International Teachers & Advisers Conference 2015 The UCAS application cycle explained from start to finish Tony Charlton Professional Development Executive, UCAS

The UCAS application cycle – from start to finish Tony Charlton Professional Development Team At the heart of connecting people to higher education

For my adviser/agent work, what should I know? At the heart of connecting people to higher education

What you need to know The UK Higher Education sector Key UCAS dates Main UCAS processes Common applicant errors How to contact UCAS Let’s now have a closer look……. At the heart of connecting people to higher education

UK higher education – setting the scene Circa 380 Higher Education Providers (HEPs) recruiting via UCAS 35,000 programmes The largest sector in Europe 22 5 19 336 At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Non-UK applications by country China – 8,010 applicants Hong Kong – 5,260 applicants Ireland – 5,170 applicants France – 4,340 applicants Malaysia – 4,210 applicants Italy – 4,120 applicants Singapore – 3,560 applicants USA – 3,080 applicants India – 3,020 applicants Germany – 2,910 applicants Source: application digest (15 January ‘15) At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Three steps to applying RESEARCH APPLY & MANAGE PROGRESS At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Key dates and deadlines 27 May: Apply 2016 went live for student registrations 15 October (18:00): deadline for Medicine, Veterinary, Dentistry Oxford or Cambridge 15 January (18:00): main deadline 24 March(18:00): some art and design courses 30 June(18:00): final deadline before Clearing Note: last date for receipt of applications for 2015 entry is 18:00 on 21 September 2015 At the heart of connecting people to higher education

The busiest day of the year for applications… Over 50,000 + applications made in 24 hours leading up to 6pm, 15 January 2015 deadline! At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Key features of the UCAS scheme All managed through www.ucas.com 2015 & 2016 standard fee - £23 (£12 for single choice) Maximum of 5 choices Some choice restrictions: Medicine, Veterinary, Dentistry – max 4 Oxford or Cambridge Simultaneous consideration ‘Invisibility’ There are opportunities for other choices: Extra , Clearing & Adjustment At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Overview of UCAS process 1 International applicant researches & chooses courses 2 Registers online with UCAS Apply 3 Completes form and processes payment 4 Academic reference added by centre / independent referee 5 Centre / applicant sends form electronically to UCAS 6 UCAS processes form and forwards to chosen HEPs 7 HEPs submit decisions (offer or unsuccessful) 8 Applicant views decisions on Track 9 Applicant replies to offers on Track (Firm / Insurance) 10 HEPs confirm places when results are released Applicants who do not secure offers with their initial 5 choices can get additional opportunities later in the application cycle (Extra, Clearing) At the heart of connecting people to higher education

The electronic application cycle School or college registers as an online Apply centre Appointed ‘Apply Coordinator’ sets up staff and centre details and creates buzzword Student registers using buzzword and fills in application Completed application is forwarded (electronically) to tutor If application contains errors or omissions, tutor can return form to student Tutor checks completed applications within staff area and adds reference Completed applications are sent to UCAS : At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Getting start (Apply centres) Set ‘buzzword’ (then give out to students) Create bespoke qualification list (optional) Review staff log ins Not an Apply centre? Direct student to register & apply as an independent applicant via UCAS website At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Filling in the form Every non-UK applicant has six sections to complete: Personal details Student finance Choices Education Employment Personal statement Forward to referee: Reference  UCAS  Providers At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Adding a provider At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Adding a course At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Dropdown lists ease completion At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Tip: watch for common applicant errors Failure to check entry requirements Qualifications (eg. GCSEs) missing, or incorrectly named, on form Wrong student support fee code Email address not verified Forgotten to register for admissions test At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Which of the following lines is NOT from a real UCAS personal statement? It was a catch 12 situation I think of myself as a worm hearted individual English is like a second language to I Twice a week I attend marital arts classes At the heart of connecting people to higher education

An application has been processed by UCAS, what happens next? At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Decision making by providers Admissions tutors may initially make one of six decisions: Unconditional offer Conditional offer Rejection Withdrawal Full Invitation Or recommend: A place on an alternative course At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Offers Conditional offers can be worded in a variety of ways: UCAS Tariff e.g. 320 points or Exam grades e.g. ABB at A level Combinations e.g. 320 points including grade A in English GCE A level Grade Tariff Points A* 140 A 120 B 100 C 80 D 60 E 40 At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Applicants must respond to their offers Once the final decision has been received, a maximum of two offers may be held Applicants have a choice of three reply options: Firm acceptance Insurance acceptance Decline the offer At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Tip: remind students to note their reply dates on Track At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Outstanding decisions and responses Balancing the UCAS calendar If an applicant fails to accept or decline their offers by a specified date, all offers will decline by default If a provider fails to make a decision by a specified date, UCAS will process a reject by default decision At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Confirmation Exam results are published and passed electronically to member providers by UCAS. Admissions staff check if the applicant has met the conditions of the offer. There are four possibilities: 2. If a student doesn’t meet the conditions of their firm choice, but meets the conditions of their insurance choice (which should be lower), they will be placed at their insurance choice. It’s also time to celebrate! 1. If a student meets the conditions of their firm choice. It’s time to celebrate! 4. If a student meets and exceeds the conditions of their offer, they are eligible for Adjustment. This provides an opportunity for them to reconsider where and what to study whilst still holding their firm offer. 3. If a student has not met the conditions of their firm or insurance choice (or no insurance), they will be entered into a process known as Clearing. At the heart of connecting people to higher education

A level results day (13 August 2015) – timeline Adviser Track goes live Contact Centre opens Contact Centre and Social Media hub close 06:00 07:30 08:00 17:00 20:00 Start time for entering a Clearing choice ‘Restricted’ Track goes live Social Media support starts At the heart of connecting people to higher education

E-clearing… Eligible applicant researches vacancies Contacts member provider(s) to discuss application Applicant enters choice details on Track Member provider considers application If unsuccessful applicant can start again E-clearing… Applicant placed on course At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Adjustment Eligibility To be eligible to use Adjustment, applicants must have: Firm choice offer confirmed (CF  UF) and Academic results that meet and exceed the requirements of the Firm choice offer. Adjustment period ends at midnight on 31 August At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Activity time Yippee! Fab! At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Bringing it all together At the heart of connecting people to higher education

UCASINO 15 October and 15 January main UCAS closing dates 15 Maximum number of initial UCAS choices 5 380 Number of UCAS member providers Standard UCAS application fee 23 2 Number of choices (firm & insurance) that an applicant can hold Maximum number of choices for medicine, veterinary or dentistry 4 31 Single choice application fee 12 24 Number of universities in Russell Group 4000 Maximum number of characters in personal statement At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Final tip - make your own ‘dummy’ application Register and start an application Just don’t pay and send! Familiarise yourself with what those you advise will see and do Have as an ongoing resource to use throughout the application cycle All the customer-facing staff at UCAS do this each application cycle At the heart of connecting people to higher education

How to contact UCAS How to contact UCAS Adviser/agents + 44 330 333 0239 Applicants + 44 330 333 0230

Any final questions? Thank you for listening and joining in. Good luck with your students’ applications! Tony Charlton Professional Development Executive E: t.charlton@ucas.ac.uk 24/04/2019