If you decided to take a year out and now need to prepare to begin your studies, we’ve got you covered. There could be a few reasons why you chose this option. You may have been taking steps towards your future career by volunteering. Perhaps you’ve been saving up the money to fund your way through your studies. Or maybe you experienced an unexpected situation which meant you needed to take a step away from education. No matter your reason, you’re probably wondering how you can best prepare for the start of your course.
We always aim to keep you in the loop with our most recent updates via email. Make sure to keep us up to date with your details, especially if they change. We wouldn’t want you to miss out on any essential or exciting information. And mark us as a safe sender so we don’t end up in your junk mail.
It’s a good idea to follow us on our social media platforms now too. You’ll be in the know about all things Edge Hill and you’ll get to hear directly from our students. Make sure to get involved with any polls or quizzes that we add to our social media stories. There’s always lots of information to discover.
Your applicant website
Your applicant webpages are your go-to place to find out all you need to know. It’s here where you’ll find important dates and information to prepare you for your course. As well as information about campus, accommodation, how we can support you and more.
Your applicant website
Your study area
Visit your study area to find more information about your department and any new updates. And see where you’ll be studying by taking a virtual tour of our facilities. Use this page to find out anything new about your department and hear from students who are studying within the department too.
Course preparation information, enrolment and Induction Week
As you get closer to the start of your studies, you’ll find information that’ll help you to prepare for your course. This includes course preparation information, which will provide you with advice on how to connect with your tutors, advice on how to prepare for your course and tips from our current students.
You’ll be able to enrol on your degree programme in late August/early September. You’ll receive an email from us with instructions on how to do this. Make sure to read the information carefully, as it’ll detail the documents that you’ll need to complete the process. Enrolment happens in two stages. The first should be completed online prior to your start date. Then the second part, which completes your enrolment, will take place on campus when you join us for your Induction Week. Please note, you can only complete the second stage of enrolment if you’ve provided all the necessary documents for your course, such as a DBS check or attended any essential appointments, such as Occupational Health. These aren’t necessary for all courses, and you’ll be contacted with further information if you need to complete this.
Closer to the start of your course, you’ll find your Induction Week timetable on your applicant website too, which will detail where you need to be and when you need to be there. This is your chance to meet your coursemates, find out more about what to expect in your first year, get involved in student life and officially become a university student.
Enhancing your academic skills
As part of your transition to higher education, you may notice that you’ll begin to use different skills as part of your course. To help you out, our UniSkills Team have put together a suite of online toolkits to help you improve your skills and build your confidence. The toolkits are free to access. These aren’t compulsory, but we recommend looking at them if you can.
UniSkills
Accommodation or commuting?
Are you planning to live in on-campus accommodation? If your answer is ‘yes’, then you’ll need to look out for an email from our Accommodation Team. In here, you’ll find instructions on how to select your room and what you need to do to confirm your selection. If you have any questions about the halls available to you or the process you need to complete, you can contact the team directly. Email [email protected] or call them on 01695 657555.
If commuting is your option, then you may want to map out your route before you join us, so you don’t have to worry about reaching us on your first day. We’re accessible by multiple modes of transport. You can find more information on your applicant website by selecting the ‘Commuting’ tile.
Why not visit us before you join us? Even if you’ve visited us before, you can visit us again at any of our upcoming events. Check out our Visit Us webpage to see what’s coming up. You can even check out the local area to find out all the great places on offer. Why not visit The Cricketers for a bite to eat, then head to Kas Social to play their board games for some friendly competition.
Student finance
If you planned to attend university in the previous year and applied for a student loan, you’ll need to reapply again. Applications are now open for those who intend to begin their course in September 2025. View your applicant finance webpage for more information. You must ensure that all your details are correct and are in line with the year that you plan to attend university. For example, if you applied to start your studies in 2024 but deferred your entry until 2025, you will need to indicate on your student finance application that your year of entry is 2025. It’s essential that your details are correct or else you may not receive your loan in time for the start of your course. It’s also a good idea to keep back enough money to cover the first two weeks of study in case of any delays in receiving your student finance.
Your year out of education can also be a good time to save up some extra funds. Even though you may be eligible for a maintenance loan, it doesn’t hurt to save extra money to put towards self-care, university equipment, food or extra treats. Or you could use this time to create a budget tracker, if you haven’t already. This will help you to understand what expenses are necessary and where you can save a few extra pounds.
Support
Returning to education after some time away can feel daunting, but don’t worry, we’re here to support you. You may arrive and realise that you settle in straight away. Or you may need a little extra support. Either way, we can help. We have a number of support teams across the University who are here and happy to help. Whether it’s academic skills, inclusion support, wellbeing support or something else, we have a team of supportive advisers here just for you.
But most of all, look forward to joining us in September. Starting university is an exciting time and you have the rest of summer to look forward to attending.
July 14, 2025
