Official Mature Students Uni Applicant Thread 2026
Are you a mature student applying to university this year?
Well this is the place for you to chat with fellow applicants!
Well this is the place for you to chat with fellow applicants!
Tell us about ...
•
The course you're applying for
•
Universities you're applying to
•
A level / IB / Higher / BTEC grades / Access to HE
•
Your age (if you wish)
•
Any questions you have
Share as much detail as you're comfortable with.
You may also want to have a look at this HUGE LIST of other applicants threads for all subjects and universities.
General TSR rules (read before posting in this thread):
1.
Please don't ask for or post group chat links along with any social media contact details both in this thread and via PM. Such posts will be caught by our automatic system and removed.
2.
Please don't ask for or post interview questions.
3.
Be kind and supportive to each other.
Reply 1
Original post
by normawAre you a mature student applying to university this year?
Well this is the place for you to chat with fellow applicants!
Well this is the place for you to chat with fellow applicants!
Tell us about ...
•
The course you're applying for
•
Universities you're applying to
•
A level / IB / Higher / BTEC grades / Access to HE
•
Your age (if you wish)
•
Any questions you have
Share as much detail as you're comfortable with.
You may also want to have a look at this HUGE LIST of other applicants threads for all subjects and universities.
General TSR rules (read before posting in this thread):
1.
Please don't ask for or post group chat links along with any social media contact details both in this thread and via PM. Such posts will be caught by our automatic system and removed.
2.
Please don't ask for or post interview questions.
3.
Be kind and supportive to each other.
Hello everyone!
I'm a Student Ambassador at the University of Chester, and I'm also a mature, postgrad student, I returned to uni to study for a Masters degree in my late 30s and I'm still here finishing a PhD.
If anyone has any questions about Chester, or being a mature student or just uni in general, please feel free to ask, I'm happy to try and help if I can.
The University of Chester has an Open day coming up on Saturday, 18th October, if you are interested in finding out more about the day, or want to book on, just follow this link: Open Days | University of Chester.
Our Open Days are a really brilliant way to find out more about the university in an informal and relaxed manner. There are lots of opportunities during the day to speak to current students, meet the staff in the department that you are interested in studying in as well as all the student support staff. Plus you can have a student led campus tour and accommodation visit so you can find out from a student's perspective what it's like to study here.
Hopefully we will see you soon!
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
Reply 2
Hi,
I'm Rachel, I'm 58. I have had a 35 year career as a professional engineer in industry but it's all got a bit stale so I've decided to give it up and have fun doing a postgraduate course instead.
I have a very old degree in Chemical Engineering.
I'm an old spinster and I have no ties so I want to go and live away and emerse myself in this for a year.
Courses:
University of Sheffield : Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc(Eng) ... Applied! Exciting!
University of Manchester : Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc ... Awaiting opening of applications
My biggest problem is making a decision on which one to do. I had a "shortlist" of about 15 and I want to do them all 😄 but I decided I will just apply to a couple and see how we do.
I'm Rachel, I'm 58. I have had a 35 year career as a professional engineer in industry but it's all got a bit stale so I've decided to give it up and have fun doing a postgraduate course instead.
I have a very old degree in Chemical Engineering.
I'm an old spinster and I have no ties so I want to go and live away and emerse myself in this for a year.
Courses:
University of Sheffield : Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc(Eng) ... Applied! Exciting!
University of Manchester : Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc ... Awaiting opening of applications
My biggest problem is making a decision on which one to do. I had a "shortlist" of about 15 and I want to do them all 😄 but I decided I will just apply to a couple and see how we do.
Reply 3
Original post
by Rachel8973Hi,
I'm Rachel, I'm 58. I have had a 35 year career as a professional engineer in industry but it's all got a bit stale so I've decided to give it up and have fun doing a postgraduate course instead.
I have a very old degree in Chemical Engineering.
I'm an old spinster and I have no ties so I want to go and live away and emerse myself in this for a year.
Courses:
University of Sheffield : Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc(Eng) ... Applied! Exciting!
University of Manchester : Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc ... Awaiting opening of applications
My biggest problem is making a decision on which one to do. I had a "shortlist" of about 15 and I want to do them all 😄 but I decided I will just apply to a couple and see how we do.
I'm Rachel, I'm 58. I have had a 35 year career as a professional engineer in industry but it's all got a bit stale so I've decided to give it up and have fun doing a postgraduate course instead.
I have a very old degree in Chemical Engineering.
I'm an old spinster and I have no ties so I want to go and live away and emerse myself in this for a year.
Courses:
University of Sheffield : Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc(Eng) ... Applied! Exciting!
University of Manchester : Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc ... Awaiting opening of applications
My biggest problem is making a decision on which one to do. I had a "shortlist" of about 15 and I want to do them all 😄 but I decided I will just apply to a couple and see how we do.
Just posted my application for Manchester this morning. I have already received an unconditional offer from Sheffield last Monday.
Original post
by Rachel8973Just posted my application for Manchester this morning. I have already received an unconditional offer from Sheffield last Monday.
That was quick - congrats
Reply 5
Hi everyone, 
University of Chester has an Open Day coming up on Saturday 18th October. Open
Days are a really brilliant, informal way of having a look around the University and gaining a sense of feel for it and if it is somewhere that you would like to study at. At the University of Chester,our Open Days are full of informative talks about life at university, accommodation, managingyour finances as well as having an information fair where all of the student support staff areon hand to speak to you on a one to one basis and answer all of your questions. Added to thisyou can visit the department/s that you are wanting to study with and meet the tutors, andcurrent students. Plus there are student led campus and university accommodation toursavailable all through the day, so that you can see every aspect of the university and talk tocurrent students to find out what it is like, from the students' perspective. As our campus is only a 15 minute walk from Chester city centre you can spend some timehaving a look around the wider area.
Interested? For more information and to book a place, just follow the link to the webpagewhere you will find out lots more! Open Days | University of Chester.
Ifyou have any questions, please feel free to ask,
We will hopefully see you soon,
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
University of Chester has an Open Day coming up on Saturday 18th October. Open
Days are a really brilliant, informal way of having a look around the University and gaining a sense of feel for it and if it is somewhere that you would like to study at. At the University of Chester,our Open Days are full of informative talks about life at university, accommodation, managingyour finances as well as having an information fair where all of the student support staff areon hand to speak to you on a one to one basis and answer all of your questions. Added to thisyou can visit the department/s that you are wanting to study with and meet the tutors, andcurrent students. Plus there are student led campus and university accommodation toursavailable all through the day, so that you can see every aspect of the university and talk tocurrent students to find out what it is like, from the students' perspective. As our campus is only a 15 minute walk from Chester city centre you can spend some timehaving a look around the wider area.
Interested? For more information and to book a place, just follow the link to the webpagewhere you will find out lots more! Open Days | University of Chester.
Ifyou have any questions, please feel free to ask,
We will hopefully see you soon,
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
Reply 6
Hello!
I am returning to education and I'll be starting at Cardiff University next September to do BA Translation.
I'm so excited but I'm also very nervous. I've never been good at making friends, although the working world has gifted me with more confidence than I had when I was 18. I will be 36 when I start, so more than likely the oldest in my group.
Regardless, I am going to dive headfirst into everything university has to offer, because I have never experienced the student life before.
Thanks for letting me post, I hope to speak to you all again. 🤗
Alexandra
I am returning to education and I'll be starting at Cardiff University next September to do BA Translation.
I'm so excited but I'm also very nervous. I've never been good at making friends, although the working world has gifted me with more confidence than I had when I was 18. I will be 36 when I start, so more than likely the oldest in my group.
Regardless, I am going to dive headfirst into everything university has to offer, because I have never experienced the student life before.
Thanks for letting me post, I hope to speak to you all again. 🤗
Alexandra
Reply 7
Original post
by Rachel8973Just posted my application for Manchester this morning. I have already received an unconditional offer from Sheffield last Monday.
Hi Rachel I'm a current Mature Student at The University of Sheffield doing my undergraduate and I'm the president and Founder of the University of Sheffield Mature Student Society
Reply 8
I'm hoping to start university for the first time at 55, studying either BA Politics, Philosophy, and Law (PPL) or MA Philosophy. This isn’t about a career change — I’m simply looking for something intellectually engaging and personally meaningful.
So far, I’ve applied to Birmingham and Warwick. I come from a non-traditional education background, having mostly studied professional subjects. I hold a Level 6 NVQ in Purchasing and Supply, and I’ve previously done a bit of contract and tort law, which I really enjoyed. I’m expecting to be advised to take an Access to HE course first, but fingers crossed I won’t need to postpone things for a year.
Update
-------
16/11 - Added LLB for Graduates at Brum. Wish I knew about that course earlier!
18/11 - Just got rejected by Warwick for Philosophy. I am OK with that, I just did not get a good feeling about Warwick.
So far, I’ve applied to Birmingham and Warwick. I come from a non-traditional education background, having mostly studied professional subjects. I hold a Level 6 NVQ in Purchasing and Supply, and I’ve previously done a bit of contract and tort law, which I really enjoyed. I’m expecting to be advised to take an Access to HE course first, but fingers crossed I won’t need to postpone things for a year.
Update
-------
16/11 - Added LLB for Graduates at Brum. Wish I knew about that course earlier!
18/11 - Just got rejected by Warwick for Philosophy. I am OK with that, I just did not get a good feeling about Warwick.
(edited 2 weeks ago)
Reply 9
Original post
by lelexiHello!
I am returning to education and I'll be starting at Cardiff University next September to do BA Translation.
I'm so excited but I'm also very nervous. I've never been good at making friends, although the working world has gifted me with more confidence than I had when I was 18. I will be 36 when I start, so more than likely the oldest in my group.
Regardless, I am going to dive headfirst into everything university has to offer, because I have never experienced the student life before.
Thanks for letting me post, I hope to speak to you all again. 🤗
Alexandra
I am returning to education and I'll be starting at Cardiff University next September to do BA Translation.
I'm so excited but I'm also very nervous. I've never been good at making friends, although the working world has gifted me with more confidence than I had when I was 18. I will be 36 when I start, so more than likely the oldest in my group.
Regardless, I am going to dive headfirst into everything university has to offer, because I have never experienced the student life before.
Thanks for letting me post, I hope to speak to you all again. 🤗
Alexandra
How exciting!
I made the decision to return to university to do an undergraduate degree last year after working as an estate agent, and I am so pleased I did. To be honest, whilst the age difference between me and some of my coursemates was noticeable, I don't see it as a bad thing as it gave me insight into different perspectives, which can be helpful with any group work etc.
I found that exploring and immersing myself in social groups outside of the university helped me meet people of all different ages too. Explore local Facebook groups and see if there are any which interest you (e.g. running or walking groups). I personally found Bristol Girl Network really helpful for meeting people, and I believe they also have a Cardiff one called Cardiff Girl Network. They do loads of events but my favourite are the craft ones. I met some fellow students through this, as well as people new to the city like I was.
Some universities also have a Mature Student Society if you wanted to meet other mature students, so its worth checking if Cardiff University have one. Definitely have a look to see what other ones/clubs they have too and see if any take your fancy.
I wish you all the best in starting your university journey, and I'm sure you'll do great!
Best wishes,
Cara (2nd year Marketing student)
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