Your first steps into university
Applying to university can be exciting but also daunting. Many of Birkbeck’s students are returning to study many years after having last stepped into a school or college.
Our team of staff organise and attend a range of events to support you as you decide whether Birkbeck is for you. Click on the headings below to find out more about how we can help you.
Am I ready?
- At Birkbeck, we encourage applications from students without traditional qualifications, and you can apply for most of our courses without previous study experience. (Find out more about our entry requirements.)
- In order to help you choose whether applying to a Birkbeck undergraduate course is the right next step for you, we would like to invite you to a range of events that we hold regularly:
- Come to a Birkbeck Open Evening
- Attend an event in your local area
- Sign up for an application workshop
- Come along and find out about financing your university course.
- To help you find out more about Birkbeck and decide whether university is for you, why not take a look at our short online interactive tutorials.
Can I afford it?
- Getting a university education is now more accessible and affordable, whether you choose to study part-time or full-time.
- For most Birkbeck students, there will be no upfront costs for your course, as you will be able to access government student loans to cover the full cost of tuition fees.
- If you would like more information and advice about fees, finance and accessing student loans, come along to one of our Financing your university course workshops.
Course-specific advice
- To find out more about a particular course, including details of teaching, assessment or progression, and course requirements such as compulsory or option modules, please contact the course team – their contact details are listed with each course description.
- Alternatively, book for an Open Evening, where you can talk to our course experts face-to-face.
General advice and information
- You can find out more at the My Birkbeck Helpdesk, where staff can provide general advice and information about Birkbeck. If you need more specialist advice, they will be able to refer you to the right person for more in-depth support.
- Alternatively, contact the course team responsible for the course you are interested in (contact details are listed with each course description).
Watch a video presentation
- If you can’t make it to one of our talks, you can watch our study at Birkbeck video on our Youtube channel to find out more about studying at Birkbeck.
Careers advice
- Our Future Focus careers workshops are designed to help you in the process of applying to higher education. A qualified careers advisor will help you consider the implications for your career path, and to think about the potential challenges and opportunities of returning to study.
Getting reading for university
- You can also go through our online, interactive Get Ahead: Stay Ahead tutorials to see whether university study is for you, to get an idea of what studying at Birkbeck will be like and to prepare for university by improving your study skills, such as academic reading and writing.
- Once you have applied for your course you can take part in Get Ahead summer programme designed to help you prepare and get ready for your course. We will look at what you can expect during your first year, all the support and facilities available to you at Birkbeck as well as study skills development.
Student Orientation
- Once enrolled, you will be invited to attend Birkbeck’s Student Orientation event. There we will introduce you to the all the support and facilities available to you at Birkbeck, such as the Library and IT support, as well as the help you can recieve to develop your study skills.
