Applying to university through UCAS

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Content

By the end of this presentation, you will:

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• identify what resources are available to support you
• understand' how to apply to a UK university or college
• know the deadline of when you need to send your application
• understand how to track your application and reply to offers

Choosing the right university for you

• Style – from the traditional, with a focus on subject-based courses and research, to modern universities, with a greater focus on vocational courses.
• Location – some are based in large cities, others in smaller towns - a major influence on the environment and lifestyle.
• Size – larger universities can have more than 20,000 students, whereas some of the smallest have only a few thousand.
• Culture and facilities – influenced by a range of factors, including the diversity of students who attend.
• What graduates do – all universities collect destination statistics. It can be interesting to find out the types of jobs or further study students go on to.
• Tuition fees – can vary between universities and colleges. Check if there are any scholarships or bursaries available.
• Living costs – accommodation, transport, and food can vary enormously.

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Choosing the right course for you

• What does the course cover?
• Courses with the same title may be very different.
• Look carefully at the core course content, and the range of optional studies/modules available.
• Which modules are the most interesting and relevant to your career aspirations?
• See if the course or university/college offers any internship, placement, or study abroad opportunities.
• How is the course taught – structured teaching, or more independent research? How many lectures are there, and how much group work will be done in seminars?
• How is the course assessed?

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Starting your research

Register in UCAS Hub to:

• explore careers, subjects, universities and apprenticeships
• find and favourite over 35,000 courses
• search for virtual tours and online events
• turn predicted grades into Tariff points
• speak to those in the know using Unibuddy
• speak to career, higher education, and application specialists by attending the Hub lives.
• explore job profiles to discover different career roles and pathways.
• Start an application for 2022 entry (from May 2021)

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Organise everything in one place…

Get organised:

Tools to search, favourite, shortlist, reflect, diary, and build application.

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Define what’s important:

Distance from home, teaching satisfaction, work experience options, job outcomes…

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Make it yours:

Organise tools, remove the ones they don’t need, and tick off their to do list. It’s their space, and their future.

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You might not have thought of…

Expand horizons by pushing options they might not have considered.

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Free tools to help…

Discovery Days - at UCAS/Discovery you can explore all kinds of possibilities. Talk to subject and admissions experts, discover apprenticeships, get advice on personal statements, applying through UCAS, and more. Get stuck in and open your mind to a world of opportunities.

Join our UCAS Hub lives and Facebook lives -each live session is hosted by an expert panel to give you what you need to make an informed decision.

Accommodation Search- accommodation is high on the list when considering where you want to study, but it’s not always easy to compare what’s on offer. Understand what options there are using our new Accomodation search.

When to apply for 2022 entry

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Applying - key facts

• Register with UCAS via the Hub
• Use your username and password to apply online
• Students can add up to 5 choices, unless they’re applying to study medicine, veterinary, medicine/science, dentistry – then it’s 4 choices
• Students can’t apply to BOTH Oxford and Cambridge
• Applying costs £22 for 1 choice, or £26.50 for 5 choices
• Apply by the equal consideration date
• Providers can’t see other choices when you apply

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Registering�

• To start an application you need a UCAS Hub account.
• Register for a UCAS Hub account at any time
• From 18 May 2021 you’ll see a new ‘Your applications’ tile in your UCAS Hub
• Click ‘Start application’ to get started…

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Linking to a school

• If you’re applying with the help of a school, college or centre you should enter their ‘buzzword’ to link your application to them.
• The buzzword is a unique code set by your school, college or centre. 
• By linking your application you’re giving your school, college or centre permission to view and track your application. It also means they’ll provide you with a reference, and send your application to UCAS on your behalf.

Making an application�

Sections to be completed:

• Personal details
• Contact and residency details
• Work experience
• Education
• Nationality details
• English language skills
• Supporting information
• Personal statement
• Choices – make up to five 
• References (not visible for students linked to centres)
• Finance and funding
• Diversity & inclusion (for students with a UK home address)

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The personal statement

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UCAS’ similarity detection service:

every personal statement is run through software to check for plagiarism.

Start early

Include:

• academic achievements, past and present
• why you’re interested in the subject area
• your knowledge of the subject area
• your enthusiasm to go beyond the syllabus
• what you enjoy about studying
• details of your independent study skills

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Consider…

Universities and colleges will consider:

• Have you chosen the right subject for the right reasons?
• Can you survive in an intense and pressured atmosphere?
• Do you have a range of interests and aptitudes?
• Do you have a depth of interest in the subject?
• Have you studied independently?
• Do you appear motivated and committed?
• Do you possess good numeracy and literacy skills?

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Decisions

personal statement

qualifications

reference

Universities and colleges will review the:

admissions test

interview 

portfolio/audition

They may also ask for:

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Tracking your application

Head to your UCAS Hub to track your application. Click your application to:

• follow the progress 24/7
• see your choices and personal information
• view your offers
• reply to offers online

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You’ll receive one of three decisions from your choices:

• Unconditional offer
• Conditional offer
• Unsuccessful

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Replies to offers

Once you have decisions on all your choices, you can hold a maximum of two offers:

• one as a ‘firm’ acceptance – your first choice
• the other as an ‘insurance’ acceptance. This acts as a back-up if you do not get into your ‘firm’ choice

You must then decline any remaining offers.

Once all your decisions and replies have been made, if you are not holding an offer, you may be able to use Extra or Clearing to find available places.

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Other options

Extra (Feb – Jul)

• Used all five choices and had no offers.
• Add Extra choices for consideration one at a time in Track.

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Clearing (Jul – Oct)

• Apply after 30 June, receive no offers, decline all offers, not met conditions.
• Find vacancies from early July, and add a Clearing choice to your application.  

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Additional help

UCAS Customer Experience Centre

0371 468 0 468

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From outside the UK:

+44 330 3330 230

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Monday to Friday, 08:30 – 18:00 (UK time)

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Thank you

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