Article Index

Applying to University

If you want to enrol at a UK university or college offering undergraduate degree programmes, then you will have to apply through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Application Service) – www.ucas.com

Quick links:

Before You Apply
Entry Requirements
UCAS Tariff
When to Apply
Route B

Before You Apply – Choosing a course and university

It may sound obvious, but you need to actually choose which university courses you want to apply to before you fill in your UCAS application form.

There are many sources of information you can use, including this site (www.courses-careers.com) and its magazine “Courses and Careers” . You can read current and past issues that are full of articles about different degree courses, universities, student finance, accommodation and much more that you may wish to find out about (http://www.courses-careers.com/emags/index.htm).

Entry Requirements

You will also need to bear in mind what the entry requirements are for any course you may be interested in applying to. This will inevitably mean finding out what sort of grades a particular course will expect you to get at A’ level (or Higher), as well as any minimum requirements the course expects as far as GCSEs are concerned (some will demand passes at Grade A-C in subjects such as Maths and English).

Requirements differ both between subjects and between universities and colleges. Obviously if you want to enrol on to a French degree, then passing A’ level French is going to be almost mandatory. Variation between universities might mean that university A asks for a higher grade than university B.

Specific courses that often require an extra entry test (over an above what A’ levels/Highers you are attempting), such as the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAD) often demanded for those seeking to apply to Medicine or Veterinary courses. You need to ask course tutors on the courses that you are interested in what specific requirements you may need to satisfy as part of your application.

Some of the specific tests and admissions requirements you might need for some universities and courses are listed on UCAS at: http://www.ucas.com/students/beforeyouapply/admissions/

Similarly, the UCAS Course Search gives a good idea of what entry requirements you might be asked for (http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/coursesearch/); with each course having an Entry Profile, often based on what a particular course/institution has demanded from successful applicants in past years. However, be careful as some courses of increasing popularity tend to raise the tariff/grade requirement they ask for. So speak to or email the course tutor for accurate information.

UCAS Tariff

Your differing qualifications and grades are awarded certain point under the initially confusing UCAS Tariff system. Basically, a grade A is going to be worth more Tariff points than a grade E. Entry requirements quoted by courses or listed in Entry Profiles will quote a UCAS Tariff figure that you will be expected to achieve (include what grades you think you might get at A’ level/Higher in order to figure out whether applying to a particular course is worthwhile). You can get a good idea of where you are and what grades you will need to achieve by talking to any prospective course tutor after you have worked out your current tariff.

UCAS lists all qualifications and what tariff points that these are worth at differing grades (http://www.ucas.com/students/ucas_tariff/tarifftables/).

When to Apply – Key Dates

There are several key dates you need to remember depending on what type of course and institution you wish to apply to. Luckily, most applicants will already be aware of these from their school or college.

UCAS and the universities want you to apply as soon as possible in order that they can process the hundreds of thousands of applications efficiently and fill up the courses. You need to be aware of some key dates.

Mid October (15th Oct 2008)

Deadline for applications to:

University of Cambridge
University of Oxford

For courses in:

Medicine
Dentistry
Veterinary Medicine or Veterinary Science

Mid January (15th January 2009)

Any university receiving applications by this date has to consider these and make an offer to all applicants who reach stated entry requirements. After this date, courses that are extremely popular may be full (rare but it happens), those that are filling rapidly may ask for higher grades from later applicants (more common).

You can in fact apply all the way through until the end of June, but you are not guaranteed a place or even an offer. There have been increasing numbers who want to be sure who are waiting later to apply, due to worries about finance or which course or university to choose. If you slip beyond the end of June then you have to use Clearing to apply to a university degree course.

Route B

Those applying to some art and design based courses can go via what is called a Route B application (whereas the above system used by the vast majority of university applicants is called Route A). This allows for a later submission of your application by almost the end of March (24th March 2009), although UCAS is advising Route B applicants to submit earlier (by 6th March 2009).

Other Application Dates

For those applying to a Nursing course (Diploma) that offers a New Year or Spring entry, then check with your intended course as to when they require applications to be made by.

UCAS applications - important dates

On this site you can find information on:

Student Finance
All you need to know on how to finance yourself with student loans and grants.

Bursary Searcher
Get the links to the specific pages at university websites that offer scholarships, burasries and financial awards.

Open Days
How to use an Open Day to the max, and where and when they are happening.

Gap Years
Travel, earning before you learn, personal development. Whatever your reason for taking a year out before uni, make it work for you.

University List
The list of all the institutions that you can apply to through the UCAS system.

CourseAdvice