Choosing courses

Your students will appreciate all of the help and support you can give them. As well as talking to you about their options, we also recommend that they do a little research.

Prospectuses, open days and taster courses

Universities and colleges offer many ways to find out more about the courses they offer and student life. Your students should get hold of prospectuses and find out about open days and taster courses.

If your students have any questions or concerns, they can make enquiries to the university or college. However, the best way to get the full picture is to meet people face-to-face. Most universities and colleges hold open days. Your students can take a look around different areas of the institution and meet tutors. This allows them to decide if they like the feel of the place.

A number of universities and colleges offer short 'taster' courses. These give students the chance to experience academic and social life in a higher education environment. Most of these courses are free, and last from one day to a full week. There are also a few summer courses available. Taster courses are incredibly popular so encourage your students to book early if they want to reserve a place.

You can find out more by reading our Open Days booklet, which also has details of taster courses and education conventions. Your school or college should already have a copy, but if required, you can buy copies from www.ucasbooks.com or through our Publication Services team by phoning 01242 544610 (or +44 1242 544610 from outside the UK) or emailing publicationservices@ucas.ac.uk.

Student advice and tools on our website

The tools and advice on this website are a great place to start.

  • Stamford Test - a free tool which asks the student a series of questions and then recommends subjects that would suit the student's interests and abilities.
  • Course Search - a comprehensive online database that includes over 50,000 courses. For each course, we include information on fees, bursaries and financial support and many also have supplementary details, such as course content, entry requirements and potential career paths.
  • Entry Profiles - these profiles are available in Course Search and are intended to give potential applicants specific information to help them make informed decisions about the courses they apply for.
  • Events - we organise a number of exhibitions and conventions around the UK which bring together UCAS representatives and universities and colleges to give advice in person. We also host educational seminars to help students to understand their choices and how to make a successful application.