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UCAS – your journey

Last updated: March 2026

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Get ready to:

Discover the right tools to find your next step.
Confidently apply to a UK university or college.
Stay on top of key dates.
Track your application effortlessly.

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Discover

Explore all your options

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Discover options

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HIGHER EDUCATION

APPRENTICESHIPS

STUDYING ABROAD

GAP YEAR

GETTING A JOB

Head to UCAS to understand all your options and make the right choices for you.

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Discover PATHWAYS

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Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) and Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE): first and second year of a degree course.

Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND): HNC is a one-year industry specific course, and the HND is a two-year industry specific course. Higher technical qualifications (HTQs) in England are an example of these.

Foundation degree: flexible vocational qualification, combining both academic study and workplace learning. It usually takes two years to complete.

Bachelor’s or undergraduate degree: a three to four-year course which can also be available as a part-time option, allowing you to study and work.

Apprenticeships: typically take between 8 months to 6 years to complete depending on their level. Apprenticeships are offered for levels 2-7 in N.I. and England, levels 2-6 in Wales, and SCQF levels 4-11 in Scotland. All nations offer degree level apprenticeships.

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You don’t just have to head to higher education to do a full-time degree. Maybe you're not ready to decide on what you want to do for the next 3 years to 4 years? Have you thought about doing a different pathway that helps you reach your next step, but also keeps your options open, Have you thought about continuing your training through work – it isn’t just degree apprenticeships you can do, think about higher level apprenticeships too.

Level 4 and 5 qualifications in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland include, but are not limited to, Foundation Degrees, Certificates of HE (CertHE), Diploma in HE (DipHE), Higher National Certificates (HNCs), and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs). Some of them are approved in England by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFaTE) as Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). Please be aware that the government are proposing to transfer IFaTE responsibilities to Skills England in 2025. Please note that at the time of writing, a range of Level 7 apprenticeships are available in England, however this is currently under review by the government and may change during the academic year.

In Scotland at SQCF Level 7 and 8 (equivalent to Level 4 and 5 in other UK nations) qualifications are unique but also called HNCs and HNDs. In national frameworks, these qualifications sit in between A levels, T Levels, BTECs and Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers (at Level 3 or SCQF 6/7), and an undergraduate degree (Level 6 or SCQF 9-10).

While Level 4 and 5 qualifications can be taught in a range of education providers, around half in England are taught in further education (FE) colleges, a third in universities, and the rest in other providers. They often provide vocational and technical training, preparing students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the workplace. Providers may also design them to support progression to academic courses at a higher level, for example, HNCs and HNDs in Scotland are notably often used to support articulation to degree level. Level 4 and 5 qualifications are included in overall higher education figures.

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DISCOVER YOU�

Is it right for you?

Is it something you enjoy? You’re investing time and effort
Is it right for your career path? Check with employers and professional organisations
What about location? Stay at home, move away, city or rural, transport links
Is it a learning and assessment style that suits you?
What will your environment be like?
What about cost?

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Start your discovery journey

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Build your profile. Favourite as you go.

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Tools for success�

Explore the Careers Quiz, What to Study Next, Subject Spotlights and Virtual Work Experiences for career and course inspiration.

Use the Tariff Calculator, Personal Statement Builder, and CV Builder to stay on track and plan your path.

Search for events, open days, videos to get expert help and questions answered.

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Make an informed decision about the right path for you. University, apprenticeships or the world of work.

Tariff calculator – for tallying up your UCAS points to see if you meet entry requirements.
Events search – find events to meet unis, colleges and employers, and get your questions answered. Find UCAS events, open days and more. Filter to explore events, open days and tours to suit your needs. Register straight from the Hub for our UCAS Discovery events, with exciting new zones covering all pathways
CV builder – Create a professional, industry-standard CV in minutes. Easily update and download your CV anytime see more at www.ucas.com/careers-advice/cv-builder
Personal statement builder – to help you structure your writing and get started. Jot down your thoughts as your research your choices.
What to Study Next – find inspiration, input your qualifications and find out what people with your combination of subject wen on to study.
Careers quiz - find your ideal job matched to your personality and a list of courses previous students studied to get there.
Subject Spotlights - Experience what a university course would be like with Springpod's Subject Spotlights.
Virtual Work Experiences - Led by industry experts from the world's leading employers, Virtual Work Experiences give you a taste of what a career would look like through interactive, on-demand programmes.
Hub Live video wall - joined by experts from across the education sector to support students with guidance on their journey.
Notepad – so you can keep all your thoughts about your next step in one place.
Got a Question – check out hundreds of common questions to help you know what to do next. Don’t forget to give UCAS a ring or get in touch on social media if you need more help.

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Options side by side�

Compare all your options side-by-side. Take a closer look at apprenticeships, courses, and job opportunities - all in one place.

Build your personalised UCAS Hub profile and find your best fit!

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Subject spotlights

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Virtual work experience

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Gain experience and earn certificates to reference on your CV or personal statement.
Get stuck in with immersive and informative virtual work experiences with leading employers such as the NHS, Barclays, and Airbus. These incorporate real workplace activities – from observing a live surgery to designing a lunar landing module – and the chance to speak with, and hear from, industry professionals.
Springpod’s in-depth and interactive Virtual Work Experience programmes help you understand industries and organisations as if you were already working there. Thanks to programmes led by industry experts from the world's leading employers, Virtual Work Experiences give you a taste of what a career would look like, as well as giving you invaluable experience to include in your personal statements and apprenticeship applications.
Virtual Work Experiences vary in length, from 6-10 hours, and you can pause and come back to the program at any time.
You receive a completion certificate at the end of the program.
Once you set up a UCAS account, you can browse Virtual Work Experiences via UCAS search, industry guides, and across UCAS.com.
On finding the perfect Virtual Work Experience, click ‘Take Virtual Work Experience' and follow the steps to create and link a Springpod profile.

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Chat to students

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SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES & grants

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UCAS Course Search

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UCAS Course SEARCH

Top Tips for Using the UCAS Search Tool

Explore broadly first to avoid missing great courses you may not have considered.
Use filters to refine results by year, study type, or university/college.
Sort results in the way that works best for you, such as alphabetically or in a way that helps you compare courses.
Check course details (entry requirements, placement options, study modes) to see how well they match what you want.
Favourite courses you like so you can easily return to them later; save time and keeps everything organised.

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The course matters

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Teaching & learning

Teaching hours, self-study, lectures, and group work.

Assessment & structure

Coursework, exams, practical work, and module choices.

Entry requirements

Grades, skills, interviews, or auditions.

Career links

Placements, internships and study abroad.

Class size & experience

Student numbers and learning environment

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How many teaching hours vs. self-directed study does the course have?
How many lectures are there, and how much group work will be done in seminars?
How is the course assessed (e.g. coursework, exams, practicals, presentations, group work)?
How many students will be on the course?
What grades do you need to get on the course?
What qualities or experience do they look for in an applicant?
Will you need to attend an interview or audition?
What modules are compulsory and optional – are there any work placements or years abroad? Look carefully at the core course content, and the range of optional studies/modules available.
What links does the course/department have with employers?
Which modules are the most interesting and relevant to your career aspirations?
Does the course or university/college research, any internship, placement, or study abroad opportunities?

The UCAS course search is a great place to start your research, and you can access the historical entry grades tool.

Universities and colleges set their own entry requirements for higher education courses, and these vary widely depending on the subject, the specific course, and the course provider. They set the entry requirements for each course to ensure you have the right skills and knowledge to successfully complete the course. You can see grade profiles of students previously accepted, and offer rates for the course, under the entry requirements in the UCAS search tool.

Find out more online at:

https:// www.ucas.com/applying/you-apply/what-and-where-study/entry-requirements.

https://www.ucas.com/applying/before-you-apply/what-and-where-to-study/entry-requirements/understanding-historical-entry

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Find your best fit uni or college

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Style and focus

From research-intensive to practical, career-orientated learning.

Location and size

Ranges from small campuses to large city-based universities with over 20,000 students.

Culture and facilities

Environment, resources, and student life.

Graduate outcomes

What careers have recent graduates gone on to?

Costs

Include living costs, accommodation, and transport.

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Apply

How to apply to universities and colleges for 2027 entry.

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Key dates for 2027

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* 18:00 UK time

UCAS search displays courses

28 April 2026

UCAS application opens for 2027 entry

12 May

First day we can receive a completed application

1 September

Deadline for courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, dentistry, and courses at Oxford or Cambridge

15 October 2026*

UCAS equal consideration date

13 January 2027*

UCAS equal consideration date

13 January 2027*

UCAS Extra opens

25 February

Last date to send an application

30 June

2 July

Clearing

opens

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Application key facts

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Invisibility - Universities and colleges can’t see your other choices

Apply by the relevant equal consideration date.

Five choices, with some restrictions (medicine, veterinary, dentistry, Oxford and Cambridge).

Research is key to a successful application.

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Equal consideration dates:

15 October - all applications to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge must be submitted by this date, as well as most applications to medicine, veterinary science / medicine, and dentistry courses.
13 January - Equal consideration date – applications submitted by this time must be considered equally by universities and colleges.

Each student can make a maximum of five choices on their application, including:

no more than four choices to any one of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or veterinary science
no more than one course at either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge.

Students who are in receipt of UK government funded free school meals at some point during the last six years (i.e. during their secondary education), or who are care leavers will be eligible to have the or application fee waived by UCAS (UK students only). See our advice and guidance online https://www.ucas.com/application-fee-waivers.

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Linking to our centre

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Enter the ‘buzzword’ to link your application.

The buzzword is a unique code.

By linking your application you’re giving us permission to view and track your application.

We send your application to UCAS on your behalf.

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the ucas application

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Start your application

Complete all sections and submit your UCAS application to your school or college.

Your application is checked by your school or college, adding your reference and UCAS predicted grades.

Universities and colleges review your application.

Your school or college sends your application to UCAS.

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application profile

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Personal details
Nationality details
Where you live
Contact details
Supporting information
Finance and funding
Diversity and inclusion
More about you

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application experiences

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Education
Employment
Extra activities*
Personal statement
Reference**

*(for students with a UK home address)

**(not visible if linked to your school/college)

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the personal Statement

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Your chance to show your passion, curiosity, interest.

Three separate sections with question prompts.

A maximum of 4,000 characters, minimum of 350 characters per section.

The same for all your choices.

There isn’t a spelling or grammar check.

No formatting allowed.

Every personal statement is run through similarity detection software.

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What are the questions?

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Why do you want to study this course or subject?

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

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Build A personal Statement

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Ultimately, think of it like a jigsaw.

Each piece is reflective evidence.

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We would advise all schools and colleges access the full suite of personal statement resources available for you to use with students including classroom resources (full teaching scheme with 5 lesson and accompanying resources), checklists, videos and more find it https://www.ucas.com/advisers/help-and-training/toolkits/personal-statement-toolkit.

Research and preparation is key when you’re starting to think about your personal statement.

Before you start writing anything, take some time to:

mind map what you might want to include
build up a bank of examples you can refer to
list evidence of your skills and experiences
rank your evidence and examples that are MOST relevant �to the course(s) you're thinking of applying to

Don’t worry about making your notes perfect; this is about checking you fully understand the course and have specifics to refer to in your personal statement. Whether you know what you’re applying to or still considering your options, the more research you do the easier it will be to write.

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personal Statement support

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Offers and Decisions

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decisions

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The universities and colleges begin their decision-making process. This differs between them, and even for different courses at the same university or college. The application forms are viewed holistically, each section is important and will be used by universities and colleges in different ways – this is why is it so important for students to do detailed research to know what is being looked for by each choice. There may even be differences across individual universities in how they are used.

Most admissions tests happen between August and November the year before you're due to start your studies. Some have a registration deadline before you need to submit your UCAS application. You should check the UCAS course search to check whether the course you are applying for requires an admissions test. www.ucas.com/applying/applying-university/admissions-tests.

Depending on the kind of courses you apply for, your chosen unis and colleges may invite you for an interview or audition – in fact, they’re compulsory for some courses, such as teaching and nursing. It could either be sent to you directly, or through your UCAS application. It’s best to contact the uni or college to find out how and where you will receive information about your interview. For more advice www.ucas.com/applying/after-you-apply/undergraduate-interview-invitations

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Tracking your application

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Follow your application to:

check progress
see your choices
update contact information
view and reply to your offers

One of three decisions:

unconditional offer
conditional offer
unsuccessful

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Your application will update as the status of your application changes. Click on it to go to your application and see more details. It’s essential that contact information, particularly your email is kept up to date. This can be changed at anytime in the application. We always advise students use a personal email address for their UCAS application so they can have access to this at all times.

You will hear about each of their choices at different times – sometimes you might be contacted very quickly, or it may be several months before you hear anything. To see all the deadlines that universities and colleges must adhere by visit www.ucas.com/key-dates.

An offer will be either conditional or unconditional.

Conditional offer – the offer has conditions. For example, certain qualification results must be achieved. Unless a different date is specified, the conditions must be met by 3 September (even if entry is deferred to the following year). The conditions may include achievement of specific grades, possibly in named subjects, or a certain number of UCAS Tariff points.
Unconditional offer – this usually the university or college’s entry requirements have already been met for the course. They might still have to meet other requirements, such as financial or medical conditions.

They may also receive:

Unsuccessful – the university or college has not offered a place on the course.

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Replies to offers

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Once you've made your decisions, choose a 'firm' and 'insurance' choice.

Decline any remaining offers.

If you're not holding an offer, use Extra or Clearing to find available places.

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When you’ve had all decisions from your choices, you need to decide which one(s) you want to accept. The date you must reply to your offers is shown in your application.

You can accept one offer as your firm choice.
If that’s a conditional offer, you can accept a second offer as an insurance choice, if you want to, in case you don’t meet the conditions of your firm choice.
You don’t have to have an insurance choice. If you aren’t sure any of your other offers are right for you, it might be better to wait and see what’s available in Clearing once you have your results.
Remaining offers are automatically declined when the 'Firm' and 'Insurance' are selected.
If you firmly accept an unconditional offer, you cannot hold an insurance choice.

Choosing the right course and university or college is a very important decision, and it can be difficult to change later in the admissions process. To help you make an informed decision about where to apply, what to study, and whether to accept an offer, the university or college you should read all the information the university or college has shared with you; before making a decision. You need to think very carefully, and make sure you do not accept an offer from any university or college if they you’re not prepared to study there.

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR YOUR STUDENTS

If you don’t reply to your offers on or before the reply date shown in your application UCAS will decline them on your behalf (often referred to as declined by default [DBD]). This means you will lose all your offers.

TOP TIP

Before making any decisions, encourage your students to look at our advice on making informed choices – www.ucas.com/undergraduate/after-you-apply/making-right-decision

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Other options

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Extra (25 Feb – 1 Jul)

Used all five choices and had no offers find a place using Extra.

Clearing (2 Jul – 18 Oct)

Whether you've exceeded expectations, changed your mind, or don’t have a place.
Clearing is for everyone.
Understand the process to take control of your options.

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apprenticeships

What you need to know

www.ucas.com/apprenticeships

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How does it work?

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It’s a real job where you learn, gain experience, study for a qualification and get paid.

An apprentice is an employee, with a contract of employment and holiday leave.

Over 600 different apprenticeships available, from Nuclear Engineer to Architect to Digital Marketer.

Study

Job

Wage*

* Foundation apprenticeships in Scotland are unpaid

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Who are they for?

Anyone 16 and over
Anyone not in full time education*
Apprenticeships in Scotland, Wales or England require you to be living in the same country as the apprenticeship
Apprenticeships in Northern Ireland require you to:

be employed or be about to take up paid employment in Northern Ireland
be working a minimum of 21 hours per week on a permanent contract

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* a foundation apprenticeship in Scotland is typically taken alongside Scottish Higher and National 5s

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The a-z of apprenticeships

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There are over 600 possible apprenticeship 'standards' (training programmes) which exist. It’s probably easier to name an industry that doesn’t have an apprenticeship then to list all that do. Here are just a few…

Accounting and Taxation
Architect
Boat Builder
Building Surveyors
Civil Engineer
Cyber Security Technician
Data Analyst
Doctor (from 2023)
Early Years
Ecologist
Farrier
Food Technologist
Game Programmer
Geospatial mapping
Harbour Master

Historic Environment Adviser
Internal audit professional
Intelligence analyst
Journalist
Junior 2D artist (visual effects)
Knitted product manufacturing
Laboratory scientist
Licensed conveyor
Midwife
Marketing Manager
Nuclear Scientist and Engineer
Nursing
Operational firefighter
Orthodontic therapist
Paralegal

Physiotherapist
Quality practitioner
Rail engineer
Research scientist
Social worker
Software Developer
Teacher
Town planning assistant
Utilities engineering
Veterinary nurse
Vehicle damage assessor
Water process technician
Workplace pensions consultant
Youth worker

www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/#

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What am I doing now?

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GCSE grade 9-4 is a

Level 2 qualification

A level or T level is a

Level 3 qualification

For example, in England, Northern Ireland and Wales:

Did you know?

An apprenticeship offering a degree may also be called a Level 6 or Higher Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships work in levels too!

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What am I doing now?

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When can I apply?

Advertised throughout the year; with no single application deadline.
Larger organisations with multiple application processes may recruit earlier than smaller local organisations.
Higher apprenticeships with a Sep/Oct start tend to recruit in the previous academic year.

www.ucas.com/apprenticeships

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How do I apply?

Applications are made directly through the company or training provider.
There is no limit on the number of applications you can make.
The application process might vary across vacancies, you could be asked for:
CV and Covering Letter
Application Form
In App/Site application
You can apply for universities and apprenticeships at the same time!

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How can ucas help?

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Apprenticeship Application Guides

Get to grips with what to expect when applying for specific industries.

Live studio apprenticeship podcast

Radio 1's Katie Thistleton chats to apprentices and experts about what you need to know.

UCAS CV builder

Create a professional CV in minutes.

Find it all and more ucas.com/apprenticeships

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Next steps

UCAS Support

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THINGS TO DO

research, research, research
attend open days and events
independent learning outside the curriculum
work experience
volunteering
focus on this year’s studies

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Ucas support

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UCAS Customer Experience Centre:

0371 468 0 468

From outside the UK:

+44 330 3330 230

Monday to Friday

08:30 – 18:00 (UK time)

@ucas_online

@ucas

@UCASonline

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www.ucas.com/parents

Are you supporting someone who’s exploring their options?

Whether they’re set on going to uni, or still deciding, we can help!

Sign up for our parent newsletter - we’ll send you everything you need to help them.
UCAS Parents' Podcast - listen to our live studio podcasts covering everything you need to know about education and careers.
Parent, Guardian and Carer Guides - everything you need to support a young person with their options and decision-making and help them through the UCAS application process.

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Thank you

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