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What is a Postgraduate Study Fair?
Written by Maree Perkins
If you’re wondering about whether postgraduate study is for you, chances are you’ve been looking at things like course options, funding opportunities and what it might mean for your career, and probably have quite a few questions. One of the simplest ways to get them answered is by attending a study fair.
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A study fair is an event that’s put on for potential students to come and find out more about studying. We run postgraduate study fairs, so our information is tailored to the postgraduate student journey. They’ll usually consist of an exhibition where multiple universities will have stands where you can go and ask representatives and students questions, as well as pick up prospectuses. Some fairs, like ours, will also run a talks programme, which will have experts talking through some key topics around postgraduate study such as the cost, what funding is available, and what your student life could look like.
Going to a study fair can be quite daunting, so we’ve written this guide to help you understand what to do on the day, as well as why they can be useful. We also have a six step guide to how to make the most out of a study fair, the questions you should ask, and advice from the experts.
There’s a reason most postgraduate fairs run in the autumn and winter. This is when most people are beginning to think about further study, whether they're currently a student or not.
Fairs are a brilliant way to ‘break through’ your initial knowledge barrier and introduce yourself to the choices and opportunities available at Masters and PhD level:
- You’ll be able to hear talks that introduce different aspects of postgraduate study – and ask questions afterwards.
- You’ll be able to meet lots of different universities – and ask them questions.
- You’ll be able to listen to students talk about their own postgraduate experiences – and ask questions about them.
In a nutshell, you’ll be able to ask a lot of questions. But that means you should come away with a lot of answers. From there you’ll be able to narrow down your options and follow-up on any interesting courses you’ve found.
A large, specialist, postgraduate event can involve several types of exhibitors:
- Universities – Most exhibitors will represent a single university. They’ll be able to answer general questions about its postgraduate courses and research opportunities. They may also be able to provide follow-up contacts for more specific enquiries.
- Graduate schools and research departments – These are the ‘units’ within which a university’s advanced courses and training take place. Sometimes they send their own specific representatives to fairs in order to provide more specific information on programmes and funding opportunities.
- Funding bodies – These organisations support researchers – including postgraduate students. Their representatives sometimes attend fairs to help explain and promote their opportunities, or to take part in presentations and talks programmes.
- International portals – Universities from across the world present at postgraduate fairs and they’re sometimes joined by official agencies responsible for attracting and supporting international students. These are the best source of information on Masters and PhD study in their countries.
Staff at all of these stands will be happy to talk to you – it’s what they’re there to do.
For our Postgrad LIVE study fairs, you’ll receive an email with your ticket. Take this to the welcome desk and they’ll scan you in. You’ll then be given a lanyard with a QR code on it. This has your contact details on it so if you want to share them with a university you’re interested in, you can let them scan it. This will also allow them to follow up with you after the event.
You’ll also be given an on-the-day guide with all the talks programme details and a free funding guide for you to look at later.
Then it’s up to you what you do next.
The event is split into two main areas, the exhibition hall and the talks room.
The exhibition hall will have lots of university stands with representatives ready to answer all your postgraduate study questions. Feel free to mill around and get a feel for who is there and who you might want to speak to.
The talks room is where the presentations will be delivered. It's definitely worth checking out the talks programme if a fair offers one – you may think you know everything you want to know about postgraduate study, but you could be surprised at what else you learn. Plus, you'll normally have the chance to ask questions afterwards. Most talks tend to last around 30-45 minutes or so, with a little time afterwards for questions – and for setting up the next speaker.
Our events are free to attend and you can walk in and out as you please, just remember to give your QR code and lanyard back on your final way out.
Oh and you’ll usually be sent a survey after the event. This is your chance to let organisers know your thoughts on how they can improve these events for future postgraduate students.
The staff at a fair will have a lot of information about their university’s postgraduate opportunities (that’s why they’re there), but they won’t normally be the course tutors or supervisors responsible for specific Masters and PhD programmes.
That doesn’t mean a fair is only useful for people who haven’t chosen a specific course, but it does mean you should think about the kinds of questions you want answered.
You can (and should) use a fair to find out more about a university’s policies, objectives and specialisms:
- What kinds of research is it focussing on?
- What big projects are coming up?
- Which courses and subject areas does it consider to be its specific strengths?
- Are there any new opportunities or facilities you might not know about?
These are important topics even if you’ve already got a fairly clear idea of the course you’d like to study, or the project you’d like to research. If it’s all seeming a bit much for you, we’ve created a list of questions to get you started.
Don't be put off by the thought that study fairs are for people who know exactly what they want to study, and where. If anything, the opposite is true.
You don't need to have a specific university in mind to get something from a study fair – or be thinking about a specific course. In fact, you don't even need to be sure whether you want to do a Masters or PhD at all.
That's why we run events at the beginning of the year, when there's still plenty of time to think about your next step.
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Maree Perkins
Maree became our Student Content Manager in 2022 and is focused on taking all the complicated areas of postgraduate study and distilling them into simple and useful info! She studied part-time for her GDL at BPP University and has personal experience self-funding her studies. Before coming to FindAPhD, Maree also worked in student recruitment at several UK universities
Last Updated: 10 January 2024