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Would a freebie sway your choice of uni?

Lots of press coverage today for Sheffield Uni's 'bogof' offer: a free Master's if you do your degree there.

Other unis have made headlines for offering everything from free iPads to free Leicester City match tickets.

Would any of this persuade you to change your choice of uni? What's your price when picking the place you're going to study?

Maybe you've already been offered a freebie - or have blagged a good deal with your bargaining skills...?

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Reply 1

peaaceandl0ve

It depends what you count as a 'freebie'. I got offered a lot of bursaries and scholarships from Newcastle - three times as much as I would have got from some of the other unis I applied to - which had a small influence on my decision

Reply 2

UWS

If it was a free girlfriend then yes

Reply 3

username2088165

Well I was given a foldable frisbee from Keele University, and that definitely didn't influence my decision to study there :lol:

Reply 4

Paulwyn

TSR Group Staff

With Sheffield what seems to be missed amongst all the opprobrium, is that this BOGOF is for AAA students only. Personally, I think this is more of a reflection of the challenges faced by universities in attracting British students onto PG courses than UG.

Reply 5

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

No, it wouldn't sway me. It makes the university look desperate and leads me to conclude that the university in question must be rubbish if it can't attract students on merit.

Reply 6

pizzanomics

Only really if it was money to help with living costs. I can't think of anything else that would sway me... Maybe if they said that I could definitely go there as long as I made them my first choice didn't get 3 Us? :tongue:

I wouldn't be swayed by a tuition fee waiver either.

Reply 7

Another

The free Master's degree is honestly starting to tempt me, even though I've been in University for 3 years already!

Reply 8

username2637499

No.
All I ever get are pens :colonhash:

Reply 9

She-Ra

Universities Forum Helper

I would be seriously tempted. But I'd want to know in full what the terms of the masters were. i.e. does it have to be a similar subject to that of my UG choice or something completely different and when do I get to choose.

Studying a masters is a brilliant opportunity and a lot more meaningful than getting a free iPad or even discounted accommodation for first year.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 10

*Doctor Who

I can just use my sonic screwdriver to get masses of cash out of a cash machine, so no real need for incentives. Also, given I am The Doctor, I already know pretty much everything, so university is fairly redundant.

Reply 11

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Another

The free Master's degree is honestly starting to tempt me, even though I've been in University for 3 years already!

You can get a free master's by studying in Europe. :u:

Reply 12

Another

Original post by Snufkin

You can get a free master's by studying in Europe. :u:

Dammit Brexit! How long can we delay Article 50 for?

Reply 13

MrsSheldonCooper

Original post by AppleB

No.
All I ever get are pens :colonhash:

Or wristbands. That's what I got when I went to Nottingham :colonhash:

Reply 14

MrsSheldonCooper

If it helped with my living costs (so free accomo for a year or something), then I'd put it down gladly. But not for something like free ipads or tickets to a football game.

Reply 15

Sandtrooper

Volunteer Team

If it would reduce my fees or debt in any way, I would be extremely tempted.

Hell no

Don't most unis off the a masters discount to continuing students anyway?
Anyway unless it was something like a free house or something like that then no it wouldn't sway me.

Reply 18

L33t

It wouldn't influence my decision at all. Academic reputation, course structure and career prospects after my degree are far more superior in the decision making process than freebies any day of the week, at least for me anyway :biggrin:

Reply 19

999tigger

Maybe , but only to the extent of its relative worth to me. Just another thing to factor in. the Sheffield one being a notional 10k if applicable is a bit more substantial than an ipad.