“What are the main differences between studying engineering at university and doing a degree apprenticeship with a company, and what factors should someone consider when deciding which path would suit them best?”

The big differences in my opinion are the money, the experience and the way you learn. You've got to consider how motivated you are, how you learn best and what you will enjoy the most. As an apprentice you're being paid a wage, whereas someone whose just going to uni will have to pay £9500 per year plus living cost. I would never have been able to pay for uni outright, so I would've needed to get a student loan and probably a part time job so I could fun myself through university. Going through the apprenticeship route means you'll have no debt and a good [link removed] experience is very different. an apprenticeship lets you gain real experience in an active company. I have worked on real world projects that and gotten hands on, practical experience on our sites with experienced engineers. and I get to do that week in and week out. University does encourage you to get work experience but it wont be the same as being in a job. how you spend your time is also very different. I have a job that I've got to show up to and be able to work at. I have responsibilities and deadlines and a full time work week. at uni there is sometimes a more of a lax approach at attendance (course dependent) and much of it is up to you when you decide to put the time and effort in. unis often have social nights or days with less lectures on the timetable to encourage people to be part of the societies. as a degree apprentice, I can still join and get involved with the societies at my uni but I will have to fit them around the times that I have to be at work. but there is still plenty of opportunity for nights out. many companies have apprentice team bonding days and other activities that go beyond the work [link removed], there a big difference in the way you learn. on my course which is electromechanical engineering with the university of Nottingham, we have one study day a week. this is made up by pre-recorded lectures that can be 15min to 1 hour long, worksheets, tasks, coursework and revision. we do 5 modules per year for the 5 year course except in the final year where you do 2 modules, plus your final project. we get one day a week off work to do this, so I work 4 days a week and study one day. and then 4 times a year, we go into uni for a full week to do all the practical stuff we cant do online. I really enjoy the way this works because my time is very structured. I also get to learn while on the job. I'm surrounded by experienced engineers who really enjoy sharing their knowledge and experiences and want me to do well. a full time uni student would have contact hours, engineers tend to have a lot, but they would also need to manage their study time and motivate yourself to do it.