UCAS
Encyclopedia
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is the British admission service for students applying to university and college. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each student they accept..
at the junction of the B4075 (New Barn Lane) and the A435
(Evesham Road), near Cheltenham Racecourse
and a park and ride
. It is situated just inside the parish of Prestbury, Gloucestershire
.
(Universities Central Council on Admissions), PCAS (Polytechnics Central Admissions Service) and SCUE (Standing Conference on University Entrance). The organisation is based in Cheltenham
, Gloucestershire
.
UCAS statistics are very well respected within the sector and are regularly quoted by the media. A recent example of the use of the data is the new UCAS publication
s in the UK must apply through UCAS. This applies to all categories of applicants - regardless of whether qualifying as a home student
(generally British and EU students) or as an overseas student. Applicants submit a single application via UCAS's website with a list of up to five courses for which they are applying. Choices are not listed in preference order. All five choices are confidential during the application process so universities and colleges considering an application cannot see any of the candidate's other choices. Applications must be completed by the middle of the January of the year that the student wishes to start university.
and Cambridge
have an earlier deadline of October 15th, in the year before the student wishes to start university (The same also applies to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science applicants for all British universities). An additional restriction on applications to Oxbridge is that it is not possible to apply to both the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the same admissions cycle, unless you already have a degree or will have completed a degree before you start a course at either university.
The application also includes current qualifications, employment and criminal history, a personal statement and a reference (which generally includes predicted grades if the applicant is still in education). The application is then forwarded by UCAS to the institutions applied to, who decide whether to make an offer of a place.
In addition, many institutions still consider accepting students that narrowly missed their conditional offer provided there are sufficient places for admissions. Otherwise, if the candidates have achieved the conditions for the Insurance offer (or if this offer is unconditional), they will be admitted in the Insurance course.
and Higher
examinations become available.
If candidates miss the conditions on both the Firm and Insurance offers and there were not sufficient places for admissions on either course, UCAS Clearing allows candidates to apply for any course that has places at that time.
The system is sophisticated and allows for many different routes. Its advantages for both applicants and institutions are that it eliminates duplication of effort, and provides a fair and consistent framework within which both applicants and institutions can compete.
in the United States
.
system (more commonly known as UCAS points), which allows qualifications to be converted into points (e.g. an A at A Level is worth 120 points) and then added together to give a total that can be used as a requirement to get into a course (a course may require 260 points, for example). The UCAS Tariff now attempts to cover all UK qualifications and some foreign qualifications. Currently the only qualification that is offered in the UK that was not covered earlier by the UCAS tariff is the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
There are a wide variety of qualifications that can be awarded tariff points:
Since the 2006 entry season, the Leaving Certificate
issued in the Republic of Ireland
has been admitted to the UCAS Tariff so that it is placed on direct parity with other awards. This is in response to the high number of Leaving Certificate students who read subjects at universities in the UCAS system, especially at those in Northern Ireland
. It allows students who take the Leaving Certificate to follow a simpler and more consistent access to British universities, as previously each university in the UK decided the merit of the award in accordance with its own criteria.
Qualifications are being added to the tariff system frequently, as long as they conform to the National Qualifications Framework
or the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
and are being used as entry routes in to higher education. Open University
modules are not included in the tariff, but are instead separately counted as higher education programs.
The tariff system is not a universal measure. It is a maximum amount. Frequently courses are advertised which demand a certain number of tariff points from different subjects. The requirements will vary by course. Academic courses will generally want academic qualifications while vocational courses will want vocational qualifications. Different universities and different courses have different demands. Some teachers and students have been angered when made aware of the claimed existence of widely suspected, but undisclosed, sets of subjects which may be either discounted, or preclude altogether a candidate from admission to certain universities, such as Russell Group
universities. The Key Skills Qualifications and A-level General Studies have also come under fire for this reason, since they are compulsory at some schools but a large number of universities discount them from their tariff calculation.
Once a place has been accepted through Adjustment, the original place is lost. Registration expires after the five calendar days, and applicants who have not found another place will retain their original offer.
s, and on national and regional patterns of supply and demand for higher education. They are studied in depth by university managers and those concerned with higher education policy.
(UK Postgraduate Application and Statistical Service) which was introduced in 2007 and has a number of universities and colleges lining to join up to the service.
The second is the GTTR (Graduate Teacher Training Registry) for PGCE
and PGDE
courses (which provide initial teacher
training for graduates).
As no British conservatoires are members of UCAS, it also operates CUKAS (Conservatoires UK Admissions Service) in conjunction with Conservatoires UK
. CUKAS manages applications for both undergraduate and postgraduate music degrees at most (but not all) conservatoires. Those conservatoires that are not members of CUKAS handle their own admissions.
UCAS also operated NMAS (Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service) for non-degree nursing and midwifery courses until September 2007, when these courses were incorporated into the UCAS scheme.
Location
UCAS is based near Marle Hill in CheltenhamCheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
at the junction of the B4075 (New Barn Lane) and the A435
A435 road
The A435 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Cirencester .-Birmingham to Alcester:...
(Evesham Road), near Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...
and a park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
. It is situated just inside the parish of Prestbury, Gloucestershire
Prestbury, Gloucestershire
Prestbury is a medium sized village near the edge of the Cotswolds. It is on the outskirts of the larger town, Cheltenham, and forms part of the borough of Cheltenham, despite retaining its own parish council as a civil parish. It is part of the Tewkesbury parliamentary constituency, represented...
.
UCCA and PCAS
UCAS was formed in 1993 by the merger of UCCAUniversities Central Council on Admissions
UCCA, the Universities Central Council on Admissions, provided a central clearing house for university applications in the United Kingdom from its formation in 1961 until its merger with PCAS to form UCAS in 1993....
(Universities Central Council on Admissions), PCAS (Polytechnics Central Admissions Service) and SCUE (Standing Conference on University Entrance). The organisation is based in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
UCAS data
UCAS has a rich resource of data and statistics, ranging from the number of applicants to the most popular courses. A range of data tables can be accessed at the UCAS website. These tables provide data on applications, applicants and accepted applicants over a number of years and is broken down into a number of sub-categories, for example, gender or age group.UCAS statistics are very well respected within the sector and are regularly quoted by the media. A recent example of the use of the data is the new UCAS publication
Exclusive applications via online process
In 2004 UCAS announced they were scrapping paper applications in favour of online applications for the 2006 entry onwards (previously applicants could choose between the two options).Applications process
As nearly all British higher education institutions are members of UCAS, all those wishing to study for undergraduate degreeUndergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
s in the UK must apply through UCAS. This applies to all categories of applicants - regardless of whether qualifying as a home student
Home student (United Kingdom)
In tertiary education in the United Kingdom, the term home student is used to refer to those who are eligible to pay university tuition fees at a lower rate than overseas students. In general, British and other European Union citizens qualify for home student status, though there are other...
(generally British and EU students) or as an overseas student. Applicants submit a single application via UCAS's website with a list of up to five courses for which they are applying. Choices are not listed in preference order. All five choices are confidential during the application process so universities and colleges considering an application cannot see any of the candidate's other choices. Applications must be completed by the middle of the January of the year that the student wishes to start university.
Medical courses
Those applying for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses can only make up to four choices (although the other choice can be used to apply for different courses). The deadline for these courses is October 15th in the year before starting.Art and design courses
The Route B system, where applicants applied for up to three art and design choices in preference order, was scrapped in 2009, with all prospective students now using the standard admissions procedure. Some art and design courses, however, have a later application deadline in March to apply to allow them time to complete their portfolios.Oxbridge
Applications to the highly selective universities of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
have an earlier deadline of October 15th, in the year before the student wishes to start university (The same also applies to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science applicants for all British universities). An additional restriction on applications to Oxbridge is that it is not possible to apply to both the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the same admissions cycle, unless you already have a degree or will have completed a degree before you start a course at either university.
Costs and personal data required
For 2012 applications, the cost is £11 to apply to one course or £22 per student to apply to two or more courses. This is normally paid by the student.The application also includes current qualifications, employment and criminal history, a personal statement and a reference (which generally includes predicted grades if the applicant is still in education). The application is then forwarded by UCAS to the institutions applied to, who decide whether to make an offer of a place.
Timetable for offers
Students, whose applications are submitted by the January deadline, would usually expect to receive either offers or rejections from all five choices by mid-May, although UCAS advises universities and colleges to send their decisions by the end of March. If candidates applied to five choices and find themselves without any offers or have declined all of their offers, they may apply for an additional course that still has sufficient places through the process of UCAS Extra. Extra runs from mid-February until the end of June. Otherwise, they would go through the UCAS Clearing process.Type of offers
Offers are either conditional, i.e. dependent on future examination performance, or unconditional. Once the applicant has received responses from all the institutions applied to, they must respond by accepting up to two choices, one Firm Acceptance and one Insurance Acceptance, whereas the remainder are Declined. There are only 4 possible offer combinations:- UF (Unconditional Firm, no Insurance offer)
- CF (Conditional Firm, no Insurance offer)
- CF + UI (Conditional Firm + Unconditional Insurance)
- CF + CI (Conditional Firm + Conditional Insurance)
In addition, many institutions still consider accepting students that narrowly missed their conditional offer provided there are sufficient places for admissions. Otherwise, if the candidates have achieved the conditions for the Insurance offer (or if this offer is unconditional), they will be admitted in the Insurance course.
Confirmation of places
Final place confirmations are generally during the month of August, when the results of the A-levelGCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
and Higher
Higher (Scottish)
In Scotland the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education...
examinations become available.
If candidates miss the conditions on both the Firm and Insurance offers and there were not sufficient places for admissions on either course, UCAS Clearing allows candidates to apply for any course that has places at that time.
The system is sophisticated and allows for many different routes. Its advantages for both applicants and institutions are that it eliminates duplication of effort, and provides a fair and consistent framework within which both applicants and institutions can compete.
Personal statement
The personal statement is a very important part of the application. It gives candidates a chance to write freely about themselves and their interest in the subject, as opposed to the rest of the application which consists mainly of 'objective' information. The statement can form the basis of an interview discussion. A personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines, whichever comes first. It can be compared with the admissions essayAdmissions essay
An admissions essay, admission essay, college essay, app essay or personal statement is written by a prospective student as part of some college, university and graduate school admissions processes...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Tariff
UCAS has a tariffTariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
system (more commonly known as UCAS points), which allows qualifications to be converted into points (e.g. an A at A Level is worth 120 points) and then added together to give a total that can be used as a requirement to get into a course (a course may require 260 points, for example). The UCAS Tariff now attempts to cover all UK qualifications and some foreign qualifications. Currently the only qualification that is offered in the UK that was not covered earlier by the UCAS tariff is the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
There are a wide variety of qualifications that can be awarded tariff points:
- Advanced Extension AwardAdvanced Extension AwardThe Advanced Extension Awards is a type of UK school-leaving qualification. They were introduced in 2002, in response to the British Government's Excellence in Cities report, as a means of testing students at the most demanding standards found across the world...
s - Advanced Placement ExamsAdvanced Placement ExamsAdvanced Placement examinations are taken each May by students at participating American, Canadian, and international educational institutions. The tests are the culmination of year-long Advanced Placement courses. All but one of the AP exams combine multiple-choice questions with a...
- Art and Design Foundation DiplomasGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
- AS and A-levels (only the highest level achieved may be counted)
- Associated Board of the Royal Schools of MusicAssociated Board of the Royal Schools of MusicABRSM is an internationally recognised educational body and charity that provides examinations in music The organisation, based in London, UK, runs exams in centres all over the world...
, Trinity Guildhall and London College of Music ExaminationsLondon College of Music ExaminationsLondon College of Music Examinations is an examinations board offering graded and diploma qualifications in music, and in drama & communication...
practical and theoretical music qualifications (Grades 6-8) - BTECBusiness And Technology Education Council (BTEC)The Business and Technology Education Council is the British body which awards vocational qualifications. Such qualifications are commonly referred to as "BTECs"....
National Awards, Certificates and Diplomas - CACHE Diplomas
- Certificate in Financial StudiesCertificate in Financial StudiesThe Certificate of Financial Studies is the equivalent of an AS-level and counts for up to 60 UCAS points depending on the grade. It consists of three examinations taken throughout the year...
- Core Skills
- Free-standing Mathematics QualificationsFree-standing Mathematics QualificationsFree-standing Mathematics Qualifications are a suite of mathematical qualifications available at levels 1 to 3 in the National Qualifications Framework – Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced. They bridge a gap between GCSE and AS-Level Mathematics and are especially ideal for pupils who have...
- International Baccalaureate (2008 entry and later)
- Key Skills QualificationKey Skills QualificationThe Key Skills Qualification is a frequently required component of 14-19 education in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The aim of Key Skills is to encourage learners to develop and demonstrate their skills as well as learn how to select and apply skills in ways that are appropriate to their...
- Leaving Certificate (Established)Leaving CertificateThe Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
- Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... - OCR National Certificates, Diplomas and Extended Diplomas
- Scottish Qualifications CertificateScottish Qualifications CertificateThe Scottish Qualifications Certificate is the successor to the Scottish Certificate of Education and the Record of Education and Training in Scotland, and is the main educational qualification awarded to students in secondary, further, and vocational education. The SQC is awarded by the Scottish...
(Highers, Advanced Highers etc.) - Trinity GuildhallTrinity College LondonTrinity College London is an international examinations board based in London, England. TCL offers qualifications across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and arts education and English language learning and teaching...
, London College of Music ExaminationsLondon College of Music ExaminationsLondon College of Music Examinations is an examinations board offering graded and diploma qualifications in music, and in drama & communication...
and LAMDA speech, drama & communication qualifications (Grades 6-8) - Vocational Certificate of Education AS and A-levels (sometimes called ASVCE and AVCE), as well as the Double Award AVCE
- Welsh Baccalaureate CoreWelsh Baccalaureate QualificationThe Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification, also known as WBQ or Welsh Bac, was introduced in October 2006. Where offered, the WBQ runs alongside and complements qualifications such as A-levels and GCSEs. 31 schools and colleges are running a pilot scheme...
Since the 2006 entry season, the Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
issued in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
has been admitted to the UCAS Tariff so that it is placed on direct parity with other awards. This is in response to the high number of Leaving Certificate students who read subjects at universities in the UCAS system, especially at those in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It allows students who take the Leaving Certificate to follow a simpler and more consistent access to British universities, as previously each university in the UK decided the merit of the award in accordance with its own criteria.
Qualifications are being added to the tariff system frequently, as long as they conform to the National Qualifications Framework
National Qualifications Framework
The National Qualifications Framework is a credit transfer system developed for qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
or the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework is the national credit transfer system for all levels of qualifications in Scotland...
and are being used as entry routes in to higher education. Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
modules are not included in the tariff, but are instead separately counted as higher education programs.
The tariff system is not a universal measure. It is a maximum amount. Frequently courses are advertised which demand a certain number of tariff points from different subjects. The requirements will vary by course. Academic courses will generally want academic qualifications while vocational courses will want vocational qualifications. Different universities and different courses have different demands. Some teachers and students have been angered when made aware of the claimed existence of widely suspected, but undisclosed, sets of subjects which may be either discounted, or preclude altogether a candidate from admission to certain universities, such as Russell Group
Russell Group
The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies...
universities. The Key Skills Qualifications and A-level General Studies have also come under fire for this reason, since they are compulsory at some schools but a large number of universities discount them from their tariff calculation.
Clearing
UCAS Clearing is the exception to the rule of application through UCAS, which comes at the very end of the admissions season, when courses are about to begin. From July until late September, the Clearing process helps applicants without places to find institutions with courses that still have places available. However once UCAS's clearing operation is complete, institutions with available places do advertise publicly, and some students find places by direct application at that stage.Adjustment
Adjustment is available to applicants who meet and exceed the conditions of their conditional firm offer. They can search for a place at another institution for five consecutive calendar days while still holding their place on their original course. The five days start from the day that their original offer is confirmed, or from the third Thursday in August (A level results day). Adjustment finishes on 31 August, meaning some applicants may have fewer than five days if their original offer is confirmed late in August. Applicants will have to contact institutions themselves, in a similar manner to the Clearing process, to ask about places that may be available on a course of their choice.Once a place has been accepted through Adjustment, the original place is lost. Registration expires after the five calendar days, and applicants who have not found another place will retain their original offer.
Extra applications
For applicants who fail to obtain any offers, or elect to decline any offers they have received, UCAS offers the candidate an "extra" chance to apply to a sixth institution, in addition to the five the applicant initially applied to. This is an automatic process, which is advertised only to eligible candidates. Extra is a chance for applicants to take another chance at applying to their chosen course, or if plans have changed, the applicant can choose to apply to a different course.UCAS data
The statistics on numbers of applications provided by the UCAS process provide a sensitive indicator of the relative popularity of institutions and academic disciplineAcademic discipline
An academic discipline, or field of study, is a branch of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined , and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies and academic departments or faculties to...
s, and on national and regional patterns of supply and demand for higher education. They are studied in depth by university managers and those concerned with higher education policy.
UCAS subsidiaries
UCAS operates two postgraduate application services: the first is UKPASSUKPASS
is the UCAS , postgraduate application service.-Application process for students:...
(UK Postgraduate Application and Statistical Service) which was introduced in 2007 and has a number of universities and colleges lining to join up to the service.
The second is the GTTR (Graduate Teacher Training Registry) for PGCE
Postgraduate Certificate in Education
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education is a one-year course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for undergraduate degree holders that allows them to train to be a teacher....
and PGDE
Professional Graduate Diploma in Education
The Professional Graduate Diploma in Education is a one-year course in Scotland for undergraduate degree holders that allows them to train to be a teacher....
courses (which provide initial teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
training for graduates).
As no British conservatoires are members of UCAS, it also operates CUKAS (Conservatoires UK Admissions Service) in conjunction with Conservatoires UK
Conservatoires UK
Conservatoires UK is a group that represents seven of the nine British conservatoires.-Members:* Birmingham Conservatoire * Leeds College of Music* Royal College of Music, London...
. CUKAS manages applications for both undergraduate and postgraduate music degrees at most (but not all) conservatoires. Those conservatoires that are not members of CUKAS handle their own admissions.
UCAS also operated NMAS (Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service) for non-degree nursing and midwifery courses until September 2007, when these courses were incorporated into the UCAS scheme.
External links
-
- UCAS tariff ("UCAS points") table
- UKPASS - applications service for postgraduate courses
- UCAStv