Choosing your 5 UCAS universities

The decision most students skip

Most students choose universities based on league tables, open days, and course content. Almost nobody checks the monthly financial reality before submitting. This page is for the ones who do.

The difference in what you will have left each month after accommodation can vary by hundreds of pounds between universities offering the same course. That gap compounds over three years.

This does not mean you should choose only on money. Course quality, location, university culture, and career outcomes all matter. But the financial reality should be a known input to the decision, not a surprise you discover in October of your first year.

Your five-choice financial checklist

For each of your 5 choices, you should know:

1. What maintenance loan you will receive, based on your household income.
2. The cheapest halls cost at that university — weekly rate, multiplied by 4.33 for monthly.
3. Your monthly balance after accommodation. This is what you live on.
4. How many hours a week you would need to work to cover any shortfall.
5. Whether a parental contribution is expected — and what it would be if the loan does not cover costs.

The questions to ask at open days

Open days are full of students asking about accommodation and nightlife. Almost nobody asks about money. These are the financial questions that matter.

The last question is more important than it sounds. Two courses with the same name at different universities can produce graduates earning very different salaries five years out. Check the graduate salary data on each university's page on SalaryDex.

The UCAS timeline, financially