Not all of your son's or daughter's time as a higher education student will be spent studying. They will have the chance to take part in a whole range of activities and social events at their university or college. Getting involved in these will help them to learn skills that are not necessarily related to their course, but which will, amongst other things, make them more attractive to future employers. This section introduces you to what it is like to be a parent with a son or daughter at university and to what student life is really like.

Want to hear it from the horse’s mouth?

Click on the links below to watch video-clips of parents talking about what it’s really like to have a son or daughter at university.

Karen...

To download a text version of the above interview please click below.

Viv...


Duncan...

Did You Know? (facts and figures)

• On average, graduates earn £415,300 more than non-graduates over a lifetime
• Graduates are less likely to be unemployed than non-graduates
• The average starting salary for a graduate is £18,300
• There are over 53,000 higher education courses to choose from in the UK
• There are more than 329 higher education institutions in the UK
• Higher education students get around 21 weeks of holiday time during a typical year at college or university

Students can work part-time for a recommended maximum of 15 hours per week whilst they are studying in higher education.