Top Factors to consider Before choosing the Right University

2. The Quality and Reputation of the University.

I have already said something close to this in the first factor we treated. Every university is made up of different faculties and or colleges which offer different programs. Some faculties are stronger, have more robust curriculum, and more human and academic resources to impact the students.

Take for example, Loughborough University in the United Kingdom is reputed as a foremost and excellent university as for Finance and Accountancy Programs are concerned whereas Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is known to be one of the best graduate engineering universities in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.

Like I pointed out earlier, a student will be in the best position to make a perfect decision of the university to join if the student already knows or, at least, has an idea of the career they want to pursue in life. That way, if the student is interested in studying Pharmacy, they can concentrate their research on finding institutions where the best Pharmacy program is offered.

3. Accreditation and Universal Recognition.

In university systems, accreditation is the process of evaluating and verifying the quality of resources, services and operations of departments and faculties in an institution. If a department, faculty or college in a university or even the university itself does not meet recognized standards, it may not be given accreditation status. This is a very important factor to consider by students trying to choose the university to go to.

Any university you choose must be one whose degree certificate is recognized everywhere in the world so that you will be confident after your graduation. If you obtain an undergraduate degree from a well-accredited and recognized university, it gives you an easy pass when to go to another university to pursue a graduate or post-graduate degree.

More so, your future employer would not have need to take your degree through series of evaluation process if you obtained it from an accredited and well-recognized university. So you see that information about accreditation is very important and must never be ignored as other factors are considered before choosing a university. This information can normally be obtained from the university’s website.

4. Financial Background, Cost of Tuition and Cost of Living.

This point is very important. No matter what you are thinking and planning, if you don’t consider your financial status, you may be in for a big disappointment. The cost of education in the world today is generally high and you can easily see that in the figures quoted as the cost of tuition in many universities’ websites.

The truth is that what you see as tuition only amounts to roughly half of the entire cost of attending a university because you will still have to incur other costs like accommodation fees, transportation fare, feeding, books and other materials.

Though the cost of qualitative education is very high, there are  many universities around the world that offer high quality education at relatively low and affordable tuition fees. In the next point we shall fully consider the location of the university as a point to consider when choosing a university. For now, let me point out the fact that the location of a university plays a crucial role in determining how expensive it would be for a student to attend it. So you need to factor that in.

5. Location of University of Interest.

The location of the school of interest is an important factor to consider especially for international students who would leave their for another country in pursuit of a university education. Depending on the course or program, it takes an average of four (4) years for a student to go through an undergraduate program and receive a degree.

If you have to relocate to a new city or town and live there for a period as long as four years, don’t you think you want to take your time and do some research about the town? Don’t you think you want to find answers to questions such as, “What is the culture of the people and how receptive are they to foreign students?” “What language do they speak and how easy would it be for you to learn the new language?” “What’s the cost of living in the town?” “Do they have a good public transport system?”

6. Available Scholarships

If your financial background is average or below, you may want to consider your need for scholarship. There are different types and packages of scholarships available for university students. A good number of them are awarded on the basis of academic achievements and prospects while others may be awarded on the basis of athletic or general sports achievement or personal financial background.

It is your duty to check out different scholarships and see which one applies to you with respect to the university you are giving consideration.

7. Entry Requirements

Every university has what is called minimum entry requirements. These are requirements which every prospective student is expected to have in order to qualify for admission. Obviously, this is an important factor to consider when choosing a university. You need to access a document that gives a comprehensive overview of all the entry requirements of the school.

When you read through the document, you can ascertain whether you have all the requirements or not. If you don’t the complete entry requirement of a given university, don’t bother applying to it as they are not likely to consider you (though it also depends on the level of competitiveness of the school).

8. Level of Competitiveness

Most top universities around the world are very competitive in terms of admission because they are the most preferred institutions by many. So if you know that you don’t have any competitive edge over other university aspirants, it is advisable to research about less competitive universities where you can be easily admitted.

Nevertheless, you can go for a top rated university if you have good grades in your statement of results or certificate with which you would apply for admission. Certificates from any of the following examination bodies can be used for application: A’level GCE, SAT, TOEFL, GRE, JAMB, JUPEB.

We just looked at Top 10 Factors to consider Before choosing the Right College or University and we believe that you were able to get just what you were looking for. It’s not left for you to try to really consider those factors before you decide on a university to attend as a lot depends on that choice. Thanks for visiting suresuccess.ng. Do take some time to check of very useful information on this website and don’t forget to share.