The UCAS Journey Making a successful UCAS application Alan Jones Professional Development Team

Key features of admissions scheme  Online application and management  Lots of information and support throughout  £21 (£11 for a single choice)  Maximum of 5 choices  Some choice restrictions:  Medicine, Veterinary, Dentistry – max 4  Oxford or Cambridge  Simultaneous consideration  ‘Invisibility’  Reply to offers only after all choices have recorded decisions HOW IT WORKS

Key dates and deadlines  Early June: applicants can register and start to complete their application  Early September: School can start to submit completed applications to UCAS  15 October: deadline for  Medicine, Veterinary, Dentistry  Oxford or Cambridge  15 January: main deadline  24 March: deadline for some Art & Design  30 June: deadline to be considered in main scheme (1 July on – Clearing)  20 September: final application deadline THEY ARE VITAL Admissions test may need to be registered for prior to application

Art & Design courses  Used to have a separate application route (Route B)  Brought into main system in 2010  Some courses have a later (24 March) deadline - some applicants do 1 yr foundation course before applying to university - need time to decide on specialisms and for referee to get to know them well enough to write a meaningful reference  Likely to require portfolio evidence to support application

= Research = Applying = Managing

 Increase of application fee to £21 and £11  Online reference collection for ‘individual’ applicants  Enhancement of the criminal convictions question  Nominated access details to be available to institutions  Collection of passport details  Confirmation box  for applicants to agree that they have no qualifications  to allow applicants to provide degree level, if held  Increase of application fee to £21 and £11  Onlinereference collection for ‘individual’ applicants  Enhancement of the criminal convictions question  Nominated access details to be available to institutions  Collection of passport details  Confirmation box  for applicants to agree that they have no qualifications  to allow applicants to provide degree level, if held Apply changes for 2011

Applicant provides referee details (including ) Applicant generates reference request Referee ed & given URL + logins Referee logs in confirms ID & responds If declines – applicant ed for new referee details If agrees – completes reference & applicant ed New procedure for online references for applicants registered as individuals 29 September 2010

UCAS APPLICANT JOURNEY

Research  Requires:  Sufficient time  Resources  Organisation  Knowing where to look / what to look for  Encouragement and support  Works best when:  Systematic  Methodical  Thorough  Range of resources:  Paper  Experiential  Online

Examples of research resources  Paper  HEI Prospectuses  Guides/ league tables  UCAS published materials  Online  HEI websites  British Council website  Specialist information sites (e.g. for studentswww.skill.org.uk with disabilities/special needs)  ‘Student’ focused sites (e.g.  Related information sites (e.g.  UCAS websites Conventions & Exhibitions  e.g Nov 2010 (British Council website)

UCAS publications and publications available through UCASbooks  Little Guide  Big Map  UCASbooks (  Big Guide  Open Days  Progression Series

The Big Map  HEI locations  HEI websites  HEI contact information  Student nos.  Student body breakdown  Average cost of accomm

UCAS TV  How to Guides 8 Use the guides to get the most out of your application  Case studies 7 Listen to other students experiences  Video diaries 2 Student accounts of UCAS

UCAS Course Search  Which courses are offered at which institutions  Open or closed for application  Entry profiles EP  Specific information about course and university  Guide to minimum qualifications/grades required  Information about what kind of candidate  Guide to the selection process  Clues for writing Personal Statement  Financial information (fees, bursaries etc)  Headline link to unistats website Most UK HEIs very familiar with Cyprus qualifications Some courses do require A-levels and/or English tests

Unistats website  Compare entry requirements and other information for different subjects and institutions  Read what over 177,000 students felt about the quality of their higher education experience  Find out the achievements of recent students and discover what sort of jobs they are doing six months after finishing 

When to apply  One application per year - give yourself plenty of time and make it the best it can be  Deadlines matter - applications received by deadline will be considered - applications received after deadline may be considered - HEIs can close courses after the relevant deadline  Apply early only if absolutely sure of choices - if only sure of some choices, either wait, or submit with sure choices and add others later (but not able to change personal statement)  Application numbers spike around deadlines - Admissions officers may have less time to spend with each!

What information will UCAS require? Students are asked to complete the following sections:  Personal Details  Choices  Education  Employment  Personal Statement First of all you need to register:  10 minute process  Applicant given username  Applicant creates password  Applicant given Personal Identification Number (PID)

HEI decisions  UCAS processes and makes available to considering HEIs (usually within 24 – 48 hours)  Institutions consider independently ~ UCAS not involved (average waiting time 2009 was 51 days, so patience required!)  Each HEI will record a decision through UCAS  unsuccessful  offer - unconditional where qualifications held - conditional where results not yet known  Track updated and sent to the applicant

Conditional offers  Could be made in terms of UCAS Tariff score alone e.g. Score 320 UCAS Tariff points from qualifications to be taken this summer  Could be made in terms of grades or scores e.g. Achieve grades A, A, B in A-levels being taken summer 2011 OR Achieve a score of 17 in the Apolytirion  Could be a mixture e.g. Score 360 UCAS Tariff points including a grade A in A-level Mathematics  Could include further conditions e.g. Achieve B,B,C in A-levels and IELTS score of 6.5

Track  Enables you to follow the progress of your application (24/7, access via password)  Quickest way to find out about new offers  You can reply to offers online

Applicant replies  When?  Decisions received from ALL choices  If offer(s) made applicant asked to reply and given a date to reply by on Track  Reminders sent, but failure to reply by the reply date results in offers being declined by default  What replies can be made?  For unconditional offers – ACCEPT – DECLINE  For conditional offers – FIRM – INSURANCE “What am I committing to?”

Confirmation  If conditions of a FIRM choice offer are met, applicant is PLACED with the FIRM choice HEI  If conditions of a FIRM choice offer are not met, the HEI could (at its discretion) still choose to confirm and the applicant would be placed with the FIRM choice HEI  ONLY if conditions of a FIRM choice offer are NOT met and the FIRM choice HEI does NOT confirm does the INSURANCE choice come into play.

Extra  5 choices used – no offers held  None received  Offers received but declined  Choices withdrawn from  If an offer is received, replies made as in main scheme  If an offer is declined or no offer is received another EXTRA choice can be added  Ends 6 July (cannot add new choices after this)  From 25 February able to add 1 EXTRA choice  Courses in EXTRA marked X in Course Search  Choice added via Track  HEI has 21 days to record a decision

Exam results that are NOT sent to HEIs by UCAS should be sent direct by either:  The student  The student’s study centre

If FIRM choice conditions met applicant is PLACED Near miss? FIRM choice HEI can still accept (at their discretion) If FIRM choice conditions not met and HEI does not accept? If an INSURANCE choice held & conditions met applicant is PLACED If unsuccessful with FIRM & INSURANCE choice CLEARING Near miss? INSURANCE HEI can still accept (at their discretion) CONFIRMATION When HEIs make final decisions based on applicants’ exam results CLEARING

Clearing  Anyone who applies and pays the full application fee before 30 June and gets no offers OR  Applies after 30 June but before 20 September and pays the full application fee OR  Applies before 30 June, gets offers but declines them all or fails to meet conditions and doesn’t get PLACED is  AUTOMATICALLY entered for Clearing The stage when unplaced applicants try to secure one of the places that are still available

Eligible applicant researches vacancies Contacts institution(s) to discuss application Applicant enters choice details on Track Institution records decision If unsuccessful applicant can start again Applicant PLACED on course Clearing

Clearing: What happens when?  Some people eligible mid-July (but no vacancy list)  Track is ‘frozen’ the weekend before A-Level results are published in mid-August  Vacancy list published on UCAS website 1 minute past midnight the night before A-Level results are published  Track is ‘unfrozen’ the morning A-Level results are published (always a Thursday)  Option to ‘Add Clearing Choice’ via Track appears GMT on the day A-Level results are published

PLACED applicants and Clearing  Any applicant who has been PLACED with a university or college has made a commitment to the HEI  No simple automatic process to get out of the commitment  ONLY option is to ask HEI to change record to a decline i.e. be holding no offers and go into CLEARING  Applicant would have to:  Contact HEI direct  Explain circumstances / what they wish to do  Seek HEI agreement (it is at HEI’s discretion)  Ask HEI to action decline (UCAS cannot)

Adjustment  New process for 2009  For applicants whose place has been confirmed at their FIRM choice, and who have  MET all conditions of offer and  EXCEEDED at least one condition  Can hold on to confirmed place while seeking a more aspirational one for UP TO 5 DAYS MAXIMUM (Consecutive 24 hour periods - clock starts when applicant PLACED or A-Level results day, whichever is later – end time shown in Track)  No vacancy lists registered 382 adjusted

Applicant PLACED at FIRM choice believes met & exceeded Max. 5 days start from when PLACED or A-Level results day Applicant REGISTERS on Track and calls HEIs direct HEIs have final say if met & exceeded If applicant not adjusted after 5 days still PLACED at original FIRM If an HEI wants the applicant, will ask for an first then ADJUST Adjustment

Questions Alan Jones Professional Development Officer UCAS Customer Service Unit: +44 (0) open Monday to Friday, 08:30-18:00 (UK time)