UCAS Information

UCAS stands for Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Its main purpose is to process applications to universities and colleges for first degrees, some foundation degrees, and other certificates. All UK universities, most colleges, and some institutions are members of UCAS. UCAS facilitates the application process and makes it easier, as the student can apply for up to six courses using the same application form online.

The system follows the application process from start to finish, and provides the student with a Track service. The track service is basically a way where the student can monitor the progress of his or her application. The student is provided with an application number, a user name, and a password which he can use to log onto his or her account. That way the student does not have to wait for offers and tedious correspondence through the post.

UCAS has up to date information about its members and the courses offered. The system also has sites where the application process is thoroughly explained and the meaning of conditional offers clarified.  UCAS has many contacts with the admission staff of its members, which makes communications easier.

The application process:

• First the student must register his or her information on the system. The student chooses a password, and is provided with a username. The student uses them to log onto his account and start his application.

• The student fills in the various sections of the application, such as his or her qualifications (IGCSE, AS Level grades etc), any previous part or full time employment, and completes the section containing the student’s personal information.

• The students are also asked to write a personal statement about themselves describing why they have chosen this area of study and some of their personal attributes that make them suitable for higher education and entering their chosen field. The students should indicate why they want to study overseas and why they have chosen Britain. They should include any extracurricular activities or community services done with the school or outside of it. The personal statement should be strong and convincing.
  

• The students fill out the form for their choice of courses. Each single application has choices of up to six universities and courses. The student chooses according to his or her preference of course and university.
  

• A recommendation letter from a teacher is needed to complete the application. It is preferable if the referee is a teacher of a subject relevant to the chosen course of higher studies.
  

• The application is finally complete and ready to be sent. The cost of the UCAS application is £15.
  

• Once the application is received by UCAS, the student is sent an acknowledgment letter providing his application number to enable him to use the track service mentioned above.
  

• UCAS sends the application to the chosen universities. The universities review the application and start making their decisions.
  

• The student waits to receive all the offers, most of which are conditional. The conditions are usually achieving a certain grade in an exam to be taken in the future, or getting a certain score on an English Language Proficiency Test.
  

• The student then decides on which conditions he or she is most likely to meet. The student then has to choose two universities from the original six. His first choice would be his FIRM, and his second choice would be his INSURANCE. Final acceptance into the programme is given if the condition in the conditional offer is met.
  

• If the student could not meet any of the conditions in the conditional offers of his firm and insurance choices, the student becomes eligible for Clearing, where he is offered a spot on a programme at a university that he or she did not necessarily apply for originally provided the university would accept him.
  

• If the student decides to reject all of his offers then he becomes eligible for Extra, where he can choose a seventh extra course to apply for after the deadline.