Universities and the UCAS Process Information for Parents

Cirencester College March 4th 2010

Tonight’s Agenda

A quick Guide to• Making choices• Applying• Support from College

The view from Home• Supporting the application• Questions & Concerns

Making Choices

• Over 50,000 different courses

• 2,3 & 4 year degrees

• Foundation Degrees, many offered in local FE Colleges

• Some courses vocationally linked

• Sandwiches with ‘thin’ and ‘thick’ fillings

• Different approaches to teaching and assessment

• Use the Times and Guardian Education Guides, and ask for quality information – research rating, drop-out rates, employment rates etc.

Making Choices: Where to Start?Your best resource is the UCAS website, www.ucas.com, for• subject searches• Entry Profiles - many layers of data• Parents section • Wealth of data under ‘About Us/Media Enquiries’ tab

Additional Resources• Lots of information in the Careers Library• Bristol UCAS Convention in March• Our Futures Days on June 21st & 22nd • University websites • Open Days, College Trips

A Range of Subjects

• Animation

• Biblical Studies

• Brewing and Distilling

• Dutch Studies

• Equine Science

• Footwear Technology

• Golf Course Management

• Jazz Studies

• Knitwear

• Museum Studies

• Packaging Design

• Parasitology

• Police Studies

• Puppetry

• Ship Science

• Sound Recording

• Valuation & Auctioneering

• Wine Studies

Narrowing the Choices

• Students apply to up to 5 universities

• Once there is an initial shortlist, Open Days and campus visits really help – you’re not just choosing a course, but also a home for 2-4 years

– Rural or Urban?

– Living accommodation – cost, quality etc.

– Other facilities – sports, music etc

What if they’re stuck?

• Use diagnostic tools on the UCAS website such as Stamford Test

• Our Futures Day really helps

• Talk to a Guidance Tutor; perhaps use Course Discover?

• Year in Industry or a structured Gap Year can help

• Go with the best guess… you can always turn a place down later!

Applying

• UCAS: Apply Online• Art & Performing Arts Colleges: apply directly• 5 choices• Personal details – qualifications, disabilities etc.• Personal Statement

– The student’s ‘sales pitch’– Explain: why this course choice?

Two types of University

• ‘Selecting’ universities: interested in selecting applicants with highest grades + other evidence of interest, such as additional reading, or work experience. Can have over 30 applicants for every place on some courses.

• ‘Recruiting’ universities: often more interested in students’ study skills than in grades and qualifications

NB due to funding cuts & rising applications even the ‘recruiting’ universities are now selecting for some courses…

The Process

• Offers from Universities

• The UCAS Tariff (and General Studies)

• Monitor through TRACK

• Replies through UCAS

• Firm and Insurance Offers

• UCAS EXTRA

• Results Day

• Clearing

Crunch time!

• We’d like a Personal Statement at the beginning of Year Two

• We advise the application should be in by the end of first half-term

• For Oxbridge, vets and medical applications, by late September

• Many universities interview any time between January and March

Our Support…

• To give advice through personal tutors, guidance tutors and LRC staff

• Once the student has finished the application they submit it to us electronically…

• We add a reference and send the completed application to UCAS

• We collect the UCAS fee and send it off

• We operate three separate levels of checking to ensure the best possible applications go out

• We may delay sending the application while we try to help the student improve it

Support from Home• Encourage students to do their research

• If they aren’t sure whether they want to apply, encourage them to do it – they can always decline later

• Encourage them to make use of the facilities we offer

• Encourage preparation – reading around the subject, possible work experience, etc.

• Offer help in drafting personal statements

• Encourage them to apply early

Money worries?

• By and large, students pay, not parents…

• The Government does expect some contribution will be made by high-earning parents – but they can’t dictate what you will do

• Up to half of all students will receive some form of non-repayable grant, and up to a third will receive

the full grant

• All students are eligible for a loan to cover tuition fees and living costs

• Many students can also receive bursary or scholarship grants

Any concerns?

What will it all cost? The Current System

Tuition Fees

• No upfront fee

• Universities charge variable fees, up to £3,290 per year

• Students take out loans for fees and repay from later earnings over £15,000 per year

• Universities charging over £1,200 per year must take steps to ensure access for all

Living Costs

• Roughly £18,000 over 3 years

• Student loans at rate of inflation, up to £4,950 pa outside

London, £6,928 in London

• Grants up to £2,906 per year for those from lower-income families; around 50% of students

eligible for some grant

• Most students have a part-time job to help with living expenses

Not as scary as it looks…

• Students do not begin to repay their loans until they are earning more than £15,000 a year.

• Rate of interest currently 0%

• They pay 9% of earnings over £15,000

• For example, someone earning £18,000 a year would repay £22.50 per month.

• The Student Loan does not affect their credit rating (for mortgages etc.)

• Outstanding loans written off after 25 years; possible 5 year payment ‘holiday’

• Find all the details on www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

Don’t forget

• Many institutions are offering bursaries and scholarships

• Details of these are available on the UCAS website, and in university prospectuses & websites

• Universities’ offerings of financial aid vary widely – it pays to do research!

• Many scholarships are also attached to unconditional offers.

21st & 22nd June: FuturesHE & Careers Days

March 20010Start thinking and researching your options.

March 20010 Sign up for ‘yougo’ on the UCAS site

4th MarchHigher Education Parents’ EveningTheatre/J2707-8pm

18th March Bristol UCAS Convention

Y2 Starter PeriodPractise on UCASApply

Summer 2010Draft Personal Statement, investigate courses, visit universities, make your choices

18 & 25 June Bristol and Reading University Open Days

4 September Personal Statement to Tutor on Y2 Induction Day

Follow UCAS Tracking Form

24 SeptemberDeadline for medical, veterinary and Oxbridge applications

22 OctoberDeadline for UCAS applications

The UCAS Process