Editing UCAS (section)

==Undergraduate admissions schemes==

{{More citations needed section|date=April 2017}}

=== Main undergraduate scheme ===
Since the vast majority of UK universities and higher education colleges use the UCAS service, most students planning to study for an undergraduate degree in the UK must apply through UCAS – including home students and international students.

==== Application ====

To apply to university, students must submit a single application via UCAS's online Apply service. The application itself requires the student to register to the service, giving a "buzzword" if applying through a centre, fill in personal details, write a personal statement and choose up to five courses to apply to, in no order of preference. They must then pay an application fee and obtain a reference before submitting their application online by the appropriate deadline. The application is then forwarded by UCAS to the universities and colleges that the students have applied to. After following their internal policies, which may include an interview, the institutions then decide whether to make students an offer of a place. An institution can make a student either an unconditional offer, where the student is assured a place, or a conditional offer, where the student will receive a place subject to specific grades being met. In certain circumstances, the university may withdraw the application before interviews, though this usually only occurs by some action on the applicant's part (not replying to emails in time for example).

For applications to universities in the UK, entry requirements for individual courses can either be based on grades of qualifications (e.g. AAA at GCE A-Level, a score of 43/45 in the IB International Baccalaureate Diploma, or a music diploma) or in UCAS points (e.g. 300 UCAS points from 3 A-Levels or an IB score equal to 676 UCAS points). To convert individual scores or grades of specific qualifications into UCAS points, UCAS has created [[UCAS Tariff|tariff tables]] indicating indexes and ratios of UCAS points and results of qualifications.<ref>[https://www.ucas.com/providers/services/qualifications/ucas-tariff UCAS Tariff]</ref> For example, an A* at A-level is worth 56 UCAS points, an A 48, a B 40, and so on. For the IB, a score of 45 equals 720 UCAS points, a score of 40 is 611 points, a score of 35 is 501 etc.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://university.which.co.uk/advice/how-do-i-calculate-ucas-points-based-on-your-predicted-grades|title=Calculating Ucas points based on predicted grades - Which?|website=university.which.co.uk|access-date=22 September 2018}}</ref>

==== Personal details ====
Once logged into "Apply", applicants complete a number of personal details – including their current qualifications, employment, criminal history, national identity, ethnic origin and student finance arrangements. Applicants also have the option to declare if they have any individual needs – such as any disabilities; or if they are a care leaver.

==== Personal statements ====
The personal statement is an integral part of the application. It gives candidates a chance to write about their achievements, their interest in the subject they are applying for, as well as their suitability, interest and commitment to higher education. Personal statements can contain a maximum of 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines – whichever comes first, with a maximum of 94 characters per line. A research study conducted by UCAS with over 300,000 personal statements of students revealed that the personal statement (among the student's grades) is the most important part within the application process.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=22 September 2018|date=22 June 2015|first=Jasper|last=Hamill|title=UCAS reveals the secret to writing uni applications: passion AND purpose|website=[[Daily Mirror]]|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/ucas-reveals-language-tricks-help-5929898}}</ref> [[Plagiarism]] in personal statements is common<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6426945.stm|title = Degree applicants 'copy from web'|date = 7 March 2007}}</ref> and UCAS uses Copycatch software to detect personal statements that are considered to have 30% or more "similarity" to statements submitted by others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/writing-personal-statement/personal-statement-dos-and-donts|title=Personal statement dos and don'ts|date=19 December 2019}}</ref> The free-form nature of the application also lead some applications to complete the essay in an absurdist manner.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-13 |title=Knowing Cardinal Pell, Chaput on 'anti-Francis' bishops, and the hubris of oyster sexing |url=https://www.pillarcatholic.com/knowing-cardinal-pell-chaput-on-anti-francis-bishops-and-the-hubris-of-oyster-sexing/ |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=The Pillar |language=en}}</ref>

Due to being viewed by some as being rooted in class bias, UCAS began phasing out the statement in 2023, with the college class of 2025 being the last one mandated to complete it.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Editor |first=Nicola Woolcock, Education |title=Ucas scraps personal statements for university hopefuls |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/ucas-scraps-personal-statements-for-university-applicants-wzlmsmcn8 |access-date=2023-01-18 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

==== Application fees and references ====

The final part of the process involves paying an application fee and obtaining a written reference. The process varies depending on whether a student is applying through a school, college, or UCAS centre or as an individual.

For the former, applications are sent to the school, college, or centre, who may ask applicants to pay their fee to them (which they then pass to UCAS) or pay UCAS directly, before they provide a reference and submit the form on the student's behalf. If applications are sent to the school, college, or centre, then they will attach a reference to send to UCAS. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their school, college, or centre submits the application before the appropriate deadline for their courses.

Individual applicants should request their reference – from a teacher, adviser, or professional who knows them – before paying the fee and submitting the form themselves.

For most current applications, the cost per student is £22 to apply for a single course or £26.50 for two or more courses (as of 2022 entry).<ref name="ucas-2022-changes">{{cite web |title=The 2022 application: Latest update |url=https://www.ucas.com/advisers/guides-and-resources/adviser-news/news/2022-application-latest-update |website=UCAS|date=29 March 2021 }}</ref>

==== Application deadlines ====
Depending on the subject and on the university that they are applying for, candidates must submit their application by the relevant submission deadline to ensure their application is given "equal consideration" by the higher education providers they are applying to. The term "equal consideration" refers to the obligation on all course providers to "consider all applications received by this time equally".<ref name=deadl>UCAS, [https://www.ucas.com/events/2023-entry-deadline-all-ucas-undergraduate-courses-except-those-15-october-deadline-408716 2023 ENTRY DEADLINE FOR ALL UCAS UNDERGRADUATE COURSES, EXCEPT THOSE WITH A 15 OCTOBER DEADLINE], accessed 20 January 2023</ref>

* 15 October deadline: Those applying for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses and anyone applying to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge must submit their UCAS applications by 15 October – in the year before the student wishes to start their studies.
* 25 January deadline (in 2023): The majority of applications must be submitted by 6 p.m. on 25 January (in the calendar year that the student wishes to begin their studies).<ref name=deadl />
* 24 March deadline: Some art and design courses have a later application deadline – 24 March – to give applicants time to complete their portfolios.

It is possible for students to submit applications up until 30 June each year; but a late submission may not be given the same consideration as those submitted before the deadline. Applications received after 30 June are placed directly into [[UCAS#Confirmation and clearing|Clearing]].

==== Offers ====

Students must adhere to the appropriate deadline for their course. Whilst UCAS advises universities and colleges to send their decisions by the end of March, the universities have the responsibility of responding to applicants and may operate in their timescale. Many universities (like the [[University of Oxford]] and the [[University of Cambridge]]) require that applicants come to an interview or be interviewed online before offers are received, or they may be asked to submit an additional piece of work before receiving an offer.

Offers are made through the UCAS Track service by universities and are either unconditional or conditional, where the latter means that the student will receive a place dependent on exam performance. Applicants also find out if they have been rejected through UCAS Track.

Once an applicant has received a reply from their choices, they must reply to their university before the deadline in May. Applicants normally choose two offers through UCAS, one as their firm choice and one as their insurance choice. A firm choice means that, if the student receives the grades required, then the student's conditional offer will be confirmed. An insurance choice means that, if the firm choice is a university that eventually rejects them due to their grades, then the student will get into that university if they have met the terms and conditions of the insurance choice's conditions. A student may only make an insurance choice if their firm choice is a conditional offer.

Certain universities have engaged in the dubious practice of making a "conditional unconditional" offer, meaning that a student was advised by the university that they would get an unconditional offer (and not then need to meet grade targets) but only if they made that university their firm choice. This served to guarantee both that the student would have a place and that the place would not be turned down if the student hit the grades required for a better or preferred course. This practice was temporarily banned at the height of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jul/03/conditional-unconditional-university-offers-to-be-banned-in-england|title='Conditional unconditional' university offers to be banned in England|first=Richard|last=Adams|date=3 July 2020|website=The Guardian|access-date=1 February 2023}}</ref> and the UK government discourages universities from giving out these offers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/mar/07/universities-advised-against-conditional-unconditional-admission-offers|title=Universities advised against 'conditional unconditional' admission offers|first=Joe|last=Middleton|date=7 March 2022|website=The Guardian|access-date=1 February 2023}}</ref>

==== Extra ====

If an applicant uses all of their five choices and does not receive any offers, or they decide to decline the offers they receive, they can apply for additional courses using UCAS' Extra service. This allows them to keep applying, one course at a time until they receive an offer they're happy with. Extra runs between mid-February and the end of June. If they do not receive an offer during this time, they have the option to enter into Clearing when it opens in July.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/apply-and-track/track-your-application/extra-choices|title=Not holding any offers? You might be able to apply for more with Extra!|date=2014-10-17|work=UCAS|access-date=2017-08-26}}</ref>

===={{anchor|Confirmation and clearing}} Confirmation and clearing ====

When applicants receive their examination results, they will know if they have met the conditions of their firm and insurance choices. Universities give out unconditional offers and rejections when applicants receive their examination results.

Those that do have their offers confirmed are invited to accept a place on the course they applied to, which is called "confirmation". Many universities and colleges still accept students that narrowly miss their offer conditions.

Those that do not meet their "firm" and "insurance" offer conditions are eligible to use UCAS' Clearing service – which enables unplaced students to apply for courses with vacancies directly to the university. They do so by searching for an available course, using the UCAS search tool and contacting each university or college concerned for a place.

Although most available places are published following results days in August, it opens at the start of July each year and closes in October.<ref name="clearing-study-eu">{{cite web |title=Clearing in the UK |url=https://www.study.eu/article/clearing-in-the-uk-guide-for-international-students |website=Study.eu}}</ref><ref name="clearing-ucas">{{cite web |title=What is Clearing? |url=https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/results-confirmation-and-clearing/what-clearing |website=UCAS|date=17 October 2014 }}</ref>

==== Adjustment ====

Through what was known as "Adjustment", if applicants exceeded the conditions of their firm offer, they had the option to search for a place at another university or college while retaining their original offer. Adjustment was cancelled in 2022 and is no longer available.<ref name="clearing-study-eu" /><ref name="clearing-ucas" />

=== UCAS Conservatoires – performing arts scheme ===

{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}

UCAS operates Conservatoires UK Admissions Service (formally known as CUKAS) in conjunction with Conservatoires UK, managing applications for both undergraduate and postgraduate music, dance, and drama courses at nine UK conservatoires:

* Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London
* [[Leeds Conservatoire]]
* Royal Academy of Music, London
* Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (part of Birmingham City University)
* Royal College of Music, London
* Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
* Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow
* Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff
* Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London

Students must apply through the online CUKAS service by:
* 1 October – for most music courses
* 15 January – for most undergraduate dance, drama, and screen production courses