UNIVERSITY APPLICATION PROCESS THE FIRST STEPS

YOUR DECISIONS Why Apply to University? Great learning experience Huge range of courses available Offers benefits for future employment BUT DON’T FEEL PRESSURISED TO APPLY – THE CHOICE IS YOURS! Look at alternatives – see careers online for extra information

WHERE TO GET INFORMATION UCAS website itunes – university podcasts for official info - UCAS student network Open days and taster courses HE Conventions Ask family, friends and professionals

CONTINUE YOUR RESEARCH Open days UCAS.com Alternative guides League tables Info from school Find out the specifics of the courses

WHAT ABOUT YOUR GRADES? BE REALISTIC DISCUSS WITH TUTORS AND TEACHERS SHOW IMPROVEMENT DON’T BULLY!

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS POSSIBLY NEEDED FOR UNIVERSITY COURSES If you are applying for certain subjects at certain universities you will also have to sit entrance exams like LNAT, HAT, PAT, MAT, TSA, UKCAT and BMAT. You must check prospectus details and university websites to find out what you have to do; for example to study History at Cambridge you need to sit HAT (History Aptitude test) and be registered by mid October. Look at to find out about Cambridge Entries.

HOW TO REGISTER You must register first! You will need: The buzzword – STEDMAN16 Username – given to you by UCAS after you have registered (the school will not have it) Password – you will choose your own password (6-14 characters with at least 1 number) Memorable word/phrase – you will use this each time you log on to apply

THE LAYOUT OF THE FORM There are 5 key sections: Personal details Additional information Choices Education Employment Your Statement

COMPLETING THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM Once you have registered you can start completing the form. It can be completed in any order. Regularly save your work You have 5 choices University choices – include the institutions and their codes in order any. The programme will sort them alphabetically. It costs £23 to apply through UCAS, £12 for one choice

PERSONAL DETAILS Education – include schools (last 3 secondary schools) and qualifications. These must be accurate. Include your AS grades You can also include other grades, e.g. music exams, etc. You may also have to sit exams e.g. the LNAT or BMAT tests. These may be taken in school in the first week of November. Say yes to the progress file and keep all your documents together.

PERSONAL DETAILS Employment – include weekend and holiday jobs. Personal Details – nationality, etc. Your residential category is probably A, Your fee code is probably 02, Student support arrangements is probably Wilts LEA. Your personal statement should probably be 47 lines long. Copy and paste it from WORD.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE FORM? Check the form thoroughly – do not make mistakes with codes or results. ‘Send to Referee’ and agree to the accuracy of the form Pay online with a credit card The school will track your application form and see how far you have got with each section Forms will be returned to students for corrections – please be prompt and check your address regularly The school reference is then added The forms are sent to UCAS

THE UCAS JOURNEY Step 1: Choosing courses – start with course search at Step 2: Applying – apply for up to 5 courses at Step 3: Offers – check Track at to see if you have got your place, it is constantly updatedwww.ucas.com Step 4: Results – again check Track, UCAS will receive your results directly from the exam boards Step 5: Next Steps – you may wish to look at Track and course vacancies at Step 6: Starting College or university – make sure that you have everything ready, such as finance and accommodation

THE UCAS TARIFF SYSTEM Applicants may receive an offer of a place that is conditional on their achieving a certain number of UCAS Tariff points. For up-to-date information about the UCAS Tariff, go to You cannot ‘double count’ exams in the same subject; e.g. AS and A2. Only points in bold can be added. SubjectLevelGradeTariff Points HistoryASC40 Engl LangASB50 FrenchASB50 Health/Social Care AC80 Engl LangAB100 FrenchAC80 Total tariff points 300