How to Prepare for Your Applicant Day

What are the key differences between an Applicant Day and an Open Day?

Much like an Open Day, our Applicant Days offer campus tours, accommodation tours, and a chance to visit our student support services at the information fair. The biggest difference is that an Applicant Day is a more personalised experience, exclusive to our current offer holders. Each subject department run mock lectures during the event, or hold a tailored subject session talk matching your chosen area of study.

What should I bring along with me to an Applicant Day?

We recommend that you have a look over the subject content of your chosen course before attending the event. This can be found on the University of Chester’s course page, by searching for your chosen course title. By doing so, you can bring along any questions you may have about the topics you will be covering during your studies. You can even ask our lecturers about our assessment criteria, and how this differs from your previous assessment styles used by your Sixth Form or College.  

Who should I bring with me to the event?

Feel free to bring along some family members or friends! You just need to indicate how many guests you will be bringing on our Applicant Day booking form. However, many of our guests only bring themselves along to the event too.

I may struggle to afford travel to the event, but still wish to visit. Are there travel bursaries available?

Yes, we offer a means-tested travel bursary of up to £100 (eligibility criteria applies). It’s also worth planning your journey ahead of time, taking advantage of advance train tickets where possible.

How can students make the most of the Applicant Day?

Take advantage of your time here at the University of Chester to ask current students about their experiences. We also have an information fair, where our student support departments can offer more detailed answers to your queries. Our event staff, dressed in red, are also more than happy to answer any queries on the day!

Will the accommodation be open to look around?

Look out for our Student Ambassadors in yellow, who will be outside each of our accommodation buildings. They will be able to take you for a tour around one of the show rooms, and provide information about the costs involved, the contract length, and how the accommodation types differ. The location of these will be shown on the map provided within the Applicant Day guides, or ask a student ambassador for directions to each one.

Top tip!

When visiting our University-owned and partnership accommodation types, make sure to note down what you liked about each one. You could even rank them all, so you remember which type was your favourite for when applications for our accommodation open.

Can I find out more about the University of Chester’s societies at the Applicant Days?

Did you know we have over 100 different sports, and societies at the University of Chester? Some of our sports are highly successful, such as Cheerleading, who are the reigning National title holders. We offer both competitive and non-competitive sports run by the Athletics’ Union, and a huge range of societies run by the Students’ Union. Pop into our Students’ Union building during your visit to find out about what student life is like. Alternatively, you can search for each sports club and society on Instagram to see what their members get up to.

Finally, make sure you get a chance to go and explore the city - after all, you’ll be living here for 3+ years so it’s important to get a true feel for the place. Why not take a walk along the Roman walls, relax with an ice-cream overlooking the River Dee, or pop into the independent shops on the historic Rows. You probably don’t want to miss Chester Market for their incredible street food – perfect for an end of day treat! You could also ask our Student Ambassadors about their favourite spot in town.

If you have any questions after visiting, you can email us on visitus@chester.ac.uk or call us on 01244 512800. We hope you enjoy your Applicant Day!