Unlock your future: study at an Alliance university

What is a professional and technical university?

University Alliance is a group of some of the UK’s leading professional and technical universities, but what is a professional and technical university?

Professional and technical universities specialise in working with industry and employers. That means that their students are empowered with career-ready skills, and their research supports businesses to innovate and thrive.

University Alliance is a group of some of the UK’s leading professional and technical universities. Our members deliver applied, career-informed teaching across healthcare, the creative industries, social sciences, business, engineering, computing and more.

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What does it mean if a university is a member of University Alliance?

To join University Alliance, universities must demonstrate that they fulfil a range of criteria. These are designed to measure the quality of the university and the outcomes they deliver as well as determining whether they specialise in partnering with employers to the extent that we would expect of a professional and technical university.

The sorts of measures we look at include data measuring teaching quality, research quality, employer partnerships, the percentage of graduates going into meaningful work and student satisfaction.

Fact: members of University Alliance are more likely to be rated gold for teaching excellence (the highest rating) than members of any other university mission group, according to the government’s official ratings.

Being a member of University Alliance provides assurance that a university is delivering high quality, innovative teaching in partnership with employers and informed by the latest research.

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What is it like to study at a professional and technical university?

Our students say there are three main things that make the experience of studying at one of University Alliance’s professional and technical universities stand out:

Practical learning and assessment. At our universities, you are as likely to be assessed for a practical project as you are a written essay. The teaching style tends to be practical and interactive too.
Employer contact. Employer contact is often built in to courses at our universities. This may mean placement opportunities are included, that teaching is delivered by industry professionals or that employers are commissioning students to deliver projects that are then assessed.
Industry-standard facilities. Our universities often have facilities that are so up-to-date they are used by local business, industry and employers. That means students will encounter employers in and around campus, and that they learn using the same equipment they will then use in their careers.

Example: hear from graphic design students and graduates at the University of Hertfordshire

Watch student videos from a range of subjects here

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What subjects can I study at a professional and technical university?

A whole range of subjects! While you might immediately associate ‘professional and technical’ with science and engineering subjects, our member universities also teach a range of creative and humanities subjects. Our biggest subject areas are:

Healthcare
Engineering
Social sciences
Creative industries
Business and computing

When we talk about ‘professional and technical’ we are talking about the type of teaching and assessment. So across a range of subjects, a professional and technical university is likely to embed elements of employability and employer contact and include more practical learning opportunities.

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What qualifications do UA’s professional and technical universities accept?

Our members accept a range of prior qualifications including A levels, T levels, BTECS, International Baccalaureate and more.

If you would like to check if our members accept a specific qualification that isn’t listed, please email info@unialliance.ac.uk.

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How can I apply for a professional and technical university?

Undergraduate degree applications can be made through UCAS. Most courses will use the January equal consideration deadline, and can also be applied for through clearing if available, but students should check the information for their specific course.

Degree apprenticeships have a different application process and applications will usually be made through the employer. Alliance universities list their available degree apprenticeships on their websites, and students can find application information there.

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What should I do if I think I might want to study at an Alliance university?

We would always recommend going to visit a few universities before you decide where to apply. All of our member universities have a range of events and open days throughout the year and they would all be really happy to talk to you in more detail about what you want to get out of your university experience and what they can offer.

If you’re worried about the costs, many universities offer financial support to help those who need it to attend their open days.

You can find out more on the university websites below.

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