1. The UCAS Journey Making a successful UCAS application
1 hour – 200 students and parents
Factors for successful applications:
Ucas overview
How to research unis and subjects
Info on application form
How to write a successful personal statement
What happens once form is submitted
Alan Jones
Professional Development Team

2. 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

3. Key dates and deadlines
THEY
ARE
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
VITAL
Admissions test
may need to be
registered for prior
to application
LNAT – Nov 1 but Oxbridge application deadline 15 Oct

4. 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

5. = Research
= Applying
= Managing

6. Apply changes for 2011 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
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

8. UCAS APPLICANT JOURNEY1 2 3 4 5 6

10. 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

13. End of cycle statistics 2003-2009
2009: 639,860 applicants (up 8.7%), 481,854 accepts (up 5.5%)
Competition
In out of 20 applicants got placed, in out of 20 applicants got placed, whilst in out of 20 got placed (in terms of possible class sizes). Competition is therefore increasing.
Introduction of fees
UCAS have recently undertaken a fees review to see whether there are any trends in applicant data relating to the introduction and variability of tuition fees, and the conclusion was that there were no significant trends.
Source: UCAS Statistics Unit

14. Questions
Alan Jones
Professional Development Officer