1. UCAS: Everything you need to know now
Amy Smith
Senior Policy Executive
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2. Five things you (probably) didn’t know about UCAS
UCAS was formed 26 years ago when UCCA and PCAS merged.
UCCA was established in 1961 and PCAS in 1986, making us 58 years old this year!
We moved into our Rosehill location 20 years ago.
Rosehill is licenced to hold marriages.
The building has the same aerial footprint as the White House.
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3. What is UCAS?
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4. UCAS: a journey back in time …
Dec 2007
Dec 1998
June 2000
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5. UCAS: where we are now
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6. New adviser and agent portal
March 2019
New adviser and agent portal
Check the newsletter for training opportunities and support, including the twilight sessions, user guides and online guidance
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7. AMS: a new look and feel

8. The changing landscape
Careers strategy
Teacher recruitment issues
Transparency agenda
Tuition fees and funding
Qualification reform
Widening access and participation
TE(SO)F
Apprenticeships
Vocational qualifications/T Levels
Brexit
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9. UCAS End of Cycle 2018 data
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10. 533k Admissions themes for the 2018 cycle placed
Entry rate for UK 18 year olds rises, but fewer acceptances.
Record numbers through Clearing.
Return to growth for EU demand.
No progress in widening participation and access since 2014.
Rise in unconditional offer-making.
placed
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11. End of cycle data – Welsh domiciled applicants
UK domiciled acceptances fell by 0.8% to 459,285.
Welsh domiciled acceptances saw a 3.1% drop (-635) on 2017 – the largest decline seen in all UK countries.
Welsh applicants are the most likely to study outside their home country – 40.4% were accepted to providers elsewhere in the UK.
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12. End of cycle data – UK entry rates
Entry rates by UK country (2016 – 2018)
Overall figures have been affected by the declining 18 year old population.
Entry rates rose in all four countries of the UK.
Wales saw an entry rate of 29.6%, similar to 2016 levels.
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13. End of cycle data – Welsh providers
Acceptances to providers in Wales by domicile (2006 – 2018)
71,455 people applied to at least one Welsh provider – a fall of 6.3%, and the second consecutive year of declining numbers.
Wales is also the only UK country with a drop in total acceptances from 2017 to 2018, with a fall of 5.7% to 25,000.
Welsh domiciled acceptances fell 3.5%, RUK 6%, EU 20.8%, and non-EU 6.5%.
Welsh applicants account for 47.8% of acceptances.
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14. End of cycle data – acceptances (gender)
In Wales, the gender gap remained constant on 2017 figures.
All UK domiciles show a trend of a widening gender gap across the twelve year period from 2006 to 2018.
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15. End of cycle data – acceptances (POLAR4)
UK domiciled 18 year old entry rate by POLAR4 quintile
The 18 year old entry rate increased across all POLAR4 quintiles, except Q3.
Greatest increases seen in the most disadvantaged areas – the entry rate for Q1 increased by 1.8% proportionally, and 2.3% proportionally in Q2.
The entry rate for Q5 saw the smallest increase, rising by just 0.8% proportionally.
Wales was the only UK country where the entry rate gap increased, due to a combination of an increase in the Q5 entry rate, and a fall in the Q1 entry rate.
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16. Who is applying direct to Clearing?
UK-based 2.5% of all UK acceptances used this route
70% aged 20 and over
Business and admin
Most popular subjects
91% English
domiciled acceptances
Nursing
Made up almost half of Group B DTC acceptances
Close to home
60% at providers under 45 mins away from home
Lower tariff
4% of all acceptances to these providers were DTC
London
Almost ¼ from London
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17. Unconditional offer-making: definitions
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18. Unconditional offer-making
Use of unconditional offers is becoming increasingly popular – a third of applicants received an offer with an unconditional component in 2018.
Trends have been towards a diversification of grade profiles – applicants predicted 11 A level points (BBC) proportionately receive the most unconditional offers.
Students are more likely to miss their predicted grades than their peers with conditional offers.
Sentiment towards conditional unconditional offers is generally positive among applicants.
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19. 15 October deadline data
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20. 7,770 +7% +6% 2019 cycle so far: October deadline
Increase in medical school places a driver?
increase in applicants to 15 October courses – up to 61,440, the highest on record
Number of 18 year old English applicants to medicine courses (+16%)
7,770
+6%
increase in the number of EU applicants
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21. Applications at the 15 October deadline (UK)
Applications to courses with a 15 October deadline increased:
1,510 Welsh domiciled applicants to UK courses (up 5% on the same point last year)
580 of these applications were to Welsh providers
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22. Four key messages
͏No material change in numbers placed through UCAS compared to last year – buoyancy this year driven by direct entry routes.
Entry into HE for UK 18 year olds continues to increase, but growth has slowed in Wales.
͏Disadvantaged groups increasingly likely to enter HE, but the gap remains between advantaged and disadvantaged students.
UK HE remains attractive to EU and international markets.
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23. Supporting emerging cohorts
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24. Questions already live in postgraduate AMS
AMS: new questions
Questions already live in postgraduate AMS
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25. If you would like to provide feedback, please let us know.
Student mental health and wellbeing
We are working closely with Student Minds to support students with concerns or queries about mental health and wellbeing.
If you would like to provide feedback, please let us know.
We are also gathering feedback from providers about:
what additional services they and the HE sector could provide to support student mental health and wellbeing;
Whether UCAS should review how and how we offer applicants the chance to declare a mental health condition.
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26. How UCAS is supporting students with identified support needs
Social media and comms (#BelongatUni Twitter campaign)
Collaboration with stakeholders: charities, expert organisations and sector bodies
Blogs, case studies, stories
Liaising with providers, including admissions and student support
New and improved questions in the UCAS application to flag support needs
Updating our information and advice – moving towards greater personalisation
Development of good practice resources to support providers
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27. Any questions?
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