Open Days — How to Make Them Count

An open day is your single best opportunity to experience a university before committing to it. It is the difference between choosing a university from a website and choosing it from real life. And yet, many students treat open days as a casual day out rather than a critical research exercise.

Used well, an open day can confirm your enthusiasm for a university — or reveal problems that no amount of online research would have uncovered. Used badly, it is just a free tote bag and a campus walk you will barely remember.

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When Do Open Days Happen?

Most UK universities run open days in two main windows:

Summer Open Days (June–July)

• These are the biggest and most popular events
• They usually fall after A-level and GCSE exams are finished
• All departments typically participate
• You will see the campus at its best (good weather, green spaces)
• They tend to be busiest, so booking early is important