About Whatuni

Here you'll find over 190,000 verified student reviews from students at unis and HE colleges all over the UK, sharing their thoughts on their university experience. As well as student reviews, we also offer ways for students to research, save and shortlist courses and universities, plus you can book open days and request prospectuses on the site. As if that wasn't enough, we also have a huge bank of information to help you make decisions about your future, including our Career Matcher and Advice section.

All the information on Whatuni is here to help you make the best decision about your future. From unbiased guidance on topics from finance and accommodation to applications and course selection to real student experiences, we've got all you need for your journey to uni.

Whatuni was founded in 2007, and now has millions of users visiting the site each year. Our story started back in 1996 with the foundation of Hotcourses, who offered physical booklets listing part-time and full-time courses. After Hotcourses moved online in the early 2000s, they launched Whatuni in 2007. In 2017, Hotcourses was acquired by IDP Education.

The Whatuni App was relaunched in 2022 and allows you to browse and save courses, chat to real students at uni, book open days, order prospectuses and much more!

We're constantly developing and adding new features to make the website and app even more useful and exciting for our users, so keep an eye out for what's coming next.

Student reviews

We have over 190,000 verified student reviews hosted on the site. Students review their uni, course and overall experience, rating different elements of their uni experience on a 1-5 star scale rating. Our reviews come from students of all different ages and stages of degree-level study and offer an in-depth and comprehensive overview of a range of different university experiences.

WUSCAs

The annual Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs) are the biggest student-voted rankings in the UK (that we're aware of). All of our WUSCA rankings are determined by the reviews left on our site with the exception of the annual Submission Award, the winner of which is selected by a panel of students. The annual awards ceremony offers unis an opportunity to celebrate their achievements, and the rankings help students to see which unis are excelling in areas they're most concerned with.

Course and uni search

As well as uplifting student voices and experiences, you can also use Whatuni to browse tens of thousands of courses from hundreds of universities and HE colleges across the UK. We have over 61,000 courses listed on the site which you can browse, favourite and shortlist.

Prospectuses and open day bookings

We're here for you every step of the way to uni, which is why you can order prospectuses and book open days from unis across the UK right here on Whatuni. Get free prospectuses delivered right to your door from unis you're interested in and if you like what you see, check out when their next open day is and get booked on! With everything in one place, it's much easier to find what you're interested in.

Career Matcher

Our Career Matcher tool is quick and easy to use, and after completing the questionnaire, you'll be given your career matches. We have career profiles across a wide range of different sectors and industries to give you an idea of what's on offer and what matches up best to your interests.

Student Cost of Living Calculator

Making a student budget can be tricky – there's lots to think about, and more often than not, something that needs to be on your list of university expenses gets forgotten. The Student Cost of Living Calculator simplified this, making sure you don't forget anything and that you've got a clear view of your money. Plus, you can use it to explore the cost of living in cities and at unis across the UK, meaning you can find a uni that you can afford.

Results day and Clearing

We know results day and Clearing is a stressful time for students, so every year our Clearing Hub goes live with all the information and support you need. You'll find advice on navigating Clearing, answers to all your Clearing FAQs and you can browse Clearing courses, see your chance of acceptance and even get phone numbers for the unis' Clearing hotlines to make the process as quick and simple as possible.

Expert advice

Another key feature we offer is expert, unbiased advice. Learn about what it's like to study different subjects at uni, get top tips for choosing the right course and uni for you, and let us break down university applications into simple step-by-step guides. We also have advice on student finance, accommodation, careers, and wellbeing.

As well as advice from our resident and guest experts, we also host advice articles written by students, going into more detail about a specific element of their uni or career journey.

Whatuni is a part of IDP Education, a global student recruitment company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. Meet the IDP Education and Whatuni team!

• Simon Emmett, CEO

• Stuart Smith, Director of Product and Marketing

• Emma Bridge, Director of Marketing

• Camilla King, Director of Client Partnerships

• Amandeep Aulakh, Client Partner Director

• Murugan Hari Hara Puthiran, Senior Engineering Manager

• Prabha Ramamoorthy, Manager, Client Care

• Sam Smith, Content Manager

UCAS

UCAS, or the Universities and Colleges Admission Service, is the official admissions service for students applying for UK undergraduate courses. UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education. Millions of students have gone through its application process since it was formed in 1994. Whatuni works with data provided by UCAS to ensure that prospective students have access to the most relevant, and accurate information available, in order to help them find the right course at the right university.

Higher Education Statistics Agency

The Higher Education Statistics Agency, or HESA, is the official source of data information from universities and higher education colleges in the UK. HESA collects information from universities, higher education colleges and other differently funded providers of higher education each year. This data is published as official statistics each year for use by a variety of stakeholders including academic

Students are at the heart of everything we do, so we're always working hard to bring you expert, unbiased advice and real student experiences to give you the information you need to make your choices in new and exciting ways. We value authenticity, straightforwardness, expertise and innovation.

In order to keep providing you with the support we offer, we work with universities. This means you'll sometimes see adverts in the form of 'Featured Results', 'Our Top Picks' or banners across the site, showing listings from our partner universities.

We also try our best to give back to the community. UK employees at IDP Education are able to take up to two paid days off per year for volunteering. As a company, we are currently working to support WONDER Foundation, who empower vulnerable women, girls and communities through education.

Within the company, we also have a Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) working group. The DEI group organise events, listen to employees' ideas and concerns, and advocate for employees to create an inclusive and supportive work environment.

For further information regarding compliance, please refer to our terms & conditions and our privacy notice.

On average, around 35,000 students per year submit a review to Whatuni. With over 190,000 reviews published on our site and more being submitted every day, you can be sure that you'll find reviews from students with a range of experiences, backgrounds and opinions.

In any given year, we now support over 5 million users to find the information they need to help them make their next steps in the worlds of education and work. Our impact is especially clear in the days after A-level results day, with an average of 200,000 students helped during the period immediately after results are released.

Since 2007, we've supported millions of students, teachers and parents to find information about university life, applications, degrees and much more - and we're not going to stop that support any time soon!

IDP Education is always on the lookout for more great talent to join our team. If working with us is something you're interested in, make sure you keep an eye on the IDP Education Careers page to stay in the loop with all the latest opportunities.

We're always happy to hear from visitors to the site! Email editor@whatuni.com if you have any specific university related queries we can support with or subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates so we can keep you on track with your uni journey. You can also follow us on social media for reminders of important deadlines, student life content and much more!