GETTING INTO H.E.

1. GETTING INTO H.E. 10th June 2013 THE APPLICANT JOURNEY

2. The Applicant Journey UCAS SCHEME RESEARCH APPLICATION OFFERS & REPLIES CONFIRMATION CLEARING & ADJUSTMENT

3. THEY Key dates and deadlines 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 submitting UCAS application

4. School Process Now - Begin course research and first draft personal statements. Student completes application form including personal statement, course choices and education. Student pays (£22 for five or £11 for one) and ‘sends’ to referee. Tutor collates subject references including predicted grades for current courses and personal touch based on knowledge of the students’ amazing qualities. Application and reference checked by HoS / Assistant HoS and sent to UCAS.

5. School Deadlines: • Early Applications complete:27th Sept. • All other applications complete:8th Nov. • Aiming to turn applications around with references in 2 school weeks.

6. 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

8. UCAS APPLICANT JOURNEY 1 2 3 4 5 6

11. 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

13. 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

16. 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 ifabsolutelysureof 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!

17. What information will UCAS require? • First of all you need to register: • 10 minute process • Applicant given username • Applicant creates password • Applicant given Personal Identification Number (PID) Students are asked to complete the following sections: • Personal Details • Choices • Education • Employment • Personal Statement

22. HEI decisions • UCAS processes and makes available to considering HEIs (usually within 24 – 48 hours) • Institutions consider independently ~ UCAS not involved (average waiting time 2012 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

23. Conditional offers • Could be made in terms of UCAS Tariff score alone e.g. Score 320 UCAS Tariff points from all qualifications. • Could be made in terms of grades or scores e.g. Achieve grades A, A, B in A-levels being taken summer 2014 • Could be a mixture e.g. Score 360 UCAS Tariff points including a grade A in A-level Mathematics • Could include further conditions or limitations e.g. Achieve A*,A,A in A-levels and STEP I and III at Grade 1 or ....Achieve 280 Points from a minimum of 3 full A-Levels

24. 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

27. 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?”

28. 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 INSURANCEchoice come into play.

29. Extra • 5 choices used – no offers held • None received • Offers received but declined • Choices withdrawn from • From 25 February able to add 1EXTRAchoice • Courses in EXTRAmarked X in Course Search • Choice added via Track • HEI has 21 days to record a decision • If an offer is received, replies made as in main scheme • If an offer is declined or no offer is received another • EXTRAchoice can be added • Ends 6 July (cannot add new choices after this)

30. CLEARING CONFIRMATION When HEIs make final decisions based on applicants’ exam results Near miss? INSURANCE HEI can still accept (at their discretion)

31. Clearing + Applicant PLACED on course

32. 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

33. 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 • ONLYoption is to ask HEI to change record to a decline • 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)

34. Adjustment • For applicants whose place has been confirmed at their FIRM choice, and who have • MET allconditions of offer and • EXCEEDEDat least one condition • Can hold on to confirmed place while seeking a more aspirational one for UP TO 5 DAYSMAXIMUM • (Consecutive 24 hour periods - clock starts when applicant PLACED • or A-Level results day, whichever is later – end time shown in Track) • No vacancy lists 2009 1600 registered 382 adjusted

35. Adjustment + If an HEI wants the applicant, will ask for an email first then ADJUST

37. Competition: what it means for applicants? QU= Degree offer QU + E + S + T = Degree offer QU+ E + S + T = Degree offer QU+ E + S + T = Degree offer QU+ E + S + T = Degree offer QU+ E + S + T = Degree offer Qualifications Experience Skills Testimony

38. Questions