Post-18 Options

    Welcome to our Higher Education advice page for Parents/carers and Students

    Post-18 Option Presentations from 08/05/2025

    Post-18 Option Evening 2025 Presentation MMU Degree Apprenticeships 2025 Presentation Post-18 Alternative Option to University 2025 Presentation

    We hope the information and links provided here will assist you in your decision making.

    Which routes are possible?

    • Full-time employment
    • Apprenticeships
    • Full-time employment with a course, such as those provided by the Open University
    • Part-time university
    • Gap Year, work and/or travel
    • A year in Industry, then on to university
    • Full-time university in the UK or abroad

    Full-Time Employment or a Professional Apprenticeship

    • In the Spring Term, our Careers Advisor Amy Marshall, will first see all students who are not sure if they want to apply to university.
    • This will be followed up with as much support as possible. Local job opportunities and apprenticeships generally start to be released from February onwards, but we communicate all opportunities.
    • Amy has all the contacts for apprenticeships and will help students with applications and making appointments.
    • Key providers deliver presentations on their apprenticeships.

    GAP YEAR

    • The group, 'Year in Industry' usually present to students.
    • Project Trust may present on experiences working abroad.
      Many Gap Year companies have stands at the MCCC Higher Education Convention in March and booklets are always available in school.

    Applying to University and Making Choices

    • From September of Year 12 there is a comprehensive programme of support offered to students to help them to make the right university and course choices.  This includes preparation for the Higher Education Convention in March.
    • Tutors deliver an options and choices session

    Presentations include:

    • An Introduction to Higher Education

    • Life as a student

    • Making use of Open Days

    Applying to University: What Next?

    Universities and Colleges Admissions Services

    Sign on to www.ucas.com for further information

    • Use the UCAS website course search to link with the universities which offer courses that you are interested in. Check the Course/Entry Profiles carefully, either on the internet or in the prospectuses.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    • Degree: 3 or 4 years of study resulting in a BA or BSc.
    • Joint Honours (2) or Combined Studies (3)
    • Sandwich course: a year in industry, often paid employment. Languages often require a year abroad
    • Foundation degree: 2-year vocational course which prepares students for a degree
    • HND: 2-year course, which, if you achieve high grades, can lead to the 3rd year of a degree course

    Types of University

    • CITY – e.g. University of Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool
    • CAMPUS – Lancaster, Keele, Nottingham, Warwick
    • NEW (often city) – Edge Hill, Manchester Metropolitan University
    • RURAL – Cumbria or Aberystwyth
    • COLLEGIATE – Oxford, Cambridge, Durham

    Where to Study?

    • The university that has the course that interests you most, so long as you can meet the entry criteria.
    • Decide how far away from home you want to be. Do you want to be within 1/2 hours travelling distance?
    • Find out if the university guarantees First Year students a place in halls of residence.
    • What are the facilities?
    • What is the cost of living like in that location?
    • Do you need to pay a deposit to secure a place in your preferred halls?

    The Courses

    • Be thorough. Check the content and choices of each year of the course. Entry Profile (EP) or Course Profile.
    • Check the grade/point score requirement and allowed combinations of AS & A2.
    • Check subject requirements for certain careers.
    • Are there any bursaries available at that university, for a particular course or for a student with a talent or from a certain background?
    • www.unistats.com for how students rate the quality/quantity of teaching.

    Useful Websites

    Course Choice and Admissions Tests

    • Students select 5 courses
    • MDV may only select 4 courses but a 5th may be non-MDV
    • Oxbridge students must choose between Oxford and Cambridge
    • Admissions Aptitude Tests are needed by all Medical, all Dentistry (UKCAT), many Law (LNAT) and others.

     Open Days 

    www.ucas.com/opendays

    • Visit: 3 years is a long time if you don’t like the location
    • Ask to see the buildings where your lectures will take place & the halls of residence.
    • Ask what proportion of the time is taught in each year of the course.
    • Check out the library and leisure facilities
    • Talk to students already on your course
    • If an interview is likely, discover as much as you can about the format it will take

    Interviews – which subjects, who is selected and the format?

    • MDV, Oxbridge, Languages, Teaching, Music, Theatre, Health Care, Art & Design, Architecture, Journalism, LSE, UCL etc.
    • What determines if you are asked for interview?
      Subject choice, university selection policy, distance, number of applications, special cases
    • Interviews are often individual but there are increasingly observations made about your interaction within a group.

    The Application Process

    • www.ucas.com/apply
    • In June/July students complete the online application form using the school buzzword.
    • £28.50 for 5 individual choices
    • Personal Statement: Advice from university admissions tutors and tailored support from sixth form mentors.
    • Chance to personalise the application and sell yourself. Explain why you want the course and are most suitable for it.
    • References: Written by the sixth form mentor team.

    Deadlines

    • UCAS is now open but will not forward applications to universities until 1st September.
    • Students should be considering courses and universities of interest.
    • Personal Statement: First Draft – final fortnight of Year 12 term 3. Students should aim for 3 reviews with staff.
    • Students should aim to finalise their university choices in September/October.
    • Students should aim to submit their completed application to school by:
      • October the 8th if they're an early deadline student
      • November if they're not an early deadline student
    • The application will then be checked with the student before the reference is attached and the application dispatched to UCAS.
    • Although our internal early deadline is the 8th of October, the official UCAS deadline for receipt of applications is the 15th of October 2025.
    • Although our internal deadline is the end of November, the official UCAS deadline for receipt of applications is the 14th of January 2026.

    What Next?

    • Students receive a Welcome email with a personal number needed for all communication with UCAS or universities.
    • Track: UCAS online system to view an individual application. Offers and invitations to interviews are made on Track:
      Conditional Offer: requires certain grades or points.
      Unconditional Offer: no requirements (check the fine print!)
    • Students only accept or reject offers when all five universities have replied. The deadline for students to decide is in May. Only TWO offers can be selected:
      Firm Acceptance: a student’s first choice
      Insurance Acceptance: a student’s second choice

    Further guidance

    The Russell Group of Universities have published their own document aimed at advising Parents/Carers and Students how best to apply for their Universities. It is entitled "Informed Choices". Click here to go to the Russell Group website where you can download the full document.

    The current membership of the Russell Group is:

    • University of Birmingham
    • University of Bristol
    • University of Cambridge
    • Cardiff University
    • University of Edinburgh
    • University of Glasgow
    • Imperial College London
    • King's College London, (University of London)
    • University College London, (University of London)
    • University of Leeds
    • University of Liverpool
    • London School of Economics, (University of London)
    • University of Manchester
    • University of Newcastle
    • University of Nottingham
    • Queen's University Belfast
    • University of Oxford
    • University of Sheffield
    • University of Southampton
    • University of Warwick

    And finally...

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