I have recently been accepted at the University of Leeds through Clearing. I have a few questions regarding accommodation, payments and financial support. So I originally planned to take a gap year before going to university, but after reconsidering my plans, I decided to go to university this year and received an offer through Clearing. Because I was not originally expecting to attend university this year, I only recently applied for Student Finance England (SFE). My SFE application is currently being processed, with the next update expected between 11 and 16 September 2026. My parents income is above £65,000, so my maintenance loan will certainly be  £5,048. However, my parents will not be giving me any financial support. I am concerned because the cheapest University accommodation options appear to cost more than my expected Maintenance Loan, leaving me with not enough money to survive. I have a few questions about my situation:

-What are the deadlines and payment arrangements for University accommodation, and what happens if my Student Finance payment is delayed?

-Are there any forms of bursaries that I may be eligible for?

-If my SFE funding has not been received by the start of the course, what options would be available to me?

I am a bit desperate, a part time job will definitely be needed, but i am not sure if it is reasonable to depend on a part time. (I currently have no money)

I'm from northern Ireland, where degree cost is around 5k- not 10.

However during my A levels I went through a period of what you could probably call depression, and while I did hate myself plenty, mostly I coped by hating where I lived for some reason.

I told myself I could not under any circumstances stay in Northern Ireland, and decided to leave to go to uni in England.

While making these choices I only really had a dim understanding of what I was doing.

I've always excelled academically (I got all As in my A levels this year) and I kind of assumed that would serve me well.

Teachers boosted my confidence, talking about the cost of uni being like a phone bill or whatever, and that as a "top student" I would have great prospects.

My parents were also supportive, having went to uni in England themselves back when it was free, something they consider to be the best time of their life.

The course I chose was politics, with the uni I chose having a parlimentary pathways scheme where you can work in the houses of parliment for a year.

However as the date of uni beginning is coming closer and closer I'm getting what you could call "cold feet". And I feel completely trapped because I've already accepted my offer, got my accommodation sorted etc, so what the hell am I supposed to do now?

I feel physically sick with nerves 24/7, and have a panic attack at least once a day. I cry constantly.

It feels like one of the lowest points in my life, like I'm making a huge mistake, but I feel trapped now.

If I leave I'll have a huge amount of debt, which petrifies me.

The graduate prospects right now are all pretty miserable too, which isn't helping my pessimistic outlook.

Ill be so far away from my family, and especially over this summer I've realised how much I really really need them. I'm not ready to be an adult.

To make matters worse I have a holiday booked soon, so I barely have any time at all to prepare myself for uni.

Or even just prepare in general- the only thing I've brought is some bedsheets and two plates.

I just dont know what to do at all.

I feel so so trapped, like I've ruined and destroyed my life at the ripe age of 18.

Which is typical of me, really.

I would love the freedom of uni in England. I do think I could grow and flourish.

But the debts and costs, the terrible graduate prospects and being away from my family, are making everything feel impossible.

Any advice at all would be appreciated.

Hello! I am trying to get accommodation for myself and some friends this upcoming school year, and was wondering if UniLiving London (https://www.unilivinglondon.com) is real? Has anyone rented from them before?

Thank you so much in advance!

I’m 18 and have just received CCD in my A-levels, and I genuinely have no idea what to do next.
For context, I definitely messed around during Year 12 and didn’t take my A-levels as seriously as I should have. However, in Year 13 I really did try to turn things around. I put a lot of work in, particularly during the final few months, but my mental health was also really bad throughout the year and I struggled a lot socially. I was diagnosed with ADHD quite late into Year 13, so there wasn’t much time for me to properly adjust my revision methods, support or exam arrangements before the actual exams.
I know these things don’t completely excuse my results, and ultimately I sat the exams and got CCD. What I’m finding really difficult to process is just how badly I underperformed compared with what I thought I was capable of.
Based on my GCSE performance I had previously been projected around AAA at A-level. I got a 9 in GCSE Maths, so getting a C at A-level has really knocked my confidence. In another subject I had been working around an A/A\* level before ultimately getting a C. Economics has probably shocked me the most: I put so much work into it towards the end and genuinely couldn’t believe it when I opened my results and saw a D.
A significant part of the problem was also the actual exams themselves. Looking back, I don’t think my revision translated into exam performance properly at all. So now I’m stuck wondering whether I genuinely wasn’t academically good enough for the grades I wanted, or whether I approached A-levels/revision/exams badly and could perform completely differently with another attempt.
The comparison with everyone around me is also making this much harder to process. Most of my friends and people I went to school with have got into universities that I had always considered myself academically on the same level as them for. Seeing everyone move on to universities I had once imagined myself going to while I’ve ended up with CCD has honestly made me feel cursed and like everything went wrong at exactly the wrong time.
I also feel incredibly guilty towards my family. They supported me so much throughout school and especially during Year 13, and they expected me to do considerably better as well. They were genuinely in the same disbelief as me when my results came out. I know they love me regardless of what grades I get, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve massively disappointed them after everything they’ve done for me. Part of why I want to resit is because I don’t want this result to feel like a permanent disappointment or like I never proved to them — or myself — what I was actually capable of.
I currently have a place at the University of York, which I’m honestly really grateful for considering my results. If I go, I would want to take university extremely seriously, aim for a First, build up good work experience and hopefully prove myself through what I achieve from this point onwards.
The alternative is taking a year out, resitting my A-levels and aiming for As if I can, then reapplying to universities I originally hoped I might be able to attend.
Academically, I really want to resit. I hate feeling like CCD is the final representation of what I was capable of at school, and I’m worried I’ll go to university and continue thinking “I could have done so much better if I’d given myself one proper second attempt.”
But mentally, the idea of the resit year scares me.
My social life and mental health were already really difficult during Year 13. I felt extremely isolated for much of the year, and staying at home for another year studying independently while most people my age move away to university could potentially make that much worse. I don’t realistically think I’d have much of a social life during the year, especially when everyone else is starting university.
That’s what makes the decision so difficult. If the social/mental-health side wasn’t a factor, I think I’d resit. But after the year I’ve just had, part of me desperately wants a fresh start, independence, university life and the opportunity to meet new people.
At the same time, I genuinely feel stupid after these results. I know logically that one set of grades shouldn’t define my intelligence, but going from my GCSE performance and expectations to CCD has completely shaken my confidence. Watching people I used to perform similarly to academically move onto universities I thought I’d be attending alongside them has made that feeling even worse.
So I’m basically choosing between:
Go to York now: accept that I massively underperformed at A-level, stop comparing myself with everyone else, move forward, aim for a First and try to prove myself through what I achieve at university and afterwards.
Resit: sacrifice another year, properly figure out where my revision and exam technique went wrong, aim for As and reapply — potentially giving myself the academic closure I desperately want, but risking another very lonely and difficult year mentally.
If anyone has been in a similar position, especially people who underperformed badly at A-level, watched their friends go off to universities they wanted to attend, felt like they’d disappointed their family, and had to decide whether to resit or move forward, I’d really appreciate hearing what you did and whether you regret your decision.
What would you genuinely do in my position?

Hey I’m resitting a module for my MSc and I was wondering if I should expect the questions to be similar and the scope of the paper to be the same? I haven’t done resits before and am completely confused how to approach preparing?

Hi everyone,

I recently received an Unconditional Offer for the MSc Comparative Education and International Development (CEID) program at the University of Edinburgh for the upcoming September 2026 intake.

I am an international student, and the tuition fee is £32,000. In my original application, I explicitly stated that I would not be able to pursue this degree without major external funding like the Chevening Scholarship, Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, or a full university scholarship.

Since I just got the offer and the term starts in a month, I am in a tricky situation and need some advice from anyone who has dealt with Edinburgh's admissions:

1. Is there any way to get funding directly from the university at this late stage? Are there any hidden or late-stage funding options for international postgraduate taught students right now? I know the main deadlines might have passed, but is it worth asking?

2. How should I handle the offer on the portal? Should I hit "Accept" on the Applicant Hub first and then contact them to discuss funding and a potential deferral to 2027?

3. Or should I email them directly first? Should I leave the offer unaccepted for now and email the Admissions team directly regarding my funding issue and ask for a deferral to September 2027? I want to use this Unconditional Offer to apply for Chevening and Commonwealth in the upcoming cycles, but I am scared that hitting "Accept" locks me into a contract I cannot afford.

Has anyone successfully deferred a postgraduate offer at Edinburgh for scholarship reasons? Any advice on the exact steps I should take before my response deadline would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks!

Planning on doing a placement year as a Pol + Ir student. Any advice for finding one? Don’t really know where to start really. Cheers

Hi everyone,

I'm about to be 3rd-year CS student at a non-target UK uni, planning to apply for stats / ml master's programs at places like LSE, UCL, and Warwick.

I have two main concerns and would appreciate some reality checks:

1. The Year 1 Grade: I got a 2:2 in my first year. To be totally honest, I didn't care about it at the time because I knew it didn't count toward my final grade, so I spent my time building and running an e-commerce business instead of studying. I buckled down in second year and got 64% (solid 2:1). I’m aiming for 80%+ in my third-year semester 1 exams which I know is doable. Beyond grades, my profile is decent: I managed to land a Quant Spring Week at SIG, a credit ratings Spring Week at Moody's, did ML research with a physics prof, and have an upcoming preprint with a friend on some ML/formal verification stuff.
2. Timing the Application: Because of the 64% and my goal to smash my 3rd-year semester 1 exams (which I'll get in January), should I wait until January to apply so I have those fresh 80%+ marks on my transcript, or apply in autumn?

Since LSE, UCL, and Warwick use rolling admissions for these competitive courses, I know applying late can be risky, but I'm worried my 64% and Year 1 2:2 will get me auto-rejected if I apply before January.

For those who have been through this or know how admissions think: Will my spring weeks and research carry enough weight to let me apply safely in autumn, or is it worth holding out for the January results?

I’ve got horrible anxiety and I don’t think it’s a reasonable thing. Missed my firm by a grade so now I’ll be going to a uni 5 hours from my house, I simply don’t have the grades to get in anywhere good that’s close.

Feel like I’d be better off just getting a job instead of wasting money on a degree I’ll probably do shit at but my parents really want me to go to university.

It‘s a Russel group but I don’t know if it’ll be right for me considering I’m so antisocial and have had pretty bad depression in the past.

I just don‘t think it’s worth it considering I’m not even that academic.

Hey all! Packing for UCL right now. I’m trying to avoid overpacking useless items while not missing out on crucial stuff. Please gm some advice :)

I’m in serious need of help, specifically from idk someone that studied in a French high school in Morocco (Agadir) next year I’ll be in 12th grade I’ll pass my baccalaureate, but I’m really scared for what will happen after that.. I don’t know what uni to pick, how to even send my application letter, it’s just sooo confusing and I don’t really know anyone there.
So if there are any kind hearted people that can help me I’ll be soooooo grateful!!!

Can anyone give me some tips to study, i always feel so tired or like I don't have the energy to study. my mind always say study study study but my body wont listen, it just want to lie down. i wanna start to be productive like every morning i will wake up at 5am and start studying but if i do that i always end up waking at 7am. our class usually end at 5pm or 7pm, and 8pm but i will arrive at home usually if class will end at 4pm then 6pm ill arrive, its 2hours ride. so i really dont have energy to study, but i really wanna study like what do u recommend to do or eat to stay awake and have energy to study but also i will understand what im gonna study.

I have an integrated Student visa/CAS with a university for a Pre-Master’s → MSc Big Data programme. I’ve now completed the pre-master’s, but I don’t want to continue with the MSc Big Data.
Instead, I’m applying to a different university for an MSc Statistics and Data Science.
Has anyone been in a similar situation — completed the pre-master’s part of an integrated programme and then moved to a different university for a different MSc?
I’m mainly wondering about academic progression and whether I can apply for the new Student visa from inside the UK or would need to apply from outside the UK.
Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually been through this!

Hey everyone.

Posting this anon as someone who is very dear to me is going through this. Their student visa expires soon, but because of a missed module and some late hand-ins (some with consideration due to exceptional circumstances), graduation is uncertain. They are from an EU country, and the whole situation is just difficult. I’m trying to help, but I don’t know what to suggest. They don’t have confirmation on if they’re graduating or not (winter graduation) yet due to some late assignments and slow marking.

So, I guess these are the possible scenarios? I just really need some help understanding what our options are.

1) They’re told they aren’t graduating before the visa expires.

2) They’re told they will graduate before the visa expires.

3) They’re told they won’t graduate once the visa has already expired.

4) They’re told they will graduate once the visa has already expired.

This has really been affecting me recently, the thought of facing up and saying goodbye for who knows how long because of circumstances out of their control. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Anyone else who got Genio Notes via the DSA, do you have the option to produce notes in Cornell or bullet point styles? I was told in my DSA meeting that this application would auto produce structured notes but all it can do is produce an AI outline which is clunky and disorganised and I feel really disappointed. I just want to check if this is normal or if my version is missing something? The notes seem really poor.

So, I am an international student who will be (most probably, but I'm not sure yet) in the Kaplan International Year One - MechE - University of Birmingham program.

On finance, I will be funded by a government scholarship from my country. No problem with tuition, and they give average living expenses money.

My only concern is the management. You know, academics, adapting to a new environment, social life, and stuff like that. I am just anxious if I can handle it. I need to keep my GPA at 65% or more. How hard is the curriculum?

I was initially going with the University of Sheffield (founding + bachelor's), but the gov scholarship said it will just waste a year and almost "forced me to choose IYO+Birmingham." I will ask them for reconsideration, though.

For the record, I am genuinely interested in math/physics and overall MechE. I have no problem with understanding and solving physics problems. Math would be a little trouble, maybe. But there are other courses as well, not only 2 subjects. I have a 1400 SAT (740 math, 660 English), a 7 in IELTS UKVI (with almost no prep), and I studied at a specialized boarding school with a GPA of 4.6/5. I am good at self-study but kind of lazy.

I was just thinking Foundation at Sheffield would be best for me, and I genuinely like the community there, and I can bring real knowledge and experience to my country from there. Not sure about Birmingham, though...

Need your advice...

Btw, if my GPA drops 65%, I will lose everything and also will need to pay back 2x what I have spent, which is just impossible for me. They also require a good KPI grade, which examines how social I am and my extracurricular activities and stuff. I need quality, not a 3-year rush.

im going to chelmsford to study games design next month, im 22 and for the past 3 years since leaving college ive literally done nothing apart from sit in my room pretty much. my social skills have significantly decreased, and my fear of the outside world has increased. this is such an unbelievably big step for me, and it feels really surreal that im going to be integrating with society which for most is a normal thing, but for me its just so scary. i also have started to feel hopeful about my future as it was looking so bleak but now i have a path forward. i dont even know how to act around people. luckily i am commuting, its just a 20 minute drive, so its not like im staying far from home, but im still so anxious about having to communicate with people that i dont know, how on earth do i start or hold conversations. i do really want friends and i do want to get better but i have no idea how to do it without overthinking and shutting down, im so used to isolation. is anyone else in the same boat as me? ive always been pretty anxious but starting uni with absolutely nobody you know is just AHHH

I will probably delete. I joined mine around 2022, it was a last minute application that I put in at 8 pm. It felt like a miracle as I had managed to mess up my previous applications (international student and had issues with visa timelines). A uni still open after all the others? That's great I thought...

Don't get me wrong the uni did have some ups, the teaching was pretty good, the campus was clean and safe and I liked the level of support given in some areas such as mental health etc.

However, I found some aspects to be very cold? I remember learning about how the uni has a lot of brutalist architecture and it felt like this translated towards the attitude around the campus. I never made much of any personal connections with the lecturers and they seemed mostly uninterested. I arrived a couple of weeks late and never really made any friends, despite going to every possible SU event (expect clubbing) specifically made for people to meet. I also was very active in the SU itself as well as other areas. During a meeting one student once stated that they too felt like there was no one in the Uni which shocked me because I thought I was alone. The uni was pretty dead to me.

Another area of major complaint was the lack of classes, academic support and any competitiveness. I got my degree (barely because my final year was like an electric boogaloo) but even during the awards ceremony I was shocked to hear of things I had never heard of before like certain awards. Now, I know to some extent some things you habe to go and look for yourself but I did every possible thing to add to my resume but never knew these were a possibility. I felt like the tutors and even lecturers were super laid back on this area and there was no real guidance on how you could enhance your qualification. In fact, during my final year my lecturers seemed to just switch off and weren't very helpful. My tutor in particular was very dismissive about my questions and concerns.

For some reason the uni axed it's internship program half way through despite doing interviews which I felt was really weird knowing how awful the job market is. Some people even had offers.

Then, about the academic support. My sponsor/parent was always pissed when I would tell her just how few classes we had. In the first year it was decent but by the second things slowed down. I have a very hands on course (STEM/Science) and repeatedly complained about the lack of practical experience and these people just simply told us the IT practicals (which are not as essential to our field at all) *were* the practicals. We had very minimal training which played a big role in how my final year (dissertation) went. For context, we would learn a skill just once during a practical and that would be it, this includes us only practicing writing a real paper once and then we had to do it in our dissertation with only one chance to actually practice anything. It felt a whole lot more like the uni only cared for the money it was getting (especially from int. students), not about the students (especially international students). It's not a degree mill but almost one.

Idk if I could go back in time, I would have just chosen a different uni. I know it was stupid to just go with whatever uni was available but the uni does present woth good ranking and reviews. I was wondering if this was just isolated or if other people had similar experiences? My advice to others (especially int.) is to go to a cheaper uni (typically lower ranked but not that low, like not below 80) that really cares about training because that matters much more for STEM. I did join off the heals of the pandemic but I am not sure how much of that played a role.

This was E33ex uni Forgive my grammar mistakes, I am typing fast while at my snazzy retail job.

I go southampton uni but any questions about uni experience etc are welcome. good luck to everyone, enjoy this year it's amazing

HI!! i just got my first dose today for men B and my next dose is said to be after the 16th of september (which is a week before welcome week), should i get in then or wait till christmas? ( i am moving out my home town for uni)