The Student Room Group

Based on my circumstances, which university should I choose?

Hi,

I'm a prospective postgraduate student from Germany. I've been accepted into Cardiff, Nottingham, and Portsmouth. Although I'd really like to go to an RG university, there's one significant caveat; that is, tuition is going to be considerably more expensive for me.

To put it into perspective: whereas the tuition fees for Cardiff and Nottingham each amount to about 28000 GBP, Portsmouth is only some 12000 GBP as I qualify for a reduction. Piggybacking off of my personal savings, I'd be able to pay it off with ease.

Meanwhile, if I opt for an RG university, I'll have to take on a loan as I come from an economically disadvantaged household. Mind you, we're first-generation immigrants from Moldova. What's more, I don't qualify for UK government loans, and private student loans in Germany are often accompanied by predatory terms.

My question is as follows: is it really worth going to an RG university if it means going into debt and potentially having to worry about money throughout my studies?

For what it's worth, I don't plan on staying in the UK following graduation as the graduate visa is pending review and it's unlikely I'll meet the updated requirements for the skilled worker visa.

Thanks for your input. I wish you well.

Edit: I plan on studying business (and) management.
(edited 10 months ago)
Original post by ren666
Hi,

I'm a prospective postgraduate student from Germany. I've been accepted into Cardiff, Nottingham, and Portsmouth. Although I'd really like to go to an RG university, there's one significant caveat; that is, tuition is going to be considerably more expensive for me.

To put it into perspective: whereas the tuition fees for Cardiff and Nottingham each amount to about 28000 GBP, Portsmouth is only some 12000 GBP as I qualify for a reduction. Piggybacking off of my personal savings, I'd be able to pay it off with ease.

Meanwhile, if I opt for an RG university, I'll have to take on a loan as I come from an economically disadvantaged household. Mind you, we're first-generation immigrants from Moldova. What's more, I don't qualify for UK government loans, and private student loans in Germany are often accompanied by predatory terms.

My question is as follows: is it really worth going to an RG university if it means going into debt and potentially having to worry about money throughout my studies?

For what it's worth, I don't plan on staying in the UK following graduation as the graduate visa is pending review and it's unlikely I'll meet the updated requirements for the skilled worker visa.

Thanks for your input. I wish you well.

Edit: I plan on studying business (and) management.

Have you had a look at any information the unis publish about grad outcomes? They will usually give average salaries and that might help you decide whether the difference in fees were worth it.
Hi, just to add on to the above comment, a fantastic resource for this is Discover Uni. It's a government owned website that lets you compare salaries, student satisfaction, aspects of the course etc on a statistical level. You can 'save' courses to review them for later. I used this for choosing universities to apply for and it really helped inform my decisions for university. I recommend comparing the universities and seeing which would be the best option for you :smile:

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

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