How to Choose the Right Uni for You

Ticking off your education wish list.

So, you know what you want to study, you just don’t know where you want to study.

There is a mountain of choices at your fingertips, so it can be difficult deciding which university is the best for you.

Here are the questions you need to answer before making your decision.

What course do you want to study?

The first step is to make sure you know what you want to study. If you haven’t done that yet, it’s time to consider your interests. Check out our course finder tool on the Student Edge website if you need some guidance. Once you are set on a degree, you’re on the right path.

One of the first things to consider is whether the university you’re dreaming about even offers your preferred course. It might seem obvious but you’re not going to find a science course at a music school, so cut out any specialty universities that don’t fit with your degree.

Whether you want to study full-time, part time and/or online is another question to ask yourself, as some universities may offer your course but may only make it available to those who can commit to full-time and/or internal studies.

If you’re still figuring out what you want your study load to look like, you can get some tips on how to decide here.

Instead of trying to google 'which universities exist', you can get a full list organised by state on the Study Australia website.

If you’d prefer to search by course rather than university, we have an areas of study tool on the Student Edge website and Open Universities Australia has a feature that shows you all the degrees from all of their universities organised by interest area.

Close to home, online, interstate or internationally?

Whether you want to study close to home, move interstate of travel across the globe for your studies will definitely change up your options.

There are both pros and cons to each option so let’s break them down for you.

Staying close to home and/or studying online

• The pros of staying close to home include money savings; extra time with family, partners, and close friends; and the flexibility to attend some classes in person and online.
• The cons however include a limited choice of universities to your area and studying online may not be available for every course or every unit.

Travelling interstate

• The pros of being open to interstate study include opening up choices for universities, part time jobs and graduate job opportunities depending on which state you want to study in. You will also get the opportunity to meet lots of new people and broaden your friendship circle.
• The cons unfortunately include less savings due to travel and accommodation costs and, of course, you may wind up missing your fam just a bit.

Travelling internationally

• The pros of international study also include opening up your university options, meeting lots of new people and experiencing cultures and countries you may not have seen before. It may also open up some graduate opportunities for you later on down the track.
• The cons however are obviously the strains that global issues may have on boarders and travel. The cost is also a downside as you will need to account for travel accommodation and self-sufficiency.
  
  

What is the campus like?

Yeah okay, you really should be considering the content of your degree more than anything else but we’d be pretending if the aesthetics of the campus itself didn’t matter.

If you can, head to some open days for your local universities to check out the campuses, find out what the parking is like, how busy campus can get, what the public transport options are and whether or not it's easy to get lost.

University campuses can be huge, so it is understandable if you get lost the first few times. To save you from the stress, download the lost on campus app for Apple and Android.

And sure, if the campus is a great backdrop for your Instagram feed, it’s a great side benefit.

Student services and support

One of the final and most important things you should consider is what kind of student support services each university offers.

Your university should contain a wide variety of services that may make your studying experience just that little bit easier.

Some services that you should look out for include but are not limited to:

• employment services,
• prayer and worship rooms,
• mental health support,
• language support,
• student advisors, including international student support,
• childcare support,
• accommodation options including on campus,
• banking, shopping, and grocery amenities, and
• a variety of clubs and societies.

With all these variables broken down, you should be on your way to campus in no time.

But just like when you’re choosing what you want to study and at what study load, the best option is to go with what will work best with your current life situation because it's your education.

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