Applying for university in the UK

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Applying for university in the UK
By Cara (Deadpool)

All applications to universities in the UK, regardless of whether they're home (domestic) or international students, are processed through an online system known as the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). This system allows an applicant to enter all of their data (such as personal details and exam results) and will also keep track of the current exams an applicant is taking, updating automatically when results are published.

Application deadlines
Applications can be submitted each year, with the deadline being January of the year for which the student wishes to start attending the university. If the applicant wishes to study a medical course, then there's an earlier deadline of October due to fierce competition and a larger number of applicants. Oxford and Cambridge universities also have a deadline of October. Some art and design courses may have a later deadline of March, but this varies depending on the course and university, so it's advisable to check the deadline of your desired course before applying.

Writing a personal statement
The personal statement is often the hardest part of the application for most people. The aim of the personal statement is to sell yourself to the university as you would when applying for a job; be sure to include hobbies and interests that will make you stand out from the crowd. For example, if you play a musical instrument or can speak another language, then you should write about it in this section. Any work experience or volunteer work you have accrued should be incorporated here as well, and it's important that when you say you have a skill, you back it up with relevant examples. This section is also where you show your passion for the subject(s) you wish to study and tell the Applications Officer exactly why you want to study this course and why you deserve to be accepted onto the course.

Selection of university choices
Up to 5 choices may be selected per application through the UCAS system. For applicants who wish to study a medical course only 4 out of the 5 choices can be medical courses, and applicants who wish to study courses at Oxford or Cambridge can only apply to one of these universities per UCAS cycle. These choices can be all at the same university but for different courses, for the same course at different universities, or different courses at different universities. However, it's recommended that if different courses are chosen that they be similar to each other in some way, as it's harder to tailor a personal statement to several different courses that have nothing in common.

Receiving offers
After the application has been submitted, universities will look over it and decide what offers they want to give to the applicants. Some applicants, including all who apply for medical courses, will be invited for interviews for their courses. The offers will be received through the UCAS Track system and students who submit their applications by the deadline will usually receive their offers no later than mid-May. Offers come in two forms: an unconditional offer means that a place at this university is saved for the applicant regardless of what exam results are obtained, whilst a conditional offer means that the place is saved on the condition that the applicant achieves certain grades in the next set of exams that they sit. Universities may also reject applicants if they do not feel that they can achieve the required grades or if they felt the personal statement was weak. Applicants who have all five choices rejected or who have changed their mind about the five choices can choose to proceed to UCAS Extra where they can select an additional course to apply to. UCAS Extra does not allow the applicant to submit a new personal statement online (although this may change in the future), so if the applicant wishes to apply for a radically different course, then this could be a problem. If a case such as this arises, applicants are encouraged to write a new personal statement and email it directly to the university they've applied to, ensuring that they include their UCAS details in the email.

Selecting firm and insurance choices
After an applicant has received all five responses, they are able to select their firm choice and their insurance choice from the offers. A firm choice university is the first choice and will be the one they go to providing all requirements are met. An insurance university is a safety choice which is chosen in the event that the applicant doesn't meet the requirements for their first choice. For this reason, it's suggested that applicants choose an offer which has lower grade requirements for their insurance choice so they have a higher chance of meeting the requirements. If an applicant has chosen to use UCAS Extra, there is no option for an insurance choice, so applicants should think carefully and realistically before applying to ensure they are able to get the required grades for their chosen course.

Receiving results and clearing
The applicant's results are usually sent directly to the university, so there's no need for the applicant to contact the university themselves. However, for some qualifications, the applicant may need to contact the university independently in order to confirm results. The UCAS Track system will automatically update on the official results day to inform applicants whether they've been accepted or rejected from their firm choice and subsequently their insurance choice if they failed to meet the requirements for the firm choice. Some universities also choose to send out welcome packs to the successful applicants on results day and these will contain information about what needs to be done next such as applying for accommodation and registering for classes within the university. For applicants who did not meet the requirements for their firm or insurance choices, there's the option to go through clearing. Universities and colleges who still have spaces on their degree programmes will advertise courses in the clearing section. Applicants should identify courses which interest them and then contact the course provider directly to see if they would be willing to offer them a place.

Change of mind about course/university
If an applicant has accepted an offer from a university previously, then they are not eligible for clearing and will not be able to apply through UCAS until the next application cycle. This means the applicant can either reject the place and reapply for the next year, or they can contact the university directly and speak about course transfers. Some universities allow students to transfer to another course in the first two weeks of teaching if they find the course is not what they expected.

Although applying for university may seem daunting, most applicants find a course and university they're happy with and go on to be successful. University isn't solely about gaining academic skills so remember to have fun, gain some life experience and, above all, pick a course that's going to be enjoyable.