Write for the Parents' Guide to University 2026

Do you work in school liaison, student recruitment, or widening participation?

We'd love you to share your experience, expertise, and enthusiasm by writing an article for our next Parents’ Guide to University.

As with our previous Parents’ Guide, this will be published as a free online resource for parents and supporters of prospective students. It will be filled with advice about researching university options, attending university events, applying to university, and getting ready to go.

Do you have insights about the university application journey that would interest parents and supporters? Maybe advice on the opportunities available to under-represented groups? Perhaps a look at alternatives to a traditional degree? Or guidance on how students can research and visit the many options available to them?

If so, we’d love you to write for us!

You will discover lots of benefits by writing for the Parents’ Guide 2026.

If you choose to submit an article, you will:

• Help parents to guide their young people in decisions about their future
• Provide valuable guidance to people who might not have access to support elsewhere
• Receive visibility and credibility across the sector – valuable for your employability
• Raise the profile of your university amongst students and their influencers
• Develop your writing, editing, and proof-reading skills
• Get discounted rates on an optional advert alongside your content. Details below!

Do you have an open day, taster day, residential event, funding opportunity, or selling point that parents might wish to know about?

If so, we offer a number of advertising opportunities to fund the production of this free online resource. Colleagues submitting an article can book a full page advert at a discounted rate of just £500+VAT. Those not submitting an article are charged £600+VAT.

This guide is our lead resource for prospective students, and will be read widely over the next 12 months. We reach out to over 100,000 school and college staff to provide this guide for their students. Additionally, universities, Uni Connect organisations, schools, and colleges can host the guide on their own websites, which increases its reach even further. As such, the guide is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your brand.

We'll ask for an A4 portrait advert in a PDF format without the bleed. This is a digital guide, so the entire advert can link to a webpage of your choosing. Adverts should be submitted by Friday 24 April 2026.

To write an article, you need to work in student recruitment, widening participation, marketing, or outreach at one of our member universities or Uni Connect networks. We occasionally accept articles from other sources, such as partner organisations and the guest speakers who attend our university training days.

Rest assured, you don’t need any prior writing experience to submit an article. Our editorial team is happy to support you. Equally, you don't need to be in a senior role. Advice and insights from entry-level practitioners are just as valuable as those written by directors.

Equally, there is no limit to how many articles your university or organisation can volunteer to write. We may introduce a limit for future guides, but for now we like to support any enthusiastic staff member who is keen to contribute.

Interested in writing an article?

We are looking for articles on the topics listed below. Each bullet-point is intended to be a 500-word article, whilst the numbered headings in bold indicate the section in which the article will be placed. We write ALLOCATED next to an article once it has been allocated to an author.

Please contact Simon before Friday 20 March 2026 once you have decided which article you'd like to write. He will reply to confirm whether the topic is still available. Articles are typically allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

We are also open to suggestions. If you can think of another topic that would benefit prospective students, then we'd love to hear from you!

1. University for everyone

• ALLOCATED - Reasons to consider university
• ALLOCATED - Understanding fair access and widening participation
• ALLOCATED - Support for first-in-family students
• ALLOCATED - Support for BAME students
• ALLOCATED - Support for mature students, parents, and carers
• Support for service children
• Support for young adult carers
• Support for students on free school meals
• ALLOCATED - Support for care experienced and estranged students
• ALLOCATED - Support for students with special educational needs and disabilities
• ALLOCATED - Support for neurodiverse students
• Support for students who have English as an additional language
• ALLOCATED - Support for international students
• Support for Gypsy Roma Traveller students
• Opportunities offered by Uni Connect
• We are also open to suggestions!

2. Researching university options

• ALLOCATED - How to choose the right university
• ALLOCATED - The different types of university
• ALLOCATED - The different types of university courses
• ALLOCATED - Engaging with universities online, on campus, and on demand
• Researching alumni when choosing a university
• ALLOCATED - Researching postgraduate options when choosing a university
• Understanding university league tables
• Studying a Higher Technical Qualification
• Studying a degree apprenticeship
• Studying an online university course
• Studying a part-time university course
• ALLOCATED - Studying a creative university course
• ALLOCATED - Studying medicine at university
• ALLOCATED - Studying graduate-entry medicine at university
• Studying HE at an FE college
• ALLOCATED - Studying HE at a specialist institution
• How location can enhance the study experience
• ALLOCATED - How location can enhance the university experience
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of studying in Scotland
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of studying in Wales
• The benefits of studying in Northern Ireland
• ALLOCATED - The benefits and challenges of studying in London
• ALLOCATED - The benefits and challenges of commuting to university
• We are also open to suggestions!

3. University events

• ALLOCATED - The different types of university events
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of attending a university event
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of attending a summer school
• The benefits of attending a campus tour afternoon
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of visiting a university when an event isn't happening
• ALLOCATED - How to prepare for a university fair
• ALLOCATED - Top questions to ask at a university fair
• ALLOCATED - How to prepare for a university open day
• ALLOCATED - Making the most of a university open day
• How to attend two open days in a single day
• What you should do immediately after an open day
• ALLOCATED - Accessing university events on a budget
• ALLOCATED - Advice for attending an online university event
• We are also open to suggestions!

4. Funding and finance

• ALLOCATED - Student finance 2026/27
• ALLOCATED - University bursaries and scholarships
• ALLOCATED - Opening a student bank account
• ALLOCATED - The NHS Learning Support Fund
• ALLOCATED - The Disabled Students’ Allowance
• Accessing a hardship fund
• ALLOCATED - Managing money at university
• ALLOCATED - Part-time work opportunities at university
• Saving money with student discount cards
• Saving money with a JOMO mindset
• We are also open to suggestions!

5. Applying to university

• ALLOCATED - Understanding the university application process
• ALLOCATED - Accessing admissions support through fair access programmes
• How pre-16 and post-16 choices can affect a university application
• ALLOCATED - The 2026 changes to personal statements
• ALLOCATED - Writing an outstanding personal statement
• ALLOCATED - Qualifications accepted by universities
• Applying for a teaching degree
• ALLOCATED - Preparing a portfolio for a creative course
• ALLOCATED - Contextual university admissions
• ALLOCATED - What happens after receiving an offer
• How to choose university accommodation
• ALLOCATED - Understanding and preparing for Clearing
• We are also open to suggestions!

6. Getting ready for university

• What happens after results day
• ALLOCATED - An introduction to student life
• ALLOCATED - How to support your child after they start
• ALLOCATED - How to make friends at university
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of joining a student society
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of joining a sports team
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of volunteering at university
• ALLOCATED - Making the most of the students' union
• ALLOCATED - The benefits of becoming a student ambassador
• The benefits of undertaking a year in industry
• The benefits of undertaking a study abroad placement
• ALLOCATED - How to start a business at university
• ALLOCATED - Accessing careers support at university
• ALLOCATED - Preparing for a future career
• We are also open to suggestions!

Have you been assigned an article? Ready to start writing?

Please follow our editorial guidelines. Your article should be...

1. Addressed to parents and supporters of prospective students.

2. Under 500 words in length.

3. Impartial - you mustn't use your article to promote your university. If you'd like to promote your university, then please consider our advertising options.

4. Your own unique content in your own style. We don't accept content generated through ChatGPT or equivalent AI programmes.

5. Without acronyms and jargon, unless these are explained within the article when they appear for the first time. Please be mindful of skills and knowledge gaps.

6. Without links to other websites. We like to keep our readers focused on our guide, rather than directing them elsewhere. However, if you feel a link would offer genuine value, such as signposting to a funding application or interactive tool, then this can be included. If you wish to include a promotional link, then please do consider our advertising options instead.

7. Concise and well structured. Readability is critical for accessibility. Please use simple language, short sentences, and short paragraphs. Consider sub-headings and bullet-points too. We even offer a university training day on this topic!

8. Without title case - please use sentence case for headings and sub-headings, rather than title case. Sentence case is much better for readability. For instance... Please write like this. Don't Write Like This.

9. Also... you're not allowed to use the word "great" in your article. See if you can do it!

Please submit your article to Simon before Friday 3 April 2026 with your article attached in a Word document. Your Word document should include:

• Your article
• Your name
• Your job title
• Your institution.

You will receive a reply to confirm receipt of your article.

Once submitted, your article will be reviewed and revised by our editorial team. We rarely make significant changes, especially regarding the content of your article.

Typically, our team uses copywriting best practice to enhance the readability of your article, such as occasional language and structural edits. This makes the article more audience-friendly, accessible, and suitable for being read online. We will ask you to review and approve the final version before Friday 1 May 2026.

We plan to launch the guide on Monday 1 June 2026 to coincide with the start of the summer open day season. This is typically when parents join the university application journey, so they can drive their children to every corner of the UK!

And remember...

We have a series of other free online guides packed with advice written by student recruitment, marketing, and outreach professionals, including our popular Practitioners’ Guide.

• Students' Guide
• Teachers' Guide
• Practitioners' Guide

Please do share these with your audiences and contacts to support your student recruitment, marketing, and outreach activity.

Looking for further development opportunities?

At UniTasterDays, we are committed to offering learning and development opportunities to those working in school liaison roles. Writing for our annual guides is just one example.

You might also be interested in our popular training days. We pride ourselves in delivering inspiring, insightful, and interactive events, with sessions that cover essential skills for student recruitment, widening participation, and outreach.

You have a few training options:

• Attend our university training days in Birmingham
• Book an in-house outreach training day at your campus
• Book an in-house marketing training day at your campus
• Book an in-house ambassador training day at your campus
• Book an outreach training day for your academic colleagues at your campus
• Book a student retention talk for delivery online, on-demand, or on-campus
• Join our 6-week manager or leadership course

As ever, if you have any questions about our annual guides, our learning resources, or anything else, please do let us know. We’d be happy to help.