Short answer: yes, but not always — and probably not all of them.

That’s the version no university website will give you, because every uni has an obvious incentive to tell you their open day is essential. Here’s the more honest take, based on what students who’ve been through it actually say.

What an open day is genuinely good for

There are three things an open day gives you that you cannot get from a prospectus, a virtual tour, or a TikTok:

1. A gut feeling about the place. Walk around the campus, the surrounding streets, the accommodation. Within an hour you’ll know whether you can picture yourself living there for three or four years. A surprising number of students change their firm choice after an open day for exactly this reason — and an equally surprising number cross a “favourite” off their list.

2. Honest answers from current students. Student ambassadors are paid to be enthusiastic, but they’re not scripted. Ask the right questions and you’ll get real information about contact hours, assessment style, accommodation quality, and what the city is actually like on a wet Tuesday in February. (More on which questions to ask in our open day questions guide.)

3. A sense of whether the course matches the marketing. Subject talks, mini-lectures, and time with academics give you a much sharper picture of how the course is actually taught than any course page can. This is especially valuable if you’re choosing between two unis offering “the same” degree — the structure can be wildly different.

When an open day probably isn’t worth it

Be honest about a few situations:

• You’ve already firmed your choice and are 100% certain. An applicant day for your firm choice may still be useful (course-specific content, accommodation viewings), but a general open day at your already-firm uni rarely changes anything.
• The travel cost is genuinely prohibitive. A £250 round trip to a uni you’re lukewarm about, when virtual tours and current-student chats are available, is a poor investment. Spend that money on visits to your top two or three.
• You’re at very early stage of research. If you don’t yet know whether you want a campus or city university, big or small, north or south — start with broad research, then go to open days once you’ve narrowed to a shortlist of five or six.

The travel cost problem

This is the question that comes up most often: is it worth the train fare and a hotel night to visit a uni that’s a long way from home?

A few things to weigh:

• Many universities offer travel bursaries of £30 to £60 for prospective students from lower-income backgrounds. Always check the open day booking page — it’s frequently buried but it’s there. (We flag bursary offers on every listing on FindOpenDays for exactly this reason.)
• If you have family or friends near the city, combine the visit with a stay-over. A free bed makes the maths very different.
• A virtual open day is genuinely better than nothing, especially for narrowing down a shortlist — but for your final firm and insurance choices, in-person is hard to replace.

A useful frame: think of an open day as research that protects a much bigger decision. The cost of going to the wrong university — financially, emotionally, in terms of a wasted year if you transfer or drop out — is significantly higher than the cost of three or four train tickets.

How many open days should you actually go to?

Most students who’ve been through the process suggest four to six visits during the research phase (typically June and July of Year 12). That’s enough to see real variety — campus vs city, big vs small, different regions — without burning yourself out.

You don’t need to visit every uni on your UCAS application. Many students apply to a couple of universities they haven’t visited, based on strong research, and that’s fine — as long as your firm and insurance choices are places you’ve seen in person.

Open day vs applicant day vs offer holder day

These are often confused. Quickly:

• Open day — general, anyone can attend, designed to help you decide whether to apply. Broad campus tour, subject talks, and accommodation viewings.
• Applicant day — for people who have already applied. More course-focused, smaller groups often include mock seminars or interviews.
• Offer holder day — for people holding an offer. Designed to convert offers into firm choices. Includes detailed academic content and time with specific tutors.

If you’ve already attended a general open day and you’re confident in your choice, an offer holder day may not add much — but if you’re undecided between firm and insurance, it’s usually worth going.

What to do if you genuinely can’t visit

If distance, cost, or timing make an in-person visit impossible:

• Watch the university’s virtual tour and any recent student-made campus videos on YouTube and TikTok.
• Email the admissions office to ask if a current student in your subject can have a 15-minute video call with you. Many will say yes.
• Visit the city independently if you can — even just to walk around for an hour and get a feel for it.
• Use comparison data (graduate outcomes, contact hours, accommodation costs) more heavily than usual to compensate.

The honest verdict

If you have a serious shortlist, open days are one of the highest-value things you can do during Year 12. They will change your mind about at least one university — that’s the point. The students who regret going are rare; the students who regret not going are common.

Just don’t treat all eight options on your radar as equally deserving of a visit. Pick your top five or six, go in person, and rely on solid research for the rest.

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