In this blog, Chloe Hung, Amazon best selling author, gives an insight into how to select your actuarial university, what to look at as deciding factors and how to choose the right university for you. 

As a prospective student, choosing the right university for your actuarial science degree can be quite challenging. There are just so many universities out there offering actuarial science programmes these days.

So how do you determine which is the best university to pursue your actuarial degree at?

First of all, compile a list of actuarial universities for yourself. I recommend a list of at least 10 universities to start with as you want to keep your options open here. Start by only selecting a university that offers exemptions by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA). This will save you a lot of time in your research and help you determine whether or not your selected university has an agreement with the IFoA to offer you exam exemptions.

Once you’ve created your own university list, look into the university’s actuarial staff directory.  If possible, choose a university that has a few industrial actuaries as lecturers. This is because lecturers with industrial experience are able to offer you real-life work experience advice. This will help you apply what you have learnt in the real-life working environment. I personally prefer a university that has at least one Fellow as part of its teaching staff.

Next, ask if the university have a good alumni network and offer professional networking events. The actuarial industry is becoming more and more competitive these days. Networking is key to landing your first full time actuarial job. You want a university that has a good alumni network to support you after graduation. More importantly, you should select a university that has strong ties to the actuarial industry so that you can network with the actuarial professionals through the university’s career fairs or networking events.  

At this point, you should have narrowed down your university list and have a better idea on where you want to apply to. The next step is to apply for the university’s actuarial program and wait for the admission offer. In the UK, you will have to submit your university application through the UCAS system.

If you receive more than one admission offer, ask yourself this final question: What are your priorities? This question will help you select your ideal actuarial university because different students have different priorities.

For example, is the university’s location important to you? Do you want to study at a university located closer to home? Do you want to study at a university located within the city center? Or do you prefer to attend a university where most of your friends are going to? Do you like the overall environment around the university?

What are your priorities as a student? Answer this and you’ll find your ideal actuarial university.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please email: blogs@actuaries.org.uk