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The UCAS JourneyMaking a successful UCAS application
Alan Jones
Professional Development Team
Key features of admissions scheme
Online application and management
Lots of information and support throughout
2011 - £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 testmay 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
New procedure for online references forapplicants registered
as individuals
29 September 2010
UCAS APPLICANT JOURNEY
1 2 3 4 5 6
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. www.skill.org.uk for students
with disabilities/special needs) ‘Student’ focused sites
(e.g. www.woodyswebwatch.com) Related information sites
(e.g. www.highfliers.co.uk)
UCAS websites
Conventions & Exhibitions e.g. 16-17 Nov 2010
(British Council website)
UCAS publications and publications available through UCASbooks
Little Guide Big Map UCASbooks (www.ucas.com/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
www.ucas.tv
How to Guides 8Use the guides to get the most out of your
application
Case studies 7 Listen to other students
experiences
Video diaries 2Student 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
www.unistats.com
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 email 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 HEIsby UCAS should be sent direct by either:
The student The student’s study centre
CONFIRMATIONWhen HEIs make
final decisions basedon 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
Clearing 2011
+
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
18.00 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 lists2009
1600 registered 382 adjusted
Adjustment 2011
+
Questions
Alan JonesProfessional Development Officer
UCAS Customer Service Unit:
+44 (0)871 468 0 468
open Monday to Friday,
08:30-18:00 (UK time)
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