How to compare university courses properly

Two degrees with the same name at different universities can be different qualifications in all but title - different content, different assessment, different doors opened. Comparing courses means going past the league table to the module list, and scoring what actually matters to you. Here is the checklist, checked against UCAS guidance on 20 September 2026.

1. Start with eligibility, not preference

A course you cannot meet the requirements for is not an option, so filter first:

• Grades: what is the typical offer, and does it match your predicted grades? Our UCAS points explainer covers grade vs tariff offers.
• Required subjects: Chemistry for medicine, Maths for engineering, exclusions like General Studies - requirements live under the headline grades.
• Contextual offers: check eligibility - a reduced offer can move a course onto your list. See our contextual offers guide.

The Tansiky free preview does this filtering against your real grades in minutes, before you spend hours comparing courses you will never apply to.

2. Compare the course content

This is where the real differences hide:

• Module lists. Read year one and the optional modules for years two and three. Is the content actually what you want to study? A "history" degree can be mostly modern political history or mostly medieval - the title will not tell you.
• Compulsory vs optional balance. Some courses lock down most of the curriculum; others are nearly half options by year three.
• Specialisms. Does the course lean the way you want - quantitative or theoretical, applied or academic?

3. Compare how you will learn and be judged

• Contact hours and teaching mix - lectures vs seminars vs labs, and how it changes after first year
• Assessment split - 100% exams vs mostly coursework is a personality question, not a detail; know which suits you
• Feedback culture - how often is work marked and returned? Open days are the place to ask (our open-day questions checklist has the exact questions)

4. Compare the extras that change the degree

• Placement years and year in industry - availability, whether they are guaranteed or competitive, and whether fees are reduced that year
• Study abroad years - which partner universities, and what it does to your degree length
• Accreditation - for engineering, psychology, law conversion, accounting and similar, professional accreditation can matter for your career route; check the course page
• Facilities that matter for your subject - labs, studios, clinics, libraries

5. Compare the official statistics - carefully

• Discover Uni (discoveruni.gov.uk) publishes official per-course data: student satisfaction from the National Student Survey, continuation rates, and graduate outcomes. It is the fairest like-for-like source.
• League tables rank institutions, not your experience, and disagree with each other. Use them as light context, never as the decision.
• Read satisfaction scores with scepticism: small differences are noise, and a course you love at a lower-ranked university beats a miserable one at a famous one.

6. Compare the life and the money

• Cost of living - rent varies enormously by city; cross-check against the loan figures in our student finance guide
• Location and transport - campus vs city university, distance from home, part-time work market
• The gut check - you have to live there for three or more years

Turn comparison into a decision

Score each course against the same six headings - eligibility, content, teaching, extras, outcomes, life - and the ranking usually resolves itself. Then check the mix of your final five: one or two ambitious, two or three solid, one safe. Our guide to choosing your five UCAS choices explains the balance, and the Tansiky £9.99 report delivers that comparison pre-built for your grades, with the official source link for every requirement.

Frequently asked questions

How do I compare the same course at different universities?

Module lists, assessment style, contact hours, placements, accreditation, entry requirements and costs - then weight what matters to you.

Do same-name courses really differ?

Yes - content, options, assessment and placements can all differ substantially. Read the module list, not the title.

What official statistics exist?

Discover Uni publishes per-course satisfaction, continuation and graduate-outcomes data. League tables measure broader institutional factors.

Should league tables decide for me?

No - they are a weak proxy for course fit and disagree with each other.

How do entry requirements fit in?

They filter which comparisons matter - check grades and required subjects before anything else.

Checked against UCAS course-search and Discover Uni guidance on 20 September 2026.