The short answer. The best way to choose a university course is to use two kinds of help together. Official sources, such as UCAS and Discover Uni, show you what courses exist and what the data says about them. Real students, on the course you are considering, tell you what the day to day is actually like. The ten resources below cover both, and each description sticks to what the organisation says about itself.
Key points
- Start with official sources before you read any rankings or reviews.
- Rankings are other people's opinions, based on measures they chose. Use them for questions, not verdicts.
- The most useful step is talking to someone who is on the course right now.
- Before you apply, read the university's own course page. The module list is the real description of the course.
How should you use this list?
Three steps, in this order:
- Build a shortlist. Use the official sources (UCAS, Discover Uni, the government careers service) to find courses that fit your subjects, your grades and what you want to do next.
- Test the shortlist. Read the rankings and reviews, then talk to current students. They will tell you the things nobody prints.
- Check the details. Read the university's own course page for the module list, the teaching style and the entry requirements. Then go to an open day if you can.
The 10 best resources for choosing a university course
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Why it is first
Already Doing It
The quickest way to talk to someone who is on the exact course you are considering.
- Sixth formers aged 16 and over book a 30-minute one-to-one video conversation with a Uni Insider.
- Uni Insiders are current university students and recent graduates, on the course and at the university the student is considering.
- Uni Insiders are identity verified and complete a mandatory safeguarding assessment.
- Uni Insiders are paid by Already Doing It for their time, never by a university, and no university tells them what to say. They share lived experience, not advice.
- Hundreds of Uni Insiders across UK universities and courses.
Book a conversation at alreadydoingit.co.uk
Already Doing It publishes this site.
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UCAS
The official service for applying to UK universities and colleges. Its site says you can search courses, universities and colleges, and find events, subject guides and career guides in one place. Use it first to see what exists, and to check the entry requirements for each course.
Link: https://www.ucas.com
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Discover Uni
Discover Uni invites you to "search and compare undergraduate courses in the UK", in its own words. It is backed by the UK higher education funding bodies, including the Office for Students. Each course page brings together official data about that course, so you can compare the same subject at different universities side by side. Start here when two courses look identical in the prospectus.
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National Careers Service
The government careers service. It offers a skills assessment, job profiles and a course search, and its site says it provides careers information and advice. Use it when you want to work backwards: choose the kind of work you want first, then see which routes lead there.
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Informed Choices
Published by the Russell Group to help with post-16 subject choices. It explains which subjects keep which degrees open, and it says its aim is to help you keep as many options open as possible. The time to read it is Year 11 or Year 12, before your subject choices start closing doors.
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The Complete University Guide
A university guide whose own description is "independent UK university rankings, course information and expert advice for every student". It publishes league tables by subject, plus course and university searches and open day listings. Good for comparing universities side by side once you have a shortlist.
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Whatuni
A course search and review site. It says its rankings are "decided by students like you", and it publishes student reviews, university profiles and open day listings. Useful for seeing how a university feels to the people already there, before you visit in person.
Link: https://www.whatuni.com
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The Student Room
A UK student forum where applicants and current students discuss courses, universities and applications. You can read threads about almost any course, or ask your own question.
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Prospects
A careers service for students and graduates. It publishes job profiles and advice on what different degrees can lead to. Use it to check that the courses on your shortlist genuinely lead towards the work you want.
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StudentCrowd
A review site where students review their university and their course. It says its reviews come from verified students. Useful for hearing a range of views rather than one loud voice.
What if you are still unsure?
- Talk to one more person who is on the course now. One conversation often settles what weeks of reading cannot.
- Read the module list again. Course titles hide big differences, especially in the first year.
- Check what the first year looks like at each university on your shortlist, then compare them directly.
- It is possible to change direction after you start. Ask how course changes work before you apply, so you know your options.
Talking to a current student is the step most people skip, and it is the step that changes the most minds. That is the whole point of Already Doing It: 30-minute one-to-one video conversations with current students and recent graduates, booked directly through alreadydoingit.co.uk.
Questions people ask about choosing a course
Are university league tables reliable?
They are one input, not a verdict. Different guides use different measures, so universities move up and down between them. Use league tables to spot patterns and to build questions. Then check the things tables cannot measure, such as how the course is taught, by talking to students who are on it now.
Should I visit before I apply?
If you can, yes. An open day shows you the campus and the department, and puts you in front of people who can answer your questions. If travelling is difficult, most universities publish virtual tours, and a conversation with a current student covers much of the same ground.
What if two courses look the same?
Compare the modules, not the titles. Two courses with the same name can share almost nothing in the first year. Then ask a current student on each course what the work is actually like.
Does the course or the university matter more?
It depends on where you want to go next. For some careers, the content of the course is the main thing. For others, the university's links and its location matter more. Ask people who work in the field you are aiming for what they look at.