Presented by EA Game Changers

Is your Sim fresh out of high school and eager to start the next chapter of their life? Maybe they’re a struggling single parent who wants a fresh start and an opportunity to provide a better life for their child? Or maybe they’re an elder looking to spend their retirement expanding their mind?

No matter the story, any Young Adult or older Sim can apply to university! The process is easy. The most difficult part is waiting for that acceptance letter and any scholarship approvals.

Scholarships

Before applying to university, it’s a good idea to apply for scholarships. Sims can apply for scholarships through the phone, computer, or mailbox. Sims can get an idea of which scholarships they’re likely to be eligible for by consulting with a guidance councilor through the computer as well.

There are six types of scholarships:

• Distinguished Scholarships: Sims who have been accepted into distinguished degree programs will automatically receive scholarships, with an amount based on how many distinguished degrees they’ve gotten into. Working on a Sim’s grade and skills before applying can lead to more degree acceptances and, in turn, more scholarship money!
• Need-Based Scholarships: Every Sim deserves a university education, and the need-based Education for All and Helping Hand scholarships are designed to give Sims from households with less a chance to attend. Sims with less savings and assets are encouraged to apply!
• Skill Scholarships: Sims who have developed any number of practical skills are eligible to apply for a variety of skill-based scholarships. Those hours spent working on cooking, fishing, handiness, and many other skills can turn into scholarship funds! However, these scholarships are targeted at younger students and so are not available to adult or elder Sims.
• Career Scholarships: Universities want to encourage younger Sims that may already be dipping their toes in the job market. These scholarships offer teen and young adult Sims who have achieved some amount of career success with a way to help pay for a university education that can boost them in their career of choice in the future.
• Sports & E-Sports Scholarships: There are a few scholarships that require Sims to participate in an after-school activity as part of their requirements. An Athletics scholarship requires the Sim to be a Soccer Team Player, while the E-Sports scholarship requires the Sim to be an E-Sports Competitor. A Sim cannot be accepted by both of these scholarships at the same time.
• Resident Grant: For teens and young adults, the place they live may offer grants providing students financial help in pursuing a university education. Each location has its own grant amounts, and students are encouraged to apply and represent their community!

When your Sim applies for a scholarship, they’ll be presented with a list of every scholarship they are eligible for. Your Sim can choose to apply to some or all of them. Being eligible for a scholarship isn’t a guarantee that your Sim will be accepted, but it doesn’t hurt to apply to everything you can. You never know!

Once your Sim has sent out all their scholarship applications, they’ll receive the results in the mail the next day. Collect the mail and then open the envelopes for all the scholarships your Sim applied to in order to see if they’ve been accepted or not. Sims can also check the status of their applications on the phone or computer.

Applying to University

Once your Sim has some scholarships, they should apply to university. Sims can apply to university through the computer. They can also research universities on a computer, which will present them with an information popup that details all the degrees offered by both universities, the University of Britechester and Foxbury Institute.

It costs §75 to apply to university. Once an application has been sent off, your Sim will receive an acceptance letter in the mail the following day. Sims can also check their application status on the phone.

Sims will never be outright rejected from university all together; they will always be accepted into the standard degrees regardless of high school grades or skills, but unskilled Sims with poor grades will most likely not be accepted into any distinguished degrees from either school. Sims seeking a distinguished degree should make sure they are applying with good grades and/or a few skills. Distinguished degrees are more prestigious and offer better scholarships, rewards, and career boosts after graduation.

When your Sim receives their acceptance letter, it will detail which degrees your Sim has been accepted into. Depending on your Sims’ grades and skills, they may be accepted into some distinguished degrees from one school, but not the other. It’s up to you to decide which school and degree your Sim should attend based on the degrees they’ve been accepted into.

Enrolling in University

Once your Sim has received their acceptance letter, they can enroll. Sims can enroll in university on the computer. When enrolling, a information popup screen will guide you through the process of enrolling step-by-step. This screen is where you will make all the big decisions about which school you’ll enroll in, which degree and classes you’ll take, where you’ll live, and how you’ll be paying for your tuition.

• Select a University: There are two universities to choose from, the University of Britechester and Foxbury Institute. Both schools offer the same degrees, but their distinguished degrees are reversed according to that school’s specialty. Science and tech degrees are distinguished degrees at Foxbury, while various art and literature degrees are distinguished degrees at Britechester. Select the school that best suits your Sim’s interests and future career plans.
• Degree Selection: On the degree selection screen, you’ll be able to pick your degree as well as how many classes your Sim will be taking that term. Degrees that are greyed out in the side panel are degrees that your Sim was not accepted into, so they cannot select those degrees. Read the degree details to make sure the degree your Sim selects is one that matches their future career goals. If you don’t see a degree that suits your Sim, try going back to the university selection screen and picking the other university to see if that school offers a degree that’s better for your Sim. With your degree selected, choose up to four classes (either 4 standard classes, or 3 standard classes and 1 elective). Taking less classes gives your Sim more free time in university, but they will have to complete more terms to meet the 12 credit requirement for graduation. It’s up to you how to balance this out.
• Housing Selection: This screen is where you’ll decide where your Sim will live while studying. They can stay in their current home at no cost or move into university housing on their school’s campus. Living in university housing can be a great way to meet new people, but it is an added expense. Sims can also choose to move somewhere off-campus. Any residential lot in any world the player has installed in their game can be moved into, but your Sim must be able to afford the lot. Households with only one Sim cannot choose to move somewhere else off-campus.
• Tuition: The last screen in the enrollment guide breaks down all your tuition costs. Each class your Sim takes costs simoleons. If your Sim chose to live in university housing, there is an added fee for this. Any scholarships your Sim has are automatically applied and deducted from your tuition costs on this screen. If your Sim still has outstanding tuition fees after all scholarships have been applied, they can pay the rest with their household funds or take out a student loan to cover the remaining cost. Student loans do not need to be paid off until the Sim has graduated, but after graduation, the loan must be repaid with interest.

Once your Sim has made all the necessary arrangements, they will be officially enrolled in university! If your Sim chose to move somewhere else, you’ll be taken to a household split and merge screen where you’ll be able to transfer any household funds over and, if your Sim was the last Sim on the lot, sell any furnishings in the home.

Do you know which school your Sim will be attending? What degree will they take? Let us know in the comments or come chat with us on social media!