Guide to UCAS Application Process

The United Kingdom is one of the top-notch study destinations for international students. There are several applicants who prefer the country mainly due to its welcoming and homely atmosphere. So, if you are also planning to apply to top UK universities, then you should get familiar with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services, aka UCAS admission portal. UCAS is an admission and application portal that a majority of UK universities depend on for their application process. It is designed for both domestic and international students.UCAS majorly deals with undergraduate applications and there are only a few universities and colleges that accept postgraduate or PhD applications via this portal.

The UCAS admission process might seem daunting, but is quite simple and is completed online. Now let us first learn more about UCAS and its application process.

What is UCAS?

Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) is a centralised application portal for almost all UK universities. It helps the students, who are willing to study abroad in the UK, to send applications to various universities and colleges in one go. UCAS can be treated as a one-stop portal for sending applications to institutes in Britain. It gives a hassle-free experience to applicants from registering their accounts, searching for courses and tracking the application, everything can be easily navigated. It is important to note that the application portal allows students to apply to five universities at a time.

UCAS is governed by a Board of Trustees, formed with a few representatives from higher and other academic backgrounds, three top providers of higher education, along with independent trustees. Students can start applying to UCAS soon after the courses are published online.

How Does UCAS Work?

Over three million applications are made by UK, EU and international students via UCAS every year. So far the application portal has helped over six lakh students secure a full-time place at one of 337 universities and colleges across the UK registered under UCAS.

Under one of the services - UCAS conservatoires - the application portal helps provide performance-based higher education, including music, drama, screen and production courses, etc, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Its other services include UCAS Media, which is a commercial enterprise focusing on raising money by offering commercial firms and education providers a channel to communicate with prospective students: in effect, it sells targeted advertising space. Apart from all these UCAS Teacher Training services and taught postgraduate courses, it also helps with information, advice and other admission-related services.

Willing to study in the UK but confused about which course or college to select? Our dedicated team of counsellors can help you to carve out a successful and bright career decision. Along with personalised admission guidance, they can help with other range of services like profile building, interview preparation, document processing, and visa and scholarship assistance. Feel free to reach out to our experts at abroad@collegedekho.com.

UCAS Application Requirements and Eligibility

International students, who are aspiring to study in the UK, need to meet the minimum requirements set by the respective university or college to be eligible for admission and apply via the UCAS portal. Academic and English proficiency requirements usually differ from one university to another. Here we have listed down some general requirements and eligibility for both international applicants:

UCAS Application Requirements and Eligibility for Undergraduate Applications

Each and every university or college has its separate entry requirements for undergraduate courses. The requirements also primarily depend on the courses the students have selected. Universities set different eligibility requirements for each and every course to make sure that the candidates have the right skills and knowledge to complete the course. Some of the main entry requirements are as follows:

• Qualifications: Generally, A levels, Advanced Highers or any equivalent-level qualification are sometimes transferred into UCAS Tariff points. Most of the programmes require pre-16 qualifications like GCSE English and maths or their equivalents. Indian applicants need a Class 12 complete certificate with minimum marks in specific subjects.

• Suitability: Each and every course has its own descriptions, that includes skills, interest or experience a candidate should have. Thus, subject-specific requirements also need to be met.

• Admission tests: Standardised exams like SAT or ACT are not mandatory for admission in UK universities. However, some top universities, where competition is high, ask for these exam scores. For medical courses, UKCAT exam scores may be required.

• English proficiency: It is the most important part of an international students application to UK universities. International applicants whose first language is not English need to submit an English proficiency proof. Exams like IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo, and Cambridge English are usually accepted by most universities in the UK region.

• Interview: Some universities might conduct interviews as the final admission step. Applicants can get to know about their interview schedule and related details in the UCAS track section. Tips and advice for interviews are also available on the UCAS website.

UCAS Application Requirements And Eligibility for Postgraduate Application

As earlier mentioned, UCAS also deals with a limited number of postgraduate applications in UK universities. Here are some of the major requirements and eligibility needed to be fulfilled by the candidate:

• A qualification comparable to a UK bachelor's degree

• Required skill, knowledge and relevant work experience (if any)

• For PhD and Master's Research (MRes), a master's degree or relevant research experience is required

• Standardised test scores such as GRE or GMAT, as per university requirements

• English proficiency test score is mandatory for international applicants

Application Documents Required for UCAS UG Application

While applying to any university or college, applicants should ensure that all the necessary documents are complete and ready for uploading. Here is a list of important documents required while filling up a UCAS application form for an undergraduate application:

• Academic transcript

• UCAS Personal Statement

• Resume (if required)

• Letters of Recommendation (LORs)

• Copy of passport/visa (if available)

• Pass certificates

• English proficiency test report

• Financial documents

UCAS Tariff Points

UCAS Tariff Points (also known as UCAS points) are a way of measuring the qualifications and grades into a numerical value. Various qualifications, except a few, use UCAS Tariff value. It will assign the candidate a numerical score to the possible grades they can achieve in each type of qualification. The higher the grade a candidate achieves, the higher the number of points they will receive. In some UK universities and colleges, UCAS Tariff points are an entry requirement, however, it does not mean that they will not consider the qualifications that do not appear on the Tariff. So, it is advised to check the course requirements before applying.

How to Fill UCAS Undergraduate Application?

Before applying to any college or university, the candidates are required to register with UCAS as the first step. After giving basic details like the programme level, course, academic year, etc. students will be redirected to a tab called 'Your Application'. Click start to begin filling out the application. Next, refer to the step-by-step application process below:

Step 1: Enter Details

The candidate is required to fill up all mandatory questions. It is advisable to keep saving the application after entering details in each section so that no data is lost. The email address should be up-to-date to get all updates from UCAS regarding the application. The applicant is also asked to give parent or guardian information.

Step 2: Add Education Background

Fill in all the academic qualification details from secondary education onwards, irrespective of the result status. This helps the universities and colleges to understand whether the candidate is eligible as per the entry requirements or not. Candidates can add details even if they have already studied at a university or college but have not completed it due to some reasons.

Step 3: Complete Employment Background

If the candidate was or is indulged in any part-time or full-time paid jobs, they can include employment information with complete details, such as company names, addresses, job descriptions, and start or finish dates. The candidate cannot add any unpaid or voluntary work here. This information can be covered in the UCAS personal statement. If there is no paid work experience, applicants leave this section blank and mark it as complete.

Step 4: Select Course

An applicant can select up to five courses while choosing majors in the UCAS application. The good thing is that there is no preference order and the universities and colleges are not able to see where else the candidate has applied until after they reply to any offers.

Step 5: Write Personal Statement

Be yourself and write a personal statement! Applicants can choose any topic for the UCAS Personal Statement. In total, it needs to be at least 1,000 characters long, but you have up to 4,000 characters, i.e. 47 lines in hand. It is recommended to start writing the first draft in Microsoft Word and after finalising and grammar check, paste it into the space provided for the personal statement. Do not forget to hit save at regular intervals to avoid losing data. Lastly, read twice thoroughly to avoid any mistakes.

Note: Candidates are allowed to apply only once in an admission cycle. If double applications are received by the UCAS, then one may get cancelled and students will not get any refund. If the candidate has applied in previous cycles and is aiming to apply once again, then they should submit a new application.

Step 6: Submit the Application

Once the candidate has filled the form, a completely filled up application form will appear on the screen. Ensure that all details are correct and make necessary edits if needed. At last, the candidate will be asked to read and agree to the declaration.

Step 7: Pay Application Fee

Now that all details have been entered, applicants need to upload all relevant documents such as LORs and resume. After this, students need to pay the application fee of GBP 22 for one major and GBP 26.50 for each additional course. After this, the application will be submitted.

UCAS Application Tips

A few things to keep in mind - do not forget to keep checking your dashboard regularly to keep yourself updated and respond as quickly as possible if you have received any response. All the vital information related to the interview and selection is shown on the dashboard. Once the candidate is done with the application, they should start looking for visa and financial requirements.

UCAS Application Deadlines

Most of the undergraduate courses begin in September or October every year. To make sure that your application gets considered by a university or college, it is highly recommended to fill submit the application well in advance and not wait for the last day of the deadline. Competitive universities and courses accept applications till mid-October of the previous year. This deadline is applicable to all courses along with medicine, veterinary medicine or science, and dentistry courses at Oxford University and Cambridge University.

There are certain universities and colleges that require additional admission tests alongside the UCAS application. So, they may have a different deadline. Candidates need not worry if they miss the January deadline, however, the mid-October deadline for competitive courses and universities is usually inflexible. Several universities continue to take admission even after the January deadline. Indian applicants are advised not to apply too late as they are still required to arrange visas and accommodation beforehand.

After Applying to UCAS and UCAS Results

After the candidate has submitted the UCAS application, the universities take a few days to revert with a decision. Applicants may get a response before the time while some applications may take longer than that, depending on the type of applicant pool and time of application submission. Till then, the applicants can track their application or prepare for an interview using the UCAS portal.

• Track application: Tracking the UCAS application is easy. The candidate is just required to log in to their Hub to check the application's progress. They will need the Personal ID given with the welcome email, along with the password they used while applying.

• Prepare for interviews: There are certain universities that ask the candidate to sit for an interview or audition to see whether the applicant is a good fit for the course or not. Applicants can be asked to choose an interview date or assigned one. Prepare yourself accordingly, re-read the essay that was sent along with the applicant as they might ask questions from there as well.

• Check results: Log in to UCAS through your email ID and password. Go to the UCAS track section to check for results. Usually, most universities revert by mid-May with a decision. Those applicants who have applied after the January deadline but before the June deadline, their results are declared by mid-July.

Note: If any university or college fails to upload the decision by the deadline, then that choice will automatically get cancelled and marked unsuccessful.

UCAS Clearing

UCAS Clearing helps the applicants to get matched to places that have not been filled. UCAS Clearing is available to candidates who have made an application through the portal itself for undergraduate courses but fail to hold any offers. Candidates are only eligible to go through clearing if:

• The candidate is applying after 30 June

• They did not receive any offers

• They did not meet any condition related to the offer

• Paid the multiple-choice application fee of GBP 26.50

• The candidate has declined their first offer

Types of Offers from UK Universities

There are two types of offers that UK universities can make - conditional and unconditional.

Conditional offer: A conditional offer means that you are still needed to meet the requirements, mainly the exam results. A conditional offer might ask these from the candidate:

• A levels grade AAB with A in chemistry and two other sciences or Math

• 112 UCAS Tariff points along with BTEC National Diploma grade DM

• International Baccalaureate Diploma with 36 points

• AAA from three A levels or AAB from three A levels

• 88 UCAS Tariff points out of which 60 must be obtained from two A levels

A conditional offer will turn into an unconditional offer only if the candidate fulfils all the conditions and requirements.

Unconditional offer: An unconditional conditional offer means that the candidate has already got a place but there are still a few things that need to be arranged accordingly, such as financial documents. It also means that the candidate must first check the offer in case they need something more. A few things to keep in mind for candidates who have received an unconditional offer:

• Do not forget to check the offer carefully. The candidate has already met all the requirements, but they might still need to get a DBS or PVG check.

• By accepting the offer, the candidate is committing to going to the said university or college only.

• If the candidate has changed their mind, then they can decline the place and apply using Clearing.

Whatever decision a candidate is going to make should be discussed with an expert for better future decision making.

If you are still having trouble filling up your application, do not hesitate to contact us at abroad@collegedekho.com to get quick answers to your queries from our experts.