1. Help your child through the UCAS process
Welcome to our UCAS Information Evening
Help your child through the UCAS process

3. Higher Education provision in the UK
300 plus UCAS institutions
4 Northern Irish HEIs
20 Scottish HEIs
280 English/Welsh HEIs

4. Why go to University? Better career prospects
Increase potential earnings
Better career prospects
Chosen career requires you to
Develop Key Skills
Social and cultural reasons
More independence, self-confidence and responsibility… and fun!
Personal challenge
Broadens interests and knowledge
Make friends for life

6. Research – it’s free and important to do
Start at
Research – career options, universities, courses and minimum entry requirements.
Attend a UCAS event – even if your son or daughter doesn’t know what they want to do, speaking to those in the know will help.
Learn from others –

7. Entry requirements
Entry requirements vary from course to course and between universities
More qualifications may be required at second sitting (after S6 rather than S5)
Prospective students must check entry requirements by looking at course specifications or by speaking to the admissions office for individual faculties at their chosen establishments.

8. Other things to consider
Work experience – professional bodies, charities or at events
Finance – course fees, grants, travel and living costs
Travel – to and from home
Accommodation – university halls or private residences?

9. How we support the UCAS process
Registration- June 2017
UCAS Booklet
SDS Support (Group and Individual)
Personal statement advice-Pupil support
UCAS Lanarkshire Fair
Open Days (dates)
SAAS Information

10. How you can support the research process
Download the 2018 UCAS Parent Guide from the UCAS website.
Offer to attend open days with them (you may have a different perspective!)
Try to remain impartial

11. How you can support the application process
Engage with the school – deadlines for personal statements
Support your son or daughter’s management of their application.
Make sure they read everything they are sent carefully!
Prepare them for living away from home:
Cost of living – paying bills
Independent living skills – cooking and washing.

12. Key features of the UCAS scheme
Your son or daughter can make up to five choices in one application. * Restrictions
The 2018 applicant fee is:
£13 for one choice
£24 for up to five choices.
Applications received by the key deadlines are given equal consideration.
‘Invisibility’ – universities cannot see where else students have applied.

13. Key dates and deadlines
Mid-June
Applicants can start to register and complete their application
7th Sept
Schools can start to submit completed applications
2nd Oct
Closing date for UCAS Conservatories
15th Oct
Medicine,  Veterinary Med/Sci, Dentistry, Oxford, Cambridge
15th Jan
UCAS deadline for most courses
24th Mar
Many Art & Design Courses
30th June
Applications after this date are held for clearing

14. Tracking applications
Track will allow your son or daughter to:
follow the progress of their application 24/7
see their choices and personal information
display their offers
reply to offers online.

15. Replying to offers
When your child receives decisions from all of their choices they will need to make their replies by a set date.
They can now hold a maximum of two offers:
Firm - their first choice. If they meet the conditions of the offer they will be placed.
Insurance – acts as a back-up choice and only comes into play if they are not placed with their firm choice.
If your child fails to reply to their offers by the deadline date, all offers will be automatically declined.

16. Useful websites UCAS website www.ucas.com UCAS Apply and Track
Facebook –
Twitter –
UCAStv – - video guides - channels for different audiences e.g. advisers
YouTube -
Careers Database
Skills Development Scotland-
SAAS -
Prospects -

18. UCAS-Find out more

19. The Personal Statement
You will write a 500 word
personal statement

20. The personal statement
The only section your son or daughter has control over.
Their only chance to market themselves individually.
One personal statement for all choices.
Max. 4,000 characters, 47 lines.
Min. 1,000 characters.
No spelling/grammar check.
No formatting.