For students and parents · Year 12, summer and early autumn
University open days: what to ask
An open day is the best chance to check what a course and a university are really like before applying, and most universities hold them in the summer and early autumn, with dates on their own websites. The most useful questions are about the course itself: how much teaching there is, how it is assessed and what the first year covers, asked of the staff who teach it and the students taking it.
When are open days, and do you need to book?
Most universities hold their main open days in the summer term of Year 12 and again in early autumn, and many also run online open days and smaller subject visits during the year. Each university lists its own dates and whether you need to book, so check its website a few months ahead, particularly for popular courses where talks can fill up.
You cannot go to every open day, so it makes sense to visit the places you are most seriously considering and use online events for the rest. An online open day is a fair substitute for the course talk, though less so for getting a feel for the place.
What should you ask about the course?
Ask the academic staff how many hours of teaching a week there are in the first year, and in what form: lectures, seminars, labs or small-group teaching. Ask how the course is assessed each year, how much of it is exams and how much coursework, and whether there is a dissertation or project. Ask which modules are compulsory and how much choice there is later, and whether there is a year abroad or in industry if that interests you.
Current students are usually the most honest source, so ask them what a normal week looks like, how easy it is to get help from staff, and what they would change about the course.
What else is worth checking?
Accommodation: whether first-year students are guaranteed a place in halls, what it costs and how far it is from where the course is taught. Support: how the university helps with study skills, disabilities and wellbeing, and who a student would go to first with a problem. And the place itself: whether you could see yourself living there for three or four years.
What might a parent ask?
Parents often find the practical questions easier to ask: the real cost of living in the city, what support there is in the first weeks, how the university keeps in touch if a student is struggling, and what help there is with finding work or placements later. It is worth letting the student ask the questions about the course, since it will be their answers that matter when it comes to choosing.
Where to check
Checked against these on . The rules change from year to year, so the pages above are the ones to trust if anything here disagrees with them.
Common questions
When are university open days?
Mostly in the summer term of Year 12 and in early autumn, with some online and subject events through the year. Each university publishes its own dates on its website.
Do you have to go to an open day to apply?
No. Open days are not part of the application, but they are the best way to check a course and a place before choosing, and an online open day is a reasonable substitute if you cannot travel.
Should parents go to university open days?
Many do, and it can help with the practical questions about cost, accommodation and support. It is usually best for the student to lead the questions about the course.
What questions should you ask at an open day?
How many teaching hours a week the first year has, how the course is assessed, which modules are compulsory, what support there is, and, of current students, what a normal week is like.