How to choose a course and where to apply

Degrees sharing a title can be very different animals. One economics course may be heavily mathematical with exams throughout; another may be essay-based with optional politics modules. Open the module lists for years one to three, and compare the compulsory content. If the compulsory core does not appeal, the reputation will not rescue it.

Check the assessment split too. If you perform far better in coursework than in closed exams, a course assessed 80 per cent by exam is a self-inflicted problem.

Universities publish typical entry requirements, sometimes as grades and sometimes as UCAS tariff points, plus any required subjects. Required subjects are non-negotiable: medicine normally needs chemistry and often biology, engineering needs maths and usually physics, and many economics courses require maths.

Build the five as a spread — one or two above your predictions, two around them, and one below that you would still attend. Ask your school about contextual admissions if you are from a background the university treats as under-represented; some offers are reduced by one or two grades.

Discover Uni, run for the UK regulators, lets you compare specific courses on student satisfaction, the proportion who continue after year one, and graduate employment and earnings. Continuation rate is the most under-used number on the site: a course many students leave is telling you something the prospectus will not.

For professional routes, check accreditation directly with the professional body — for example engineering accreditation, or courses recognised for registration in healthcare. Without it, some careers require extra qualifications later.

• Cost of living. Rent varies enormously by city and can matter more than fees to how your three years feel. Weigh it against the maintenance support you expect — see our student finance guide.
• Campus or city. A single campus concentrates everything; a city-spread university means commuting between sites.
• Distance from home. Be realistic about travel cost and how often you genuinely want to go back.
• Placements and years abroad. A sandwich year or study-abroad option is often the single biggest employability difference between two similar courses.

Interests are cheap to hold and expensive to be wrong about. Before submitting, do something that touches the subject in practice: a work experience placement, a shadowing day, a taster lecture, a MOOC, or a conversation with someone doing the job at the end of it. That is what Map your path is built for, and Compare lets you put shortlisted courses, apprenticeships and qualifications side by side on duration, cost, level and prospects.

Finally, consider whether a degree is the only route in. For several fields a degree apprenticeship reaches the same qualification while you earn.

Should you choose the course or the university first?

The course. Two degrees with the same title can differ sharply in content, assessment and placements, and you spend three or four years inside the course rather than the league table. Use the university and city as the tie-breaker between courses you would enjoy.

What if your predicted grades are below the entry requirements?

Apply to a spread. Universities publish typical requirements, and some make offers slightly below them, particularly through contextual admissions for applicants from under-represented backgrounds. Keep at least one choice comfortably within your predictions so you have a place you can hold.

Where can you compare courses objectively?

Discover Uni is the official UK site for comparing courses using student satisfaction, continuation and graduate outcome data drawn from national surveys, alongside UCAS course listings for entry requirements.

Do league tables matter to employers?

Some employers pay attention to institutional reputation, but for most roles the degree subject, your grade, and your experience matter more. Accredited courses and integrated placements often affect employability more than a few table positions.

Is it worth attending open days?

Yes, and go with questions rather than to be sold to: who teaches first-year modules, how assessment is split between exams and coursework, what placement support exists, and what the department's continuation rate looks like.

Rules, wage rates and fee caps change. These are the official pages to check before you commit to anything.

• Discover Uni — official course comparison
• UCAS — search undergraduate courses and requirements
• UCAS — open days and campus visits
• GOV.UK — student finance for undergraduates