We use lots of terms that if you haven’t come across before, might not make much sense. This handy list will help you to find out what we’re talking about:

Applicant visit days – these are invite only events for students who have received an offer. At these events, applicants are able to experience a unique subject taster session, discuss the course in details with tutors and other students, and get a real feel for what it would be like to study here. They usually take place in February and March.

BA – Bachelor or Art

BEng – Bachelor of Engineering

BSc – Bachelor of Science

Clearing – this is the process that students need to go through to get a place at university if they do not meet the conditions of their firm or insurance offer.

Conditional offer – this is the most common type of offer that students will receive from universities. Conditions are usually linked to exam results, and are communicated with offer information.

DBS – this stands for Disclosure and Barring Service. If students apply for a course which includes placements and/or contact with children or vulnerable adults then completing a DBS check will be a condition of their offer.

Faculty – similar to a school/college subject department, but on a larger scale which includes multiple subject departments.

Firm choice – when students have had a reply from each university they applied for, they will be able to choose their firm choice on UCAS, which is the first choice course and university.

Insurance choice – when students have had a reply from each university they applied for, they will be able to choose their insurance choice on UCAS, which is their second choice of course and university.

Joint honours – study two subjects at once, with a choice of modules from both subject areas.

Maintenance Loan – this is arranged through the Student Loans Company and is typically used to cover living costs. This loan is fully repayable after students have graduated and is based on household income, where students will be living and where in the country the university is.

Module – a topic of study on a course. These can be compulsory or optional.

Open day – an opportunity to visit a university and go to subject presentations, speak with tutors, look at halls of residence, ask any questions and much more. Open days are a crucial part of the decision-making process, and something we highly recommend.

Sandwich year – students studying a programme within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences can expect to have the opportunity to undertake an optional 9-12 month full-time placement in industry. This is a great opportunity to gain some work experience before they graduate.

Scholarships – financial rewards that are available throughout a student’s time with us. Some have a competitive application process, while others are allocated automatically to eligible students or awarded based on nominations.

Seminar – smaller classroom-based workshop like sessions, involving discussions and activities.

Student Finance England/Wales/NI, Student Awards Agency for Scotland – these are the bodies who handle applications for tuition fees and maintenance loans, depending on where they live.

Study abroad – some courses will allow students to undertake a part of their programme at a partner university in a variety of locations including North America, China and South Korea. Opportunities vary course-by-course, students can check the details with their department.

Tuition Fee Loan – typically, all students are able to borrow the full cost of their tuition fee from the Government in the form of a tuition fee loan (subject to eligibility). This loan is paid directly to the university from the Student Loans Company.

UCAS – Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. This organisation handles almost all university applications, through their online application system.

Unconditional offer – students will only receive an unconditional offer from us if they already have their exam results with the necessary UCAS points.

Undergraduate – a student studying for their first degree at university, on a course that runs for three or four years is known as an undergraduate.

May 11, 2022