WITH new students settling in at universities and colleges and enjoying the thrills of freshers' weeks, attention is once again being focused on the options for young people after school.

Despite this summer's grading fiasco, many students continue to go down the traditional routes of A-Levels followed by higher education (HE) -- usually a three-year university degree.

Others choose more practical, technical or vocational courses, such as GNVQs, at further education (FE) colleges.

But while HE and FE colleges both provide education for post-16 students, there are fundamental differences in the courses they offer and in the way they are funded.

By definition, FE covers all education and training for people over the compulsory school age.

This education, both academic and vocational, takes place at sixth form colleges, or at colleges of FE -- which, in Oxfordshire, include Oxford, and North Oxfordshire, Abingdon and Witney, Rycotewood, and Henley colleges.

Courses are funded by the Government via local Learning and Skills Councils.

He covers courses above the standard A-Level or NVQ Level 3, including degree courses, postgraduate courses and higher national diplomas. They are offered at universities and higher education colleges, but also in some FE colleges.

The key providers in Oxfordshire are Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University, although courses can also be studied at home through the Open University.

Funding for teaching and research comes from the Government via the Higher Education Funding Council, and is based on the number of students and the subjects which an institution teaches.

Funding is closely related to the quality and volume of research which is carried out at universities.

Universities and colleges also generate funds from private sources, such as sponsorship, fee-paying students, conferences and donations, and through providing other services.

British universities as a whole can raise more than £560m a year from overseas student fees.

To complicate matters, students may opt for a course at an FE college after completing higher education.

This is particularly common among those choosing practical and technical courses in subjects including construction, technology, art and design, fashion and journalism.