Parents’ Guide

WORLD CHANGERS WELCOME Contents Welcome

Page 2 Welcome Choosing the right university and degree subject(s) is a hugely exciting time for Say hello to young people. As they set out on the next part of their academic journey, there can be Pages 3-4 Making the right choice decisions and choices to be made that can be somewhat daunting. Page 5 Understanding the application process Page 6 Fees and financial support At this time, the role as a parent can be a valuable source of guidance and support. Pages 7-8 Support and services for our students We’ve produced this short guide in order to assist you to help guide your son or Page 9 Visit us daughter through the application journey. Ask a student Page 10 Interact with us We hope it’s useful – if you have any more questions, please contact us at any stage of the process.

Say hello to Glasgow Getting to Since opening our doors in 1451, we’ve dedicated our time to inspiring great minds throughout history, from the father of economics, know Adam Smith, to the pioneer of television, John Logie Baird. the city We know that your son or daughter will be looking for a university that provides a broad choice of subjects, excellent teaching standards and • Voted world’s superb facilities. They’ll also want to study somewhere with an friendliest city by international reputation, high graduate employment rates and a Rough Guides 2014. top-quality student lifestyle. These things are important, which is why they all form part of the Glasgow experience. • More than 20 museums and art galleries If your son or daughter decides to study at Glasgow, they will be including Kelvingrove joining one of the world’s leading centres of learning, with excellent Art Gallery & Museum teaching, innovative research and world-class facilities. and the Gallery of Modern Art. Students at Glasgow: • Host city of the • Are part of a Russell Group university ranked in the top 1% of the world; Commonwealth • Learn from pioneering academics whose research is internationally Games and MTV recognised; Europe Music Awards • Join a student population made up of 25,000 people from almost in 2014. 130 countries; • Enjoy first-class facilities for sport, one of the best libraries in Europe • UK’s first UNESCO and a student services building providing advice on everything from City of Music, host careers to council tax; • Benefit from living in ’s largest city – with a world-wide reputation to around 130 music for its friendly people, a renowned music scene, excellent transport events every week. links and a wealth of arts and cultural venues, all on their doorstep; • Have the flexibility to study a range of subjects before finalising their • Known as ‘dear green degree choice for their Honours years; place’ with over • Consistently rank the University as one of the best in the UK for 90 parks and public Student Satisfaction (National Student Survey). gardens.

2 Location Employment opportunities

Making the right choice One of the main considerations when choosing a Not every new student is thinking about their future university is its location. career when they start their university journey. Helping your son or daughter to choose the right university can be difficult – even if However, for many, it will be one of their top priorities they know the subject they would like to study. In order to assist them in their decision Your son or daughter may wish to consider: when choosing a university degree. making process, here are a few things to consider when researching universities. • Is the university based in a town or city or on its Glasgow graduates are in high demand throughout own campus? the UK and internationally. From the moment your • If on a campus, what facilities are provided? son or daughter arrives at Glasgow, our Careers This does not apply to all degree programmes or Which degree? • How easy is it to get to the university? Service can help enhance their CV, secure paid subjects. See www.glasgow.ac.uk/undergraduate/ work placements and provides access to meet degrees/advancedentry for more information. Possibly the most difficult decision to be made is The is located in a stunning many potential employers. which subject your son or daughter would like to campus in the West End of the city, next to one of Deferred entry study. Higher Education qualifications are available Scotland’s most visited attractions, Kelvingrove Art The Careers Service offers support to students as In Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine we are unable in a huge range of subjects offered by universities Gallery & Museum. Glasgow’s exceptional location well as an abundance of career and networking to consider applications for deferred entry. In other and can often be combined in many different ways. makes it easy to access Scotland’s breathtaking opportunities. cases deferring may be possible but is not granted You’ll find the definitive list of what courses are landscape and coastlines with Loch Lomond and automatically. available on the UCAS website www.ucas.com the Trossachs just 40 minutes away. These include:

Glasgow is one of the world’s top universities, Our School of Interdisciplinary Studies is based • One-to-one support from professionally trained Entry requirements which means we can offer your son or daughter a in Dumfries, in the heart of one of Scotland’s advisers world-class degree, and have around 100 single most scenic regions. A small and friendly student • A rolling programme of employers on campus At Glasgow, we strive to make understanding our or 600 joint undergraduate programmes available community of all ages and backgrounds enjoys the from October to December entrance requirements as straightforward as including Professional degree programmes (such facilities of a world-class University. • Careers Fairs and Virtual Fairs possible through our policy of having standard as Medicine, Law and Engineering) and Honours • Skills and Employability Workshops academic entrance requirements. The University degree programmes in Arts, Social Sciences and • Access to thousands of potential employers for operates an Admissions Process whereby it Science. You can view our full list of programmes Accommodation work experience, internships and jobs available at www.glasgow.ac.uk/undergraduate/ publishes Standard Entry grades and Minimum Entry grades. For SQA Higher, A-level and IB degrees. The subject(s) your son or daughter chooses Before your son or daughter accepts an offer of a Find out more: applicants, the process operates as follows: will determine the type of degree programme they university place, it’s well worth having a look at the www.glasgow.ac.uk/careers will take and how long they will study for. accommodation options available. As well as Applicants who have not yet sat exams will receive knowing the types of accommodation available, a conditional offer at the Standard Entry level. Choice and flexibility it’s also advisable to consider what is included in Applicants who achieve the Standard Entry grades Study abroad Choice and flexibility for students is one of our real the cost; how far away the accommodation is from in one sitting (or by the end of S5 in the case of SQA strengths. Our Honours degree programmes offer campus; and whether or not accommodation is Every year thousands of students across the UK Higher applicants) will receive an unconditional offer. your son or daughter the flexibility to study several guaranteed for students. choose to study part of their degree overseas. subjects in first and second year before choosing a Studying abroad can be an inspiring, For example – specialism of one or two subjects in Honours years, At Glasgow, we offer a wide range of comfortable confidence-boosting and even life-changing depending on whether they choose to graduate and affordable accommodation options that are experience. with a Single or Joint Honours degree. This means Application for MA History available mid-September to mid-June, and can also our students experience an unsurpassed level of be used over the summer. At Glasgow, our long-established study abroad depth and breadth to their study, making our A-levels: programme can offer your son or daughter exciting graduates highly employable. Standard entry - AAB Fees range from around £3,450 for a shared room opportunities, without adding an extra year or Minimum entry - BBB in a self-catered residence, £5,250 for a single semester to the length of their programme. From At Glasgow (and the other three ancient universities en-suite room in a self-catered residence, to around Europe and the USA, to Asia and Australia, the in Scotland), an Honours-level degree in the Arts Scottish Highers: £6,800 for an en-suite single bedroom in catered world is theirs to explore! or Social Sciences is called a Master of Arts (MA) Standard entry - AAAA or AAABB accommodation. These fees cover a 39-week or a Master of Arts (Social Sciences). Honours (achieved in one sitting) period from September to June. Payments by direct Find out more at: degrees usually take four years to complete though Minimum entry - ABBB (achieved in one sitting) debit are spread over 8 months (October to May). www.glasgow.ac.uk/studyabroad there are exceptions for some degrees such as Language degrees with a compulsory year abroad IB: Most new full-time students studying for a degree, and our MSci Science degrees. Standard entry - 36 points including international students, are guaranteed Minimum entry - 34 points accommodation subject to our admissions policy. Advanced entry For applicants with exceptional A-level or Advanced For more information visit: For more information visit: Higher grades it’s possible to enter directly into Year 2 www.glasgow.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/ wwww.glasgow.ac.uk/accommodation or follow a faster route advanced entry programme. entryrequirements 3 4 Understanding the Fees and financial support application process We believe that academic excellence should be nurtured. If your son or daughter wants to join us as an undergraduate, you’ll be pleased to know there’s a wide range Applying to UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) can seem a of financial help available. complicated process for applicants. As a parent you can help by being aware of all the key deadlines set by UCAS. Fees

Dates for the diary For information about our tuition fees and how to pay visit www.glasgow.ac.uk/scholarships/fees

Up to March 2015 Applicants start to receive offers from universities 31 March 2015 University of Glasgow Applicants’ Visit Day. See www.glasgow.ac.uk/avd Students from , and Northern 6 May 2015 If all university/college decisions are received by 31 March, replies to any offers Name of Award Amount Eligibility must be made by this date (unless through Extra) or they’ll be declined 4 June 2015 If all university/college decisions are not received until 7 May, replies to any Access Bursary Up to £2,000 per annum (up to For students from low-income offers must be made by this date (unless through Extra) or they’ll be declined £3,000 in year one) households 25 June 2015 If all university/college decisions are not received until 4 June, replies to any offers must be made by this date (unless through Extra) or they’ll be declined Excellence £1,000 per annum For students attaining AAA at A-level Scholarship 23 July 2015 If all university/college decisions are not received until 16 July – including Extra choices – replies to any offers must be made by this date or they’ll be declined For further information about these awards and financial support visitwww.glasgow.ac.uk/scholarships 4 August 2015 SQA results day – and the start of the Scottish Clearing vacancy search 13 August 2015 A-levels results day – and the start of the full Clearing vacancy search 14–18 September 2015 Freshers’ Week Students from Scotland 21 September 2015 Term starts Name of Award Amount Eligibility 30 September 2015 The Clearing vacancy search closes; you can still add Clearing choices in Track – but contact us direct to discuss vacancies first Talent Scholarship Usually £1,000 per year Awarded to new first-year undergraduate students who have demonstrated excellent academic achievement and are facing hardship

Students from outside the EU

Name of Award Amount Eligibility

Undergraduate Up to £5,000 tuition fee discount per Awarded on the basis of academic Excellence year merit. You must be a national of a Scholarship country outside the EU and have firmly accepted an offer of a full-time place at Glasgow

More information and extra options

There are many potential sources of financial support available. For the latest information, visit www.glasgow.ac.uk/scholarships

5 6 Support and services for our students The University has a wide range of services available to help students with academic or personal issues or just to provide some advice and guidance whatever the situation.

Student Services Enquiry Team Student Learning Service Students’ Representative Council Glasgow University Sports (SRC) Association (GUSA) The Student Services Enquiry Team offers a The Student Learning Service (SLS) provides comprehensive information service and aims to advice and guidance on academic skills to all The SRC helps to ensure our students’ time here is GUSA works with Sport & Recreation to deliver assist with the majority of enquiries from a undergraduate and taught postgraduate students. as enjoyable, safe and interesting as possible. The high-quality student sport opportunities to the single location. It can help your son or daughter develop academic services provided include: University. The student executive and volunteers skills during their time at university through work hard to ensure students have access to the Services include general student enquiries, workshops, in-course skills sessions and one-to-one • An Advice Centre for students to help deal with best exercise classes and sports clubs and can arranging appointments with Careers and appointments. Popular topics include: essay and any issues whilst at university or any concerns compete at all levels of university sport. Find out International Student Advisers, assistance with report writing, note making, communication skills, they may have if planning to study here. more at www.glasgow.ac.uk/sport documents and letters, tuition fees and other exam revision, critical analysis and time www.glasgowstudent.net/advice payments, Student ID cards and information about management. To find out more about the service examinations, graduations and registration. Find visit www.glasgow.ac.uk/sls • Student Volunteer Support Service which offers a Clubs and societies out more at www.glasgow.ac.uk/student/sset variety of student volunteering opportunities. www.glasgowstudent.net/volunteer With over 120 clubs and societies, there really is Sport & Recreation • Nightline which is a confidential listening and something for everyone. This is a great way for your International Student Support information service for all students at the University. son or daughter to make friends across the More students participate in sports and recreational www.glasgowstudent.net/services/nightline university whilst doing something they love! You can The International Student Support team provides activities here than at nearly any other university in • Jobshop which links our students with part-time find out more about the clubs and societies at a dedicated advisory service for international the UK. For £60 per year, students have access to job opportunities. www.glasgowstudent.net/clubs students on non-academic and welfare matters two facilities, 50+ exercise classes each week, more www.glasgowstudent.net/services/jobshop including immigration, employment and finance. than 40 sports clubs, drop-in activities, therapies, The team also runs the International Family discounts and special activities throughout the year. • Free minibus service to transport students from Part-time work Network and the International Orientation and We are also spending more than £10m to extend campus to halls of residence. www.glasgowstudent.net/services/minibus Welcome Programmes. Find out more at our current sporting facilities and Glasgow University If your son or daughter is looking to work whilst www.glasgow.ac.uk/international/support Union, due for completion in Semester 1, 2015. • Second-hand bookshop. at university, then part-time work can be found Membership is free for students staying in www.glasgowstudent.net/services/bookshop through our Jobshop service. International students university accommodation. Find out more and must ensure to comply with visa conditions – for Counselling & Psychological what’s on at www.glasgow.ac.uk/sport You can find out more about all of the services on guidance see www.glasgow.ac.uk/international/ Services offer at www.glasgowstudent.net support/employmentduringstudy

Counselling & Psychological Services offer a free, Library Find out more about part-time work at confidential and professional service for students Student unions www.glasgowstudent.net/ services/jobshop who have personal, social, emotional or educational We have one of the best libraries in Europe, open concerns. To learn more visit, 361 days of the year from 7.15am–2am with over All of our students can use two unions, each with www.glasgow.ac.uk/counselling 2.5 million print books and journals. its own personality and facilities. Award-winning Healthcare www.glasgow.ac.uk/library (GUU) has five bars, libraries, a Subway, a debating chamber, a snooker Full time students at the University are eligible for Disability Service hall and pool tables. Its brand new nightclub, which medical treatment under the NHS (National Health Wi-fi and IT access opens at the end of 2015, will be connected to the Service). Students are advised to register with an This is an information, advice and assistance existing GUU building. NHS medical practice as soon as possible. A list of service for disabled students, disabled applicants We provide computer clusters across campus GP surgeries and Dentists is available at and for University staff working with, and for, and wireless network access in most public areas. Not to be outdone, hosts www.nhs24.com/FindLocal. There is a GP surgery disabled students and applicants. To find out more There is a dedicated IT helpdesk in the Library to new music, local bands, big name acts, the and pharmacy located on campus. visit www.glasgow.ac.uk/disability help with any IT problems and more than 500 wi-fi longest-running student club night in Glasgow hotspots across campus. (Cheesy Pop) and two quizzes. www.glasgow.ac.uk/it/forstudents 7 8 Visit us

Applicants’ Visit Day on 31 March 2015 gives you the chance to chat to our friendly staff and students, find out more about your chosen programmes, visit our student residences and explore our beautiful campus. Remember to register in advance at www.glasgow.ac.uk/avd

You are also welcome to attend our Open Days, even if your son or daughter is already holding an offer. Our Open Days for 2015 will be held on 18 June, 2 September and 24 October 2015. We also offer campus tours and you can, of course, also plan your own visit. For full details about visiting us, see www.glasgow.ac.uk/visit

Ask a student Interact with us

Got a question that you would like answered by a current University of Glasgow student? Many parents make use of our Ask a student service to get their queries answered by our students. You can ask them any questions you have at www.glasgow.ac.uk/askastudent glasgowuniversity @GlasgowUni /uniglasgow /universityofglasgow

Contact us: www.glasgow.ac.uk/about/contact

9 10 www.glasgow.ac.uk/ugapplicants www.glasgow.ac.uk/visit [email protected]

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