At eighteen, you are faced with a whole range of choices. Many may think that it is a choice between studying a traditional three-year degree or going to work. But, in reality, the choice is more varied and far moreexciting. Eighteen-year-olds can now study two-year vocational Foundation Degrees, or four-year sandwich degrees where you spend a year in industry as part of your higher education qualification. There are apprenticeships as well. If you choose to go to university then there is help available. The maximum upfront tuition fee for those students starting in September 2004 is £1,150. However, it is means assessed, so only those families that can afford the fees pay the full amount. In fact, the Government pays all the fees for around 40 per cent of all full-time students and pays for some of the fees for another 20 per cent. From September 2004 we will also be introducing a grant of up to £1,000 per year for the lowest income students. All full time students can take out student loans to help meet the costs of living at university. The good news is that they're a lot cheaper than commercial loans offered by banks and building societies because they have minimal interest rates. You only repay your loans when you graduate and start earning a good salary and then your repayments will be linked to your income so that the more you earn the more you repay, the less you earn the less you repay. The other good news is that from April the income at which graduates start repaying their loan will be increased from £10,000 to £15,000. This will mean all graduates will be repaying less per week than they are now. A graduate earning £20,000 is currently paying back £17.30 per week, but the increase in the threshold means they will only be repaying £8.65 per week from April. You may have heard that the Government intends to allow universities to increase fees up to £3,000, but you won't be affected. Only those new full-time students starting university in September 2006 will be affected by those proposals. If you start university this year or next year then you will not be affected. According to the latest UNITE Student Living Report, around 90 per cent of students say that the money they spend is a good investment in their future, and 95 per cent think going to university is a worthwhile experience. There is no better endorsement than that. Going to university will broaden your horizons and be a social and educational experience of a lifetime. A Foundation degree could be a good choice for you. It is a vocational, higher education qualification, linking work and study. Foundation degrees are vocational, and very practical, qualifications that help you to develop the skills and knowledge that employers are looking for. University isn't for everyone. If you feel that you'd rather start to earn some money and train at the same time, think about an apprenticeship, which can also lead to higher education if you decide later on that it is for you. For more information visit www.aimhigher. gov.uk and www.apprenticeships.org.uk | 
