK ELIGIBLILTY AFTER JULY 11th

University of Hertfordshire Scholarship Scheme

• If predicted over 360 UCAS points (3As)• They will receive a bursary of £3,000• 60 available each year

Need to apply by April 15th 2012 to be considered

• Enquire at chosen universities!

Repaying the fee loans• Repay from April after graduation

• Taken straight from pay if graduate earns over £21,000 salary

• Pay back 9% of what you earn over £21,000 via monthly payments (PAYE – Pay As You Earn Scheme)

• If the student has debt left after 30 years the loan will be written off

• Interest is payable on student loans and is variable depending on income Whilst studying RPI +3%,

<£21k RPI 21k to 41k tiered

> £41,000 RPI+3%

Repayments ProposalRepayments ProposalEarnings Current System New 2012 system

Annual Repayment

Monthly paypacket

reduction it's equivalent

to

Annual Repayment

Monthly pay packet

reduction it's equivalent

to

£15,000 Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing

£16,000 £90 £7.50 Nothing Nothing

£21,000 £540 £45 Nothing Nothing

£22,000 £630 £52.50 £90 £7.50

£30,000 £1,350 £112.50 £810 £67.50

£40,000 £2,250 £187.50 £1,710 £142.50

£50,000 £3,150 £262.50 £2,610 £217.50

Points of Interest…• The new system is unlikely to impact the ability to get a mortgage

Future graduates will have more income after tax and loan repayments (net income) - which makes saving for a deposit and repaying a mortgage in the years after graduation easier.

• The Council for Mortgage Lenders (the mortgage company trade association) has said "A student loan is very unlikely to impact materially on an individual's ability to get a mortgage but the amount of mortgage available may depend on net income."

• You may not be allowed to repay early

• Students from, or going to, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish unis may have different rules

• Many people will never pay it all back

• Think of it like a graduate tax not a loan

Plan Finances Now

IncomeLiving costs loan / grant

Parental help and support

Gap year earnings

Part time work (up to 15 hours recommended p/w)

Scholarships

Holiday work

Placement work (if applic)

Expenditure

Food TV Licence

Rent Phone

Bills Household items

Clothes

Car Clothes

Travel Memberships

Text books/ stationery Sports clubs

Socialising – bar bill!

University of Hertfordshire

Fees

• £5,800 for a Foundation Degree• Undergraduates: Band 1: £7,400

Band 2: £7,800

Band 3: £8,500

Most courses in band 1 or 2 with

the average course costing

£7,500

All university fee proposal plans subject togovernment approval on Monday 11th July

http://yourfuture.direct.gov.uk/http://yourfuture.direct.gov.uk/

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING