comparing unis

are there any good websites i can use to compare unis or what things should i research into when trying to compare unis in order to help me decide which one i prefer? thank you! :smile:

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 1

squiddy135

I’d start with maybe the guardian university guide or something similar (league tables and uni profiles) to give you an idea of what’s good for where and get some names in your head. Then look at websites for course content, grades, what it seems it’s like at that uni.
You can also use TSR, UCAS website etc, e.g. TSR to see what people say about going to that uni, what people think of it etc.
I’d research course content, options for placement/study abroad if that interests you, student life and accommodation to start with, I just spent time poring over uni websites about all that stuff to see what I thought.
Hope this helps at all, best of luck!

Reply 2

tastierspoon460

First I would look at which unis do your course (quite obvious). Although this isn't really useful if your degree is something every uni does like Maths or History.

Then I would look at each of these:

- Location (are you prepared to travel for ages to get to your university).
- Entry Requirements (I would say pick 1 uni above your current grades, 3 at your current grades, and 1 below as a safety).
- League Tables (don't place loads of weight on this).
- Study Abroad / Placement Years
- Cost of Accommodation (kind of only really applies to London unis since they're so expensive)
- Type of Campus (do you want to be out of the city, spread about the city, or a mixture of both)?

Then you should hopefully narrow down your list, after that I would go to open days if you can, and look a bit into the specific modules and student life at that uni, and see if that's the kind of course you want to be doing.

Reply 3

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by astrostial

are there any good websites i can use to compare unis or what things should i research into when trying to compare unis in order to help me decide which one i prefer? thank you! :smile:

Hello @astrostial

Firstly this is a brilliant question to be asking at this stage of your application process, and there are a couple websites out there that do compare a lot of Universities for you. I would say one of the main ones is the UCAS website, they compare all universities out there, and often are the site you apply to university through but there are other university comparison websites/ apps such as Unifrog just to name one.

In terms of what to compare, obviously the course you are looking to do is the biggest thing, I.E does the university do the course you are looking for, are you more of a practical learner and is this how the university teaches, do you look for placement opportunities and does the uni offer that etc.

There are other things to also compare however, for example are you looking for a campus based university (everything in one area) or a city based university (campuses spread across a city). Are you looking to move far away from home or stay local, are you looking for a busy city or a quieter town. You can even look and see what societies the university has to offer for you.

So as you can see there is a lot of areas to compare when choosing a university so hope this helps

All the best
Matthew - University of Salford Rep