Accommodation costs either on-campus in university housing or a nearby location can be eye-wateringly expensive. It’s not uncommon for students to move into accommodation and then realise that they are struggling to afford it. Make sure to budget carefully before moving in. Once you’ve signed a contract, it could be difficult to move out without financial penalties. Unsurprisingly, despite a desire for independence, many students live with their parent(s) during their time as an undergraduate due to financial constraints.

Does the university offer the degree that you are interested in and is it properly accredited? Sometimes universities will offer a degree that sounds like it leads to a particular profession, but really it doesn’t (at least not directly).

For instance, the University of Auckland offers a degree in Medical Physics and Imaging Technology which sounds like it qualifies you to work as a medical imaging technologist or medical physicist, but does it? No it doesn’t! To work as a medical physicist in New Zealand, the only approved qualification is a Master of Science (MSc) in Medical Physics from the University of Canterbury. The undergraduate degree from Auckland might help with later accredited studies, but a general physics or even an engineering degree is adequate for entry to the MSc course.

Similarly, only certain qualifications that are approved by the New Zealand Medical Radiation Technologists Board will allow someone to practice as medical imaging technologist. The BSc in Medical Physics and Imaging Technology is not on the list.

The University of Auckland does actually offer a different approved qualification, the Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Honours). As we have shown, it is very easy for students that don’t research choices carefully to get confused about what different degrees offer in terms of course content and job opportunities.

There may be some scenarios where accreditation doesn’t really matter, such as when it comes to information technology degrees. Information technology isn’t a regulated profession. In the Australian job market, nobody really cares about accreditation from the Australian Computer Society (ACS). Less than 5% of Australian IT professionals are members [1]. If you want to use the degree for migration purposes though, ACS accreditation may be needed as they have managed to insert themselves in this process.

A surprisingly common misconception is students studying a degree in pharmacology and thinking they can then work as a pharmacist, but that is not the case. It’s critically important to understand what your degree qualifies you to do and whether it is properly accredited. Universities have been known to market courses in a misleading way or say they have accreditation when they don’t.

Ensure the university offers your desired programme. Especially in a small country like New Zealand and even in Australia, some more specialised programmes like dentistry are only offered at a few universities. Sometimes students naively assume that their chosen major is offered at every university.

The general environment can have a big impact on how an individual feels about their university. Some students might prefer a big city, others a more regional location. Given the sky-high rents in major cities a regional location could offer lower costs. Even within a city there is a lot of variation with some universities located close to the central business district (CBD) while others are in a quiet outer suburb. While some might want more hustle and bustle, keep in mind that you are at university to study, too many distractions might impact your grades.

In addition, consider the quality of public transportation. A shorter stress-free commute will do a lot to improve your university experience. Try to spend time exploring a given university before making a final decision. Different locations can facilitate different lifestyles, some students who love surfing may choose a university with easy access to surf beaches. Easy access to recreational opportunities can do a lot to improve the overall experience.

Fees for domestic students are set by the government at public universities, but for international students, there is no limit to what universities can charge. Sometimes students might obsess over studying at a high ranked university and be faced with huge fees. Yet this additional spending may not pay off in the long run. A degree from a cheaper university might be just as good.

In the opposite extreme, international students might just take the cheapest option which may also not make economic sense in that the degree is poor quality. In New Zealand, some students may skip university all together and choose a polytechnic degree. Unfortunately, these degrees are sometimes not respected. Hence, it is important to research carefully. In addition, pay attention to your budget because although Australian and New Zealand students studying in their respective countries have access to student loans, these might not be enough to cover all expenses.

It’s a good idea to examine any statistics that are available around student satisfaction, employment rates and so on, but keep in mind these can be impacted by significant non-response rates.

What kind of support does the university offer? Some students may have disabilities that need special support or mental health issues that require ongoing counselling. Be advised that at nearly all universities the demand for support like counselling far exceeds available resources. You might be hoping to receive ongoing counselling, but in reality be limited to a couple of sessions.

Take a look at what facilities are available. Even the busiest student will want to spend time relaxing and exercising. What sporting facilities are available? How busy are they? Inner city universities especially are quite cramped and don’t have enough facilities for all students. Moreover, as some universities have cranked up international enrolments, overcrowding has become an issue. There isn’t even enough study space. The library and other areas suitable for study are crowded and it can be impossible to find a seat. Similarly, the pool, gym and other recreational facilities are also packed.

It might seem trivial, but being able to get quality food at a decent price on campus can make a big difference to your mood and overall experience. Is there a single provider of unappetising and overpriced slop? Or is there a diverse range of good quality choices at reasonable prices? Campuses are generally open to the public, so evaluating food options could be part of a general fact-finding visit to a university.

Students are often curious whether universities will help them find internships. This is rarely the case, although some degrees do incorporate periods of industry experience or industry based learning which count towards the degree. Though due to their popularity, there are often way more applicants than places. In addition, the number of places available can fluctuate dependent on economic conditions. Universities have been known to pull a bait and switch and suddenly change the rules. So students think they are going to get industry based learning but then don’t because the required grades suddenly get increased. If industry links are important to you, check out what is available.

Research opportunities aren’t important to everyone, but those intending on pursuing a PhD and a research career will want exposure to research as early as possible. In this case consider the university’s research output in your subject of interest. Some universities are more research oriented than others and also may focus on certain areas.

Ensure you meet the entry requirements for the programme. If you aren’t accepted into the programme but are accepted into an equivalent degree elsewhere, it is almost always better to take that alternative offer. Some students may focus on a particular university and start in a degree they aren’t really interested in hoping to transfer later, but this can waste a lot of time and may not be successful.

The quality of the programme is obviously of critical importance. Don’t think quality and ranking are the same. Highly ranked universities can offer degrees that are regarded as poor quality.

The group of Eight consists of the oldest, largest and most prestigious universities in Australia.

These evolved from existing Institutes of Technology in the 1980s:

The Regional Universities Network (RUN) consists of those newer universities whose main campus is in a regional area. They include:

Innovative Research Universities (IRU): These universities were established in the 1960s and 1970s:

The Group of Eight(Go8) are consistently the highest ranked universities in Australia. It’s commonly thought that Go8 universities deliver a better quality of education and hence their graduates are more productive in the workforce. This increase in productivity could mean that employers are willing to offer higher salaries to Go8 graduates.

But does graduating from a Go8 university really deliver a higher income? A 2009 study by Birch and associates found little difference in starting salaries between Go8 graduates and those of other universities [2]. A more recent study by Koshy and associates used data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey to investigate this question. They also found little evidence of a significant difference between Go8 and other groups of universities [3]. The only exception was that those graduates from universities in the Regional Universities Network (RUN) earned about 11% less than other graduates. The study suggested that the lower incomes associated with regional universities were possibly not due to the universities themselves, but rather the fact that many graduates worked in regional labour markets which have lower associated rates of pay. They emphasised that the field of study was much more important than institution when it comes to earnings.

In contrast, a 2019 article found that while a Go8 premia does exist, it is a relatively minor driver of graduate salaries. The authors calculated the size of the premia to be about 5%, yet a sizeable portion of this premia (between 13 and 46%) is due to recruiting smarter students with higher ATARs. It is likely these smarter students may outperform others when it comes to earnings regardless of where they study [4]. Specifically, once the investigators control for factors like ATAR, field of study, and which region the graduate works, the premia decreases in size. Comparing a Go8 university to an ATN university, for example, only shows a premia of around 2%. It’s not uncommon for students to go to great lengths and inconvenience to study at say Monash or the University of Melbourne rather than study at RMIT, but these results suggest this effort doesn’t really pay off.

University rankings are generated from many variables such as the number of research articles published, which are unlikely to contribute much to the quality of education a student receives, especially if they have no plans to pursue a research career. Similarly, a university having better staff to student ratios doesn’t necessarily help students if those staff are preoccupied with research rather than focused on teaching.

It seems probable based on existing research that many students are unduly concerned about going to the highest ranked university - they are better to consider a broad range of factors when choosing a university.

It may be the case that for students pursuing post graduate studies like a PhD that a Go8 university confers a benefit by being more focused on research, but even then it may not be the best choice if an alternative university has a research group that specialises in the topic of interest. It’s important to look at all factors in detail rather than make assumptions based solely on a university’s rank.