One of the last instructions given to Yr 13 students as they sit their final exams in various sauna suites of badly built classrooms, is a sage reminder from Heads of Careers to return in September knowing what they’re applying for.

However, deciding where to go to university and what to study isn’t as simple as it used to be, or even as it could be. Nowadays there’s a plethora of similar sounding courses, differing fees, attendance modes, study pathways and of course grade inflation; that’s where increasing numbers of students are getting top grades.

To start simply, there are two universities in NI, Queen’s and Ulster; that bit we know. Students who live in either NI, or The Republic of Ireland pay £4,630 per annum for undergraduate study to attend either of these universities.

The same fees apply to students who are deemed ‘settled’ EU nationals but outside this, international fees apply. GB residents also pay a higher rate and there’s sliding scales for sandwich and courses with industrial placements, but that’s a quick scan, research this area fully and speak to advisors before applying. Like all finance, these and all fees are part of the student loan system.

With approximately 27,000 students across four main campuses and two outposts, Ulster University is the larger of the two universities in the province. QUB is close behind in the numbers game with almost 25,000 students on its single campus in Belfast.

The four campuses of Ulster are in Belfast, Coleraine, Derry-Londonderry and Jordanstown, the latter being ear-marked for bulldozing once the Belfast site is finished / extended. The University also has small campuses in London and Birmingham.

In terms of rankings, QUB leads the way, being ranked 38th in the UK in The Times / Sunday Times 2022 rankings, slightly ahead of Ulster who are 44th. All rankings have to be taken with a pinch of salt and within this league table, there are individual courses and departments which have their own rankings.

So what else is open to NI students? The two most obvious destinations are across the water or the Republic of Ireland. In England, Scotland or Wales the fees are £9,250 per annum for undergraduate courses, while across the border they will pay a ‘contribution cost’ (as R of I students don’t pay university fees) of €3,000.

Now we get into the grey areas. Going to study in one of the four universities in Dublin is common enough here but be aware, there’s been a bit of rebranding going on.

The three Institutes of Higher Education in the city have now joined forces and rebranded to become ‘Technological University Dublin’. The remaining three are ‘is was’, namely, Trinity, UCD and DCU. There are other ‘new’ universities in Ireland, all mergers of smaller colleges so be careful Googling them.

A curved ball in these ‘new’ technological universities for Fermanagh students must include our close neighbours in Sligo, namely the artist that was formerly known as Sligo Institute of Technology.

Again, like TUD and the 80s pop artist ‘Prince’, they are now known as something different, in Sligo’s case, ‘Atlantic Technological University’, a merger of Sligo, Galway and Letterkenny’s Technological Colleges.

There are about 20,000 students at this new multi-campus university and it’s perfectly plausible for local students and those from bordering counties to travel daily and save themselves what seems to be a lifetime of debt for accommodation costs.

The Sligo campus, as it now is, offers courses right up to PhD level and is on the right side of Sligo for us, travelling from Enniskillen.

A quick scan at their shiny new website shows degrees in Accounting, Sustainable Building Technology, Sport, Architecture, Biomedial Sciences, Business, Civil Engineering, Cyber Security, Computing, Creative Design, Engineering, Environmental Science, Fine Art, Forensics, Health, Nutrition, Tourism, Performing Arts, Pharmaceutical Science, Science, Sociology and Writing . . . and that’s just a summary.

My one criticism of Sligo, or any other regional college or university for that matter, is one of academic strength. The best universities are in cities that are hotbeds of science parks, theatres, publishing, medical advances and the like.

No disrespect to Sligo, but a wander round its small streets makes me wonder how many top academics in the aforementioned fields of study live in a place of such a low population and also so far from Belfast, Dublin or Cork. I have my reservations but if you don’t want the exorbitant living costs, then it’s worth an investigation at least.

Letterkenny’s ATU campus is at the edge of daily travel, but again, they offer a huge diversity of courses including agriculture, animation, dental nursing and the wonderfully named Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Fluid Therapy. I’d like that qualification hanging on my dining room wall to start an after dinner conversation.

Still within shouting distance across the border, ATU have a few smaller campuses, notably one in Killybegs which is one of Ireland’s premier catering colleges home to a wide range of degree programmes in everything hospitality-related including Culinary Arts, Food and Beverage, Hospitality and Resort Management, Social Media, Guiding, Rooms Management and so on; it’s quite an impressive list.

Going more specialised, we have CAFRE Enniskillen Campus, which offer a raft of courses in Equine related-subjects, attracting students from far and wide.

If travel is no restriction, then consider universities in the EU, taught in English, I quickly add I know of one doctor practising locally who studied medicine in Poland and was very happy with the quality of education she received.

The Netherlands is probably the most common area for local students to go to though; regular daily flights from both Belfast and Dublin, English widely spoken and low fees all accounting for its popularity. eunicas.ie is the place to got to start searching and you will see immediately how many countries offer courses taught in English.

Do your research on this one, studying in an area near a nice beach on the Med may sound appealing but is it in the course you want?

This finally brings us round to our own South West College, with campuses here in Enniskillen as well as Omagh and Dungannon. Here you can study a limited number of degrees and as their website boasts, many of those courses are available to study as part-time and day release options. In reality this means you can start your education journey here and even may be able to complete it.

University days are often the most enriching but only if you do the right course. Think hard, do your research and then act on your findings. Good luck!