► What are the advantages?
• Universities
There are now more than 150 universities/university institutions in Britain. They are all different and choosing one to suit you may require a lot of research. You may hear some of the following terms used to describe universities and whilst it is not a great idea to choose your university based on a specific type, it helps to understand them a bit more.

• Oxbridge
The term Oxbridge refers to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest universities in the country. Applicants to Oxbridge must apply for a college place as well as a university place. You are expected to live in college, at least for the first year and actively participate in college activities.
Choice of college is very important as they differ in atmosphere and facilities. Much of the teaching takes place in the college, so academic departments can be very small. Not all subjects are taught in all colleges. Details are given in the main prospectus for each university, but you should also obtain prospectuses from the individual colleges that interest you (alternatively, each one has its own website). Academic standards at both institutions are very high and you need to be aiming for AAB/AAA standard at A level.

• Collegiate
There are four collegiate universities; Durham, Kent, Lancaster and York. At all four the colleges operate as collective homes, but only one (Durham) requires an application to be made to a college. Durham is the third oldest university in the country and has many similarities with Oxbridge (including very high entry requirements) whilst Kent, Lancaster and York were established in the 1960s. Teaching takes place in academic departments and not in colleges.

• Red Brick Universities
E.g. Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle. These are sometimes known as Civic Universities. Red Bricks tend to be amongst the larger universities, and were founded largely in the Victorian era. They tend to be housed in a number of large buildings situated in or near the city centre. Most of the halls of residence were built later and sited in the suburbs.

• The Campus Universities
E.g. Essex, Bath, East Anglia, Reading and Surrey. These were built in the mid sixties. Some of them are known as ‘Plate-Glass’ institutions for their modern and functional appearance. They are usually smaller than the Red Bricks and concentrated on a single site within a short (in some cases) walk or bus journey of a town. Some, such as Surrey and Salford were created by relocating and renaming colleges of technology and retain a strong bias towards Science, Engineering and vocational subjects (hence another name ‘the Technological Universities’). Others such as Warwick were started from scratch with a strong leaning
towards the humanities and social sciences.

• The Federals
London and Wales operate a federal system. Over 40 institutions make up the London University Federation. Each has its own prospectuses and distinctive profiles, but students from all colleges can take advantage of the facilities of the largest university in the country. The University of Wales consists of nine colleges spread across the principality. They mainly operate as separate units. Colleges vary from Cardiff which is similar to the Red Bricks, to Aberystwyth which is smaller and more rural.

• The ‘New’ Universities
E.g. Westminster, Teesside and Leeds Metropolitan. These were ‘created’ in 1992 from the former polytechnics. The new universities offer degrees, diplomas, certificates and a wide variety of professional and vocational courses. They are especially strong in applied subjects and flexible degree programmes. Many new universities are based in towns and cities, sometimes on more than one site. Some have expanded over the past few years via mergers. For example, DeMontfort University in addition to Leicester now has campuses in Milton Keynes, Bedford and Lincoln. Many of the newer universities have close links with their local further education (FE) colleges, and often ‘franchise’ out the first year of some of their courses to local FE providers.

• The Colleges and Institutions of Higher Education
Institutions specialising in for example, Art or Teaching. Most have now extended their range of courses to include single subject, joint and modular degrees in a range of subjects, alongside technical and professional qualifications. Examples include Bolton Institute of Higher Education and The College of Ripon and York St. John. Many of these colleges have a special relationship with their local university which validates their degrees. An example includes Liverpool Hope University College which has degrees awarded by the University of Liverpool. Some colleges have now become part of their local university, whilst retaining their separate identity, an example of this is Leeds Trinity and All Saints College  which is a College of Leeds University.
Colleges range from relatively small colleges to large multi-campus establishments. Most colleges are small in comparison to universities and
frequently in attractive rural, out of town single campus locations.

• Colleges of Further and Higher Education
Many colleges of FE have been introducing HE courses over the last few years. These courses are sometimes ‘franchised’ from local universities.
Colleges are also offering the new foundation degrees developed with neighbouring universities and in conjunction with employers.
All four colleges in County Durham (New College Durham, Derwentside College, Bishop Auckland College and East Durham and Houghall Community College) offer at least one or two HE courses, from Art Foundation to Podiatry! Information is available direct from the Colleges concerned (one or two produce a separate HE prospectus) or alternatively by consulting the UCAS Directory or website.

• Specialist Colleges
These concentrate on certain specialist areas of study e.g. Music, Art and Agriculture. They are usually of a vocational nature. A local example is
Cleveland College of Art and Design. Check the application procedure for these with your Tutor or Connexions Personal Adviser.