True or False?
(Teacher’s Answers)
1.
You can only study a subject at university that you’ve already studied at school or college.
False – the majority do not require specific subjects at A-level, although some courses (like medicine) will require
you to have studied certain subjects at A-Level/IB. There are over 40,000 different courses you can study at
university. Search for courses and the universities that offer them on the UCAS website.
2.
You can apply to university even if you want to take a gap year.
True – you can apply for deferred entry. Some people also apply while they’re away, and use the extra time to
decide what course they might want to do.
3.
You have to decide which university you want to go to before you apply.
False - When applying for university you can select up to five different courses/universities (but remember you
only write one personal statement that covers all of these). If you want to apply for Medicine you can only apply
to 4 universities for Medicine, and then another fifth university for a different subject (most people choose
Biomedical Science or something similar).
4.
You will have no time to socialise at university.
False – most universities have a huge variety of different social clubs, sports teams and social events available for
you to join. These can include sports based societies, film/TV/book clubs or fandom clubs. Some universities even
offer Quidditch! You can usually find out more about these on University Open Days, prospectuses and websites.
5.
The maximum age you can apply to university is 25.
False – Although most people apply for university at age 18, you can actually apply for university at any age. At
the time of writing this, the oldest person in Britain to have graduated from university was 91!
6.
You have to pay your university fees upfront.
False – you are able to get a government loan that is paid straight to your university. You can also apply for extra
maintenance loans from the government. Most universities also offer extra support (e.g. reduced fees, extra
money or reduced accommodation costs etc.) for some students, so make sure you ask about financial packages
and support when you’re looking at different institutions!
7.
You have to pay your entire university loan back as soon as you graduate.
False – Your repayments are linked to your income. You only make repayments when your income is over
£21,000 a year. If your income drops below this amount repayments stop. Part-time students sometimes start
repayments while they’re still studying. Each month you pay back 9% of any income over £21,000. For example:
£21,000
£25,000
£30,000
£35,000
£40,000
£0
£30.00
£67.50
£105.00
£142.50
8.
I’m in care and/or am a young carer – I can’t go to university.
False – in fact you may be entitled to extra financial support and other help during your studies. Contact
universities directly to see what provisions they have available for you, and never be ashamed of disclosing your
caring status in personal statements or through your teacher’s supporting statement. It won’t count against you
and can ensure any support you need is in place as soon as you arrive.
9.
You have to move away from home to go to university.
False – with over 100 universities in the UK there are plenty of opportunities to go to university and still live at
home. In cities like London, Manchester and Liverpool, there are a large number of students attending who are
from the city, and stay at home to reduce living costs. The Open University (and many other institutions) also do
distance learning courses, meaning you can study in your own time at home!
10. You need all As and A*s at GCSE to get into university.
False – different courses have different entry requirements. Some university courses accept BTEC or NVQs but
make sure you research all of these on UCAS, where the entry requirements for all courses are listed.
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