There are different ways to apply to higher education, depending on the course type and institution, but the majority of applications are managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). In this article we’ll explain the process of making an application through UCAS.
1. Research and Register
Knowing what you’d like to apply for is the first step! There are many tools to help course and institution research, so that you can be sure that you’re applying to the right option for you. Signing up to an account on the UCAS Hub is a great place to start as you can compare options and find subjects that are linked to your interests and career plans.
You apply online, so make sure you’re registered before you start.
2. Apply
The online application form can be found under the ‘Your Application’ tile on the UCAS Hub. There are quite a few sections to complete, so make sure you give yourself enough time to fill out the form correctly. You will need to complete the following sections:
| Personal Details | Fill in your first and last name, date of birth, and gender. |
| Nationality Details | Fill in your where you were born and your nationality. |
| Where you live | You’ll need to provide your current address where you spend most of your time. Your home address will be used to confirm your fee status. |
| Contact details | Fill in your phone number, email address, and postal address. |
| Supporting Information | Add additional information about whether you, or a parent or spouse, has lived and worked in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland. |
| Finance and funding | You will be asked how you plan to fund your studies, and which local authority will assess your tuition fees. |
| Diversity and Inclusion | You will be asked optional questions about: Ethnicity Religious beliefs Sexual orientation Care support information Parental information, such as their education level and occupation |
| More about you | You will see this section if you have a UK home address. Here, you can provide additional supporting information you’d like to include on your application, such as: Mental health conditions or long-term illnesses Estranged from parents Caring responsibilities Parenting responsibilities Refugee status Parent or carer who serves in the armed forces Whether you’ve served in the armed forces If you’re in receipt of free school meals |
| Education | You will need to add details of your education and all previous and current qualifications from secondary education onwards. |
| Employment | If you’ve had paid jobs, you can enter the details here. Voluntary work or work experience shouldn’t be included in this section. |
| Extra Activities | You can boost your application by adding any additional courses, summer schools, taster courses etc. |
| Personal Statement | This is the section where you can add your finished personal statement. The statement is structured into three separate questions to help you to scaffold your answers and ensure you include exactly what universities and colleges want to see. There is a 4,000 overall character limit (including spaces). |
| References | All applications require a reference from someone who isn’t a family member, friend, partner, or ex-partner. If you are applying through your school/college, they will provide this for you. |
| Course Choice | You will add each course/institution that you wish to apply to. You can add a maximum of five choices. |
3. Personal Statement
The personal statement has changed recently from one longer piece of text to three separate questions:
Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
You get a maximum of 4000 characters, so you will need to think carefully about what you want to say. This is why research is important, as it can help you to decide what to include in your personal statement. What skills and qualities are the universities and colleges asking for? Try and think of evidence and examples of how you meet these criteria. Remember, this is sent to all of the universities and colleges that you apply to so try not to make it too specific to institutions.
There is lots of guidance available on the UCAS website and you can access subject-specific personal statement guides.
4. Check and Send
Be sure to proof read your application before sending it. Once you are happy, add details of the person who will write your reference and pay the application fee.
5. Monitor
You will receive email notifications each time something happens to your application.
If you are made an offer
You will see details of the offers you receive on the UCAS Hub, they will explain any additional conditions and what to do next. Once you have received decisions for all universities and colleges you will need to decide which are your firm and insurance choices.
If you are not made an offer
If you are not made an offer, or decline the offers you do receive, you will be eligible to apply to additional choices using UCAS Extra which opens in February.
If you change your mind
If you change your mind, you can decline any offers you receive and look out for course vacancies through Clearing.
No UCAS?
Applications to higher and degree apprenticeships are often made directly to the employer, although some might require an application to the institution providing the academic course which runs alongside employment. Although applications are made directly to employers there is a search tool on the UCAS website that allows you to search for apprenticeship vacancies and filter them by geographical location, qualification level or subject.
