Introducing the UCAS system

• All applications for undergraduate courses at UK Higher Education institutions must be made through UCAS – the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

• You fill in your application online – you will need full details of examinations you have already sat and those you are about to take, including exam board, centre numbers etc

• Your application includes a “personal statement” in which you explain why you have chosen your subject and demonstrate that you will be a good student

• You are allowed six choices of institutions/courses (though you can only apply for up to four choices in dentistry, medicine and veterinary science)

• Applications for medicine and dentistry and all Oxbridge applications must be completed by 15th September.

• All other applications must be in by October 22nd

• Once you have completed your application, the College adds a reference and a prediction of your A2/AVCE grades before sending it to UCAS

• UCAS then forwards the application to the universities you have chosen.  The universities do not know where else you have applied.

• For each choice, you will either be offered a place or rejected.  If you are offered a place, it is likely to be conditional on receiving particular grades in your A2s.

• Once you have heard from all of your choices, you will have to decide which offers to keep.  You may hold one firm choice (which means you will go there if you get the required grades) and one insurance (which us usually a lower offer in case you do not get the grades required by your first choice)

• If you don’t receive any offers, from mid-March to the end of June you can make a further application for any course where there are still vacancies through the UCAS “Extra” process

• If you have no offers when the results come out, or if your exam results do not match up to your offers, you can enter the clearing system.  You can apply for any course that has places available and for which you have the necessary grades.