How are the guides organised?

Guides are grouped into six areas that follow the journey from first shortlist to first job: choosing a university, admissions, funding, study skills, degrees and credits, and life after graduation.

Do the guides cover all countries?

General concepts apply everywhere. Country-specific pages currently focus on UK applications via UCAS. US-specific content covering the College Board and Federal Student Aid system is planned next.

Where do the facts and figures come from?

Every statistic links to its official source — bodies such as HESA, the Office for Students, the Student Loans Company and the European Commission ECTS Guide. The source and the academic year are shown on each page.

Can a guide tell me whether I will be accepted?

No. Admission decisions involve factors we do not have access to. The guides explain how admissions processes work and what institutions say they look for. For entry requirements and offer rates, check the programme page on the university's own website or on the official comparison tool.

Study skills

Planning your study week

Fitting classes, self-study and rest into 168 hours.

GuideTool: Weekly study loadChart

What this guide covers

This guide explains planning your study week in plain terms. It is written for current students and covers the key concepts you need without assuming prior knowledge.

Study load calculator

Use the sliders to see how your credits, sleep and other commitments divide up your 168 weekly hours.

Weekly study load

168-hour week

Credits this term 15

Self-study hours per credit 2

Study time per week

45 h

Assumes one class hour per credit each week and 8 hours of sleep per night. These are rules of thumb; adjust the slider to match your courses.

Key concepts

The core ideas in this guide are explained step by step. Where a term has a specific meaning in higher education, it is linked to the glossary.

Full guide content will appear here on launch.

Questions about study skills

: Guides are grouped into six areas that follow the journey from first shortlist to first job: choosing a university, admissions, funding, study skills, degrees and credits, and life after graduation.
: General concepts apply everywhere. Country-specific pages currently focus on UK applications via UCAS. US-specific content covering the College Board and Federal Student Aid system is planned next.
: Every statistic links to its official source — bodies such as HESA, the Office for Students, the Student Loans Company and the European Commission ECTS Guide. The source and the academic year are shown on each page.
: No. Admission decisions involve factors we do not have access to. The guides explain how admissions processes work and what institutions say they look for. For entry requirements and offer rates, check the programme page on the university's own website or on the official comparison tool.

More in Study skills

See every guide in this area.

Browse Study skills