Parents and families: applying to higher education

The application process - Undergraduate

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is the central organisation responsible for managing applications to higher education courses in the UK. It acts as a link between students and the institutions they apply to, making things run as smoothly as possible by providing online support. Applicants can phone UCAS on + +44 (0) 870 1122211 or e-mail enquiries@ucas.ac.uk.

Students can apply to up to five courses through UCAS by completing an online application form. Once students have filled out all the necessary information, schools/colleges/places of work will add a reference and then send the application to UCAS. Students can apply directly to UCAS through the 'Apply' system if they are not attending a school/college. Applications cost £15, however if students decide to apply to only one course the cost is reduced to £5.

The deadline for applications from with the UK and EU is January 15th. International students have a deadline of June 30th. Students applying for veterinary sciences, medicine, dentistry, or courses offered at Oxford or Cambridge must apply by October 15th. For more information, please look at the UCAS website. In some circumstances applications made after these dates may be accepted, although this depends on the individual institutions.

*Please note: students applying for medicine, dentistry or veterinary courses are limited to four choices, their fifth choice can be for a different subject or left blank.

Personal statements

Applicants must write a personal statement on their UCAS form. Only one personal statement is submitted for all five choices so it needs to be relevant to all of the courses. The personal statement provides students with the opportunity to tell admissions selectors about their suitability for the degree/s that they have decided to study. Students are required to demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment, but above all, ensure that they stand out from the crowd.

Personal statements must address; why the student has chosen their subject, why the subject interests them, aspects of current studies that relate to their degree, why they would make a good student, details of any hobbies, interests, extra-curricular activities, part-time jobs/work experience – particularly if they are relevant to their degree subjects, positions of responsibility – in or outside of school/work, attributes that make them special, unique or interesting, and any future plans.

There is an awful lot of information that needs to go into the personal statement; it is difficult to write and will take several attempts. You can help by providing advice, support and encouragement during the process.

What happens next?

Once UCAS receives an application it is forwarded to the institutions specified, where it will be considered. Institutions will respond via UCAS with one of the following;

• Unconditional Offer – application has been accepted and place allocated.
• Conditional Offer – application will be accepted and a place allocated, provided that certain qualification results are met.
• Rejection – unsuccessful application

Some institutions may want to interview applicants before making a decision, in which case they will inform students directly. Applicants who are not asked to attend an interview will normally be invited to attend a visit day after an offer has been made. Encourage students to attend as many interview or visit days as possible.

Once students receive all of their offers, they choose firm and insurance choices.

What happens if a student gets no offers?

Students who are rejected by all five choices can re-apply through UCAS Extra. This enables students to submit additional applications through UCAS to one institution at a time. Students can make additional applications up until the end of June. If a student still does not have a place they can enter Clearing in August.

Results Day

If students meet the requirements they go to their firm choice, if not they go to their insurance choice. If a student does not meet their firm or insurance offers those institutions may still be able to offer them a place. Check this by contacting the institutions before you do anything else. If both are unable to offer a place, students enter clearing.

Clearing

Clearing is the period in which students without a place can apply for vacant spaces on a range of courses. During Clearing, higher education institutions advertise remaining places on a daily basis. Students can apply for as many places as they wish. During this time, grade requirements for courses are often lower than they are for the rest of the year. More than 30,000 people gain a place during Clearing every year.

The application process - Postgraduate

For postgraduate study students can either apply online via the institutions website, or by requesting an application pack from the department that they are interested in applying for. Postgraduate applications are more flexible than undergraduate ones, and the applicant deals directly with the department throughout the application process. For more information about how to apply to postgraduate courses at the University of Essex please look at our postgraduate webpages.