UCAS procedure

There is a single applications procedure for UK universities and colleges through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

• You complete an application form in which you can apply for up to 5 universities (4 in the case of applications for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science).  This is done on-line, using the APPLY part of the UCAS website.
• The form is submitted to UCAS who pass the information on to the colleges or universities to which you have applied.
• UCAS send you an acknowledgement with a code number which you can use to track the course of your application, using the TRACK part of the UCAS website
• The individual institutions will contact UCAS with their decisions and these will be passed on to you, both by letter and on TRACK.
• When you receive offers you can choose which offers you wish to accept. You inform UCAS of this through TRACK.  It is best to wait until you have had all the university decisions before you make your final choice. 
• You may only hold two offers: a firm offer, and an insurance offer which should have lower grade requirements. Any other offers must be declined.
• When the A-Level results come out your firm offer will be confirmed if you have the grades. If not, and you have the grades for the insurance offer, that will be confirmed. If you don't quite make the grades, you may still get accepted. If not, you will be entered for "clearing." Full details of this procedure are on the A level results: what to do page.
• UCAS Extra is an additional application for those who have no offers in April.
• Clearing operates after the publication of A level results to help applicants without places.

When do I apply?

Look at the Dates and Deadlines page for key dates.

 

Look at the Application tactics page for further advice about the timing of your application.

 

Applications can be submitted from September 1st onwards. It is important to be aware that applications for Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science must be completed very soon after the start of the Autumn Term, by 30th September at the latest. Do not wait until the official deadlines.

 

Any applications submitted after the UCAS deadline will be considered at the discretion of the universities and colleges, but it is highly unlikely that there will be any offers at this stage on popular courses or at popular universities

 

How do I apply?

All applications are made using the UCAS APPLY System.  Information on how to complete your form and many of the common pitfalls is on the How to use APPLY page.

 

Most of the application form asks for factual information, which you must get right.  The Personal Statement is the only part of the form over which you have some control.  It is your chance to sell yourself to the admissions tutor and you should spend considerable time over it.

 

When you have completed the form, you will have to ‘send it to the referee’.  Once you have done this you cannot make any further changes to your form unless we (the referee) send it back to you.  Your form will be checked through, a reference added and sent to UCAS electronically.

 

The UCAS fee is £15 (£5 if you only apply for one course) which you pay online by credit or debit card when you have completed the form.   Alternatively, if you do not have a credit or debit card, you can add the fee to your school fees bill and UCAS will invoice us.

What does UCAS do with the form?

UCAS will send you an acknowledgement letter. This contains an application number, personal details and the list of courses you have applied for. You must check this information immediately and let the Mr Worthington know if there are any mistakes.

 

If the application is received at a busy time, it may take several days, even weeks, before you receive the letter.

 

Should you want to add more information after sending in the form you should write direct to the institutions concerned. If you want to withdraw your application you will find a withdrawal slip at the back of the Advice for Applicants book which UCAS will send you.

 

What decisions are made by the universities?

The universities and colleges make their decisions and tell UCAS, who then pass the information on to you. Decisions may come quite soon after you make your application, but a few universities leave consideration of all applications until after the deadline.  We have found that applicants for some courses, especially medicine, are sometimes not informed of the final decision until April.

 

You may receive a conditional offer (unless you are applying post A level, in which case your offer will be unconditional). This offer will specify the grades you require to gain a place on the course. It may specify certain grades in certain subjects, or you may get a UCAS Tariff offer. If you do not understand an offer, see Mr Worthington or contact the institution.

 

You may receive a rejection: bear in mind that for popular courses at popular universities there may be many applicants per place so rejections are not unusual (there were 60 applicants per place for some English and Law courses last year).

 

What if I receive no offers?

You will automatically receive details of UCAS Extra, an opportunity to apply for one more course. If this fails, you will automatically be entered into Clearing. In the meantime, however, you can contact any university or college that interests you. If they want to consider you, they will ask UCAS for a copy of your application.

What decisions do I have to make?

It is best to wait until you have heard from all your chosen institutions before making any decisions. If you accept or reject offers before then, you cannot then change your mind.

After receiving the final decision, UCAS will send you a Statement of Decision letter and a reply slip. What you do next depends on the number of offers you have received:

• If you only get one offer you can accept it (and thus commit yourself to that place if you get the grades) or reject it and go into clearing.
• If you get two or more offers you can only accept two. One is your firm choice and the other your insurance choice in case you do not get the grades for your firm choice. The insurance offer should preferably be for lower grades or tariff points than the firm offer, or at least be at a university that is more likely to slip grades in the summer.  Mr Worthington can advise on this. You should only accept an offer as insurance if you will be happy taking up the place. You are committed to your firm choice if you get the grades, or to your insurance choice if you only make the lower grades.

 

It would be sensible to visit the university or college before accepting any offers. You do not have to make an immediate decision - but replies must be made by the date stated in the letter, usually towards the end of April.

 

How do I replying to offers?

You can reply to each of your offers with either a Firm acceptance (F), or an Insurance acceptance (I), or Decline (D)

Firm Acceptance (F)

• You can only accept one offer firmly
• If you firmly accept a conditional offer, you will be guaranteed a place on that course if you achieve the required exam grades. You are committed to the course and cannot go elsewhere.
• If you firmly accept an unconditional offer, you must commit yourself to that course and turn down all other offers. Unconditional offers are normally only made to applicants that already have their A level grades.

Insurance Acceptance (I)

• If you receive two or more offers and you firmly accept a conditional offer, you must also decide whether to accept a second offer as insurance. You should normally choose one which requires lower grades or tariff points than for your firm offer.
• If you do not meet the conditions of your firm choice, but you do meet the conditions of your insurance choice, you are guaranteed a place on your insurance choice. You are committed to the course and cannot go elsewhere.

Decline (D)

When you have decided on your firm and insurance acceptances you must decline all other offers.

 

You can decline all your offers, and then go through clearing from the middle of July, if you have changed your mind about what you want to study or where you want to go.  Don’t do this without seeking advice.

 

If you have received some offers and know which ones you want to accept, you do not have to wait for all the decisions to come through. You can send your decisions through Track or complete the slip at the back of the Advice to Applicants booklet and send it to UCAS. They will then cancel all the other choices.

 

What do I do when results come out?

See A level results: what to do page.

 

Contacting UCAS

Make sure you have your application number.

 

By post

UCAS
PO Box 28
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 3ZA

 

By phone

0870 1122211

 

By email

enq@ucas.ac.uk

 

Online

Using your unique password, check the progress of your application using the TRACK system at www.ucas.com.

 

Contacting admissions tutors

Addresses and telephone numbers can be found in prospectuses and on websites.