Our Progression and Employability team are here to provide students with advice and guidance on their next steps. Whether that is another course at college, the world of work, an apprenticeship or university course they will support students in planning for their next steps.

If your son/daughter/young person needs help deciding what to do at the end of this year they can book a careers guidance appointment via their online student eilp. Go to the Progression and Employability section and click bookings and events. Parents are welcome to attend these sessions.

We also offer a daily a drop in session in the Progression Hub in the Tower Foyer between 12.30-1.30 Monday to Friday so please encourage them to come along and see us if they have any questions about applying to university, student finance, job hunting or apprenticeships.

To speak to the team direct please contact us on 01392 4000330 or email progressionteam@exe-coll.ac.uk

Has your son/daughter/young person applied for university to start this autumn?

If so, they need to apply for Student Finance by 25th May 2019.

Student Finance applications should open at the end of February/beginning of March. Students may need help with this and can apply even before they have had all their offers and made a decision about where they are studying. It is worth doing the application together and you will receive an email from student finance to complete your income information, so they can assess the application.

Beware – If the application is received after 25th May then your son/daughter/young person may not have the finance in place when they start university in the autumn. To start the application process, please click here.

Received extra support at college? Apply for Disabled Students Allowance [DSA].

If your son/daughter/young person has had extra support with learning or exams or getting to or around college they could be entitled to extra help at university. However, they need to apply before they go to get this organised. Check eligibility and apply for Disabled Students Allowance here.

Budgeting for University

It is also useful to have a conversation with your son/daughter/young person about budgeting and finance for university, before they accept their offers or organise accommodation to make sure that they can afford to go to their first choice university.

Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert offers a lot of support to students and parents with explaining student finance and budgeting for university. Read more here.

UCAS: What happens next?

Replying to Offers

Second year students who applied by 15th January 2019 should have received offers from their choices via UCAS Track. They need to select their preferred choices by 2nd May, using the UCAS Track system. Students opt for a CF (Conditional Firm) – their first choice institution – and a CI (Conditional Insurance) – a lower grade offer or their second choice as a back-up if they don’t get the required grades for their CF choice.

If students do not reply to UCAS by 2nd May all offers will be cancelled.

If students haven’t received any offers, or want to change their subject choice they can do this by using UCAS Extra in February.

Late Applications

Students can still make a late application to UCAS until 30th June 2019.

Did you know that Exeter College also offers university level courses in partnership with local universities? These can give you access to high quality teaching and resources and with lower fees too. Find out more link to coll website HE pages or contact us on 01392 400909 to speak to our dedicated Higher Education adviser.

Applying for University for 2020 entry?

How you can support your son/daughter/young person with making choices about courses and institutions

• Support students with going to open days and also with checking choices are a good fit with the student’s longer term goals.
• Check student’s personal statement – does it make sense? Are there any obvious spelling, grammatical errors, etc, that need correcting?
• Remind students to make full use of support available and encourage them to speak to their Personal Tutor, or the Progression Team, if they are unclear or unsure about the process or what to do next.
• Registration for UCAS will happen at the beginning of September and the Progression and Employability Team will support tutors and students with the application process.

Upcoming Events >>>

Apprenticeship Expo – Thursday 7th March 2-6pm, Exeter College Sports Hall

Real jobs, real employers. Come and chat to over 50 employers about opportunities to progress onto Apprenticeship programmes in a variety of industries.

2nd Year Parents Evening – Tuesday 12th March, 4.30pm and 7.30pm

Please visit the Tower Building foyer to access advice for students who may not have yet decided on their next steps. Our Progression Team will be on hand to offer guidance on applying to a wide range of Universities, employment and gap years. We will also have specialists to talk about Higher and Degree Level Apprenticeships as well as our Exeter College Centre for University Level Studies. You can also come and find out more about how to apply for Student Finance, and Disabled Student Allowance.

Thursday 14th March – STEM (Science Technology, Engineering & Math) Careers Fair, 10am-3pm, Maths and Science Centre

A huge range of STEM-related workshops and speakers from a variety of industries to showcase the wide variety of STEM careers opportunities. Students can book their place in order to hear from a variety of guest speakers from STEM backgrounds and careers.

Tuesday 18th -19th March – UCAS Exhibition (FREE), Westpoint Arena, Clyst St Mary

Join UCAS experts and hundreds of university representatives at the Westpoint Exhibition. With inspirational talks, topical seminars, application process advice, and interactive stands, this is a must for anyone thinking about University.

For more information please visit the website for more information.

Thursday 21st March – Exeter College Expo, 4-7pm, Exeter College Sports Hall

An ideal opportunity to look at options at college next year. All courses will be represented, including full time, Apprenticeships, Adult, Access and our own Higher Education courses.

1st Year Parents’ Evening – Tuesday 26th March, 4.30-7.30pm

Come and chat to our Progression & Employability Team and Apprenticeship Team about your young person’s next steps in the Tower Foyer. The National Citizen Service team will be available to talk about their exciting nationally recognised programme. Specifically designed to provide young people with all sorts of new experiences, building a host of new skills and bags of confidence to boost their CV and give them lots of experience to use for their university applications.