Preparing for university
Once your student has submitted an application and received an offer, there are lots of things they will need to do before arriving at university. Here’s a useful guide to start planning.
On this page you will find some of the key tasks that your student will need to do after submitting their application.
Doing these things ensures that they’re as prepared as possible to start this exciting new chapter.
Attend an applicant visit day
These are events exclusively for applicants who have been offered a place, and usually take place in February and March. They offer a great insight to studying here and the day is based around a subject taster session.
Your student will receive their invitation by email and post and they can book their place online.
Confirm firm and insurance choices
If your student submitted their application to UCAS by the deadline date, they should start to receive offers or invitations to interviews by the end of March. The deadline for accepting an offer is early May, this can be done on UCAS Track.
The potential replies to offers your student can give are:
- Firm choice – their first choice course and university.
- Insurance choice – a back-up if the firm choice is a conditional offer (for example, subject to exam results). This is usually a course with lower offer conditions.
- Decline – reject the offer. If all offers are declined or no offers are received, an additional choice can be made through UCAS Extra.
Choosing a new place to live
For your student, choosing the place they will live is an exciting part of the process. There are more than 2,300 bedrooms available in our halls of residence and we guarantee a place for Year 1 of a course, to all new first-year undergraduate students from the UK and EU who are starting a full-time programme in September 2022 and make us their first choice.
Once your student has made us their firm choice, they will be able to apply for on-campus accommodation online.
Explore our on-campus accommodationHalls/room numbers are confirmed in August and at this point your student will need to sign and return a licence agreement and confirm how they are going to pay for their accommodation.
If your student will be living in private rented accommodation, our Accommodation Team have a list of registered properties and will be happy to provide advice and guidance in finding somewhere to live.
Make sure funding is in place
Our money matters pages outline the financial support which may be available and explain how to apply for it. We recommend applying for financial support as early as possible as it can be a lengthy process. Applications usually open in March and close at the end of May.
We also have scholarships which recognise determination, commitment and achievement in a variety of areas.
Come and visit us again
We have open days in June and August, feel free to come along and explore our campus again.
Applicant webpages
Applicants will be emailed a link to webpages which will provide key information including:
- enrolment
- an indicative timetable
- course preparation
- induction week timetable
- packing lists.
This information is sent over the summer and is important for your student to read and make use of.
Results day
BTEC results are published in July and A Level results in August. The deadline to satisfy all offer conditions, for example GCSE results and DBS is 31 August.
If your student misses out on the exam grades required, they may still be accepted by their firm choice or, if not, may have their place confirmed by their insurance choice. If neither are confirmed, clearing will enable your student to find suitable course vacancies.
If your student meets or exceeds the terms of a conditional offer from a university, they have the option of using UCAS adjustment should they wish to change their decision about where to study.
Preparing to leave home and packing
This may be the first time that your student will be living away from home, and there are some things you can help them with to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Welcome Weekend and Welcome Week
Welcome Weekend is when new students living on campus collect their keys, move in to their new home and complete the enrolment process. We’ve got a lot of experience in helping students move in to their new home. We’re a finalist in the Global Student Living Awards 2022 for Best Moving in Experience.
Welcome Week follows this weekend and is when the student experience gets underway with lots activities and events. If your student isn’t living on-campus, they will complete the enrolment process during Welcome Week.
It can often take 5-10 working days following enrolment for Student Finance England (or the equivalent funding body) to process payment of funding. We strongly advise you to make sure your student has some money available for the first few weeks on campus to cover basic expenses as well as social activities.
