GETTING INTO H.E.10th June 2013

THE APPLICANT JOURNEY

The Applicant Journey

UCAS SCHEME

RESEARCH

APPLICATION

OFFERS & REPLIES

CONFIRMATION

CLEARING &ADJUSTMENT

Key dates and deadlines

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

THEY

AREVITAL

Admissions testmay need to be

registered for prior to submitting

UCAS application

School ProcessNow - 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.

School Deadlines:

Early Applications

complete:27th Sept. All other applications

complete:8th Nov. Aiming to turn applications around

with references in 2 school weeks.

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

UCAS APPLICANT JOURNEY

1 2 3 4 5 6

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

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

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 if absolutely sure of 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!

What information will UCAS require?

Students are asked to complete the following sections:

Personal Details Choices Education Employment Personal Statement

First of all you need to register:

10 minute process Applicant given username Applicant creates password Applicant given Personal Identification Number (PID)

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

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

Track

Enables you to follow the progress of yourapplication (24/7, access via password)

Quickest way to find out about new offers

You can reply to offers online

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?”

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 INSURANCE choice come into play.

Extra 5 choices used – no offers held

None received Offers received but declined Choices withdrawn from

If an offer is received, replies made as in main scheme If an offer is declined or no offer is received another EXTRA choice can be added

Ends 6 July (cannot add new choices after this)

From 25 February able to add 1 EXTRA choice Courses in EXTRA marked X in Course Search Choice added via Track HEI has 21 days to record a decision

If FIRM choice conditions met

applicant isPLACED

Near miss? FIRM choice HEI can still

accept (at their discretion)

If FIRM choice conditions not met and HEI

does not accept?

If an INSURANCE choice held & conditions met

applicant is PLACED

If unsuccessful with FIRM & INSURANCE

choiceCLEARING

Near miss?INSURANCE HEI can still

accept(at their discretion)

CONFIRMATIONWhen HEIs make

final decisions basedon applicants’ exam results

CLEARING

Eligible applicant

researches vacancies

Contacts institution(s) to discuss application

Applicant enters choice

details on Track

Institution records decision

If unsuccessful

applicant can start

again

Applicant PLACED on

courseClearing

+

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

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

ONLY option 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)

Adjustment

For applicants whose place has been confirmed at their FIRM choice, and who have

MET all conditions of offer and EXCEEDED at least one condition

Can hold on to confirmed place while seeking a more aspirational one for UP TO 5 DAYS MAXIMUM

(Consecutive 24 hour periods - clock starts when applicant PLACED or A-Level results day, whichever is later – end time shown in Track)

No vacancy lists2009

1600 registered 382 adjusted

Applicant PLACED at FIRM choice believes met & exceeded

Max. 5 days start from

when PLACED or

A-Level results day

Applicant REGISTERS on Track and

calls HEIsdirect

HEIs have final say if

met & exceeded

If applicant not adjusted after 5 days

still PLACED at original

FIRM

If an HEI wants the applicant, will ask for

an email first then

ADJUST

Adjustment

+

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

Competition: what it means for applicants?

Qualifications Experience Skills Testimony

QU = Degree offer

Questions