How to

Complete Your
UCAS Application

2017 Entry

What is UCAS?
UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service) are the organisation responsible for
managing applications to higher education courses in the UK, They process more than two
million applications for full-time undergraduate courses every year. All decisions are made
by individual institutions but formally transmitted via UCAS.

The UCAS Process

Step 1: Choosing courses

(yr. 12)

Step 2: Applying

(Sept Jan, yr. 13)

Step 3: Offers

(Sept May, yr. 13)

Step 4: Results

(Aug, yr. 13)

Step 5: Next steps

(Aug, yr. 13)

Step 1: Choosing Courses

Choosing what course to study and which university or college to attend can be a lifechanging decision. Do as much research as possible so that you choose the right course for
the right reasons. When researching courses you should consider:
-Your interests, ambitions & strengths
-Your career goals
- Type of course (e.g. vocational/academic/ joint honours)
-Course requirements (e.g. grades/specific subjects)
-Course content and assessment
-Size, location, facilities and provision of the university
-Subject rankings, league tables and student satisfaction
-Financial implications
If you are interested in more than one course then you may find it useful to:
-Talk to teachers and connexions advisers
-Talk to careers advisers at universities
-Visit university websites and view online prospectuses
-Visit impartial /student review websites
-Visit UCAS fairs and university open days.

Step 2: Applying

Apply online at: http://www.ucas.com/students/apply/

If applying through school, youll need your schools buzzword when registering. The
buzzword for Queensbury School is Bronte

You can only apply once in a cycle, and if you've applied in previous cycles you'll still
have to start again this time.

You can't apply in an alternative language

Everyone needs a reference, unless you get permission from all your universities or
colleges.

Apply for up to 5 courses (at up to 5 different institutions) at once

There is an application fee of 24 when applying for 5 courses, or 13 when

applying for only 1 course (this is not recommended)

Deadlines for applications including your reference from school are:

-15 October
Application deadline for all medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, as well as all
courses at Oxford and Cambridge.
-21 October
School Deadline for all completed UCAS applications (we need time to check each
application and add a reference)
-15 January
Application deadline for all courses, except those detailed above and below.
-25 February
UCAS Extra opens
-24 March
Application deadline for some art and design courses.

Certain courses require students to undertake additional entry tests/exams, e.g.

BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) for entry to medicine, veterinary medicine and
related courses at some institutions

Some courses may invite students to attend an interview, e.g. Teacher Training, Art
and Design, etc. You will be notified via the UCAS website if this is the case

1. Register to use Apply

Add some personal details, get a username, create a password and set your security
questions .Please remember these details as you will need them later to access the
site.

Include the buzzword for Queensbury School: Bronte

3

2. Log in to fill in the rest of your personal details

Complete funding and sponsorship options, residential status, any special needs or
disabilities and any criminal convictions plus you can give a parent, guardian or
adviser nominated access if you'd like them to be able to speak on your behalf.

Exam Centre Number: 37152

Student Support: Bradford LEA

Fee Code: 02

Area of permanent residence: Bradford

Residential Category: A

Add your email address UCAS will then notify you whenever your application is
updated online, ready for you to log in and check.

3. Some additional info

Your ethnic origin, national identity, any summer schools/taster courses you
attended, care and parental education and occupational background.

Nationality: UK National

National Identity: British

Dual Nationality: No (unless you have)

Summer School: Complete if attended

4. Your student finance arrangements

This isn't your actual student finance application, but if you'll be looking for financial
support UCAS will share your info with the student loans or awards organisation you
apply to (if you give them permission to).

Don't worry if you can't see the page it only shows after certain questions are
answered in the 'personal details' section.

5. Add your course choices

You can choose up to five courses there's no preference order and your
universities/colleges won't see where else you've applied until after you reply to any
offers you get.

If you do not apply to five courses you will be unable to use UCAS Extra. UCAS
Extra is a way of applying to additional universities if you have either received no
offers from your original five choices, or if you have changed your mind.

One restriction on the combinations you can have is a maximum of four courses in
any one of Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine or Veterinary Science.
4

Another restriction is that you can only apply to one course at either the University of
Oxford or the University of Cambridge. There are exceptions though!

6. Your education so far

All your qualifications that have been certified by an awarding organisation, as well
as any you're currently studying or waiting for results.

AS Subjects (Advanced Subsidiary): You must include Unit Information - Unit

titles and grades and overall grade, for all AS subjects

AS Re-Sits: If you are re-sitting any AS Unit(s) this must also be included with the
other AS information and recorded separately. For example, if you are re-sitting
unit(s) in physics, you should record the unit title information and grades for the
cashed-in AS physics (as mentioned above) and also put the physics unit(s) that
you intend to re-sit in again. (Choose new subject and find unit title) but this time
choose pending and select the appropriate date This will inform the admission tutors
and form tutor of your intentions to re-sit.

Additional Qualifications: e.g. Music, Dance, Drama, ALAN tests, can be included
in this section (they can be put in manually).

Progression Module Go in other qualifications. Click on O, then select other

qualifications (UK) and type in Progression Module as free text is given to type this
qualification in. The awarding body is LBU, date of completion July 2016. You will
need to include a result Pass if completed all 4 units.

A2 (GCE Advanced Level) 2nd Year: For subjects you are continuing onto A2, you
should only list those subjects and only the A2 unit information with the grade as
pending and the date as August 2017.

7. Your employment history

If you've had any paid jobs full-time or part-time here's where you can enter
details for up to five of them. Include company names, addresses, job descriptions
and start/finish dates.

8. Write a personal statement

This is your chance to show course providers why you want to study the course and
why you'd make a great student.

Mention any unpaid or voluntary work in your personal statement

Further guidance on writing a personal statement is available in the Post-16 study

area

9. Double check the view all details page

See if you need to make any alterations, then mark it as complete, save it and agree
to the declaration (which allows us to process your info and send it to your
universities/colleges).
5

10. Get a reference, pay and send your application

Please make sure you check each section carefully and tick as complete then tick the
pay section and enter your payment details. Once you have paid for your application
it will automatically go to your referee (Miss Whale)

Pay either 24 if you're applying to multiple courses, or 13 for just one

Once you have paid for your application please print, staple and hand to Miss Whale
who will check your application and add you reference. If you have made any
mistakes your application will be returned for you to correct. UCAS will recognise you
have paid once so they wont request payment again when you re-send.

Your referee; Miss Whale will write predicted grades (taken from the UCAS feedback
forms each subject tutor completes for you) for all subjects that are being studied at
A2. This should match the entry requirements for your chosen universities. In
addition, predictions for AS re-sits are required.

Once Miss Whale has checked you application and you have read your reference
your application will be approved and the form will be sent.

Step 3: Offers

After submitting your application, you will receive a welcome letter from UCAS
including details to access UCAS Track: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/track/

All responses from universities, including offers and invitations for interview, will be
communicated via UCAS Track.

Universities will read and consider your application against course entry
requirements.

If your application is successful, you may receive one of two different types of offer
from the university:
-Conditional Offer
-Unconditional Offer

Assuming that you sent in your application on time, universities will aim to respond to
you by 31 March.

You then have until early May (2017) to reply to your offers.

You can only accept two offers:

-1 x Firm Acceptance
-1 x Insurance Acceptance

All other offers must be declined

If you dont receive any offers, or if you decline all received offers, you may be
eligible to apply to additional courses via UCAS Extra. UCAS Extra runs from end of

Feb to early July and allows students to apply for courses with vacancies via UCAS
Track

UCAS Extra
If you applied for the full five courses and have received decisions from all five of your choices
OR you have declined any offer you have received you can add an additional choice using UCAS
Extra.
Extra is available form 25 February and closes on 4 July. If Extra is available to you, it'll show up
as a button when you log in to track your application.

Using the search tool you can search and apply for courses that still have vacancies

Step 4: Results
In some cases UCAS will automatically receive your results and pass them on to
universities, in other cases you will have to send them yourself. Check online with UCAS
Track to find out. If you meet all the conditions of your offer, you will be accepted by the
university. If you havent quite met the requirements, the university or college may lower its
offer and still accept you. Check Track to see their decisions. (There may be a slight delay
while the university reviews the situation)

Step 5: Next Steps

If you miss both of your choices, you didn't receive any offers or none you wanted to accept,
if: you applied after 30 June, or your exam results weren't as expected, and you didn't meet
the conditions of your offers, there's still the chance to obtain a place using the Clearing
service

Clearing
Clearing is how universities and colleges fill any places they still have on their courses. It's
an ideal way for you to find another course. It's available JulySeptember each year. If you
had no offers you can use it from July (as long as you're not waiting for exam results) or if
you had conditional offers but your exam results didn't go to plan, you can use Clearing from
results day. If your exam results are reasonable and you're flexible on subject/location,
there's still a good chance you'll find another course.

How Clearing works

You'll know you're in Clearing if your Track status says 'You are in Clearing' or
'Clearing has started'. If your Track doesn't say either of these yet, it might just be
waiting for your results to update get in touch with the universities/ colleges they
might still be considering you, even if your results are a bit lower than required.

You identify the courses that interest you from the official vacancy list online, or The
Telegraph newspaper and contact the course providers directly to see if they will
offer you a place.

If you originally only applied for one course (for the reduced fee of 13) you'll have to
pay an additional 11 to enable you to apply for multiple courses.

Clearing Step by Step:

1. Ask for advice

Talk to an adviser at your school they can talk you through alternative courses and
subjects available.

2. See what courses are available

The official vacancy list is online ww.ucas.ac.uk, and The Telegraph newspaper
shows them too.

Consider different subjects you don't have to stick with your original ideas.

The online list is updated continually you might not find the exact
university/colleges/courses you're looking for some might be full, but some might
get vacancies later on, so keep checking back.

3. Talk to any institutions that you're interested in

Give them your Clearing number (located on the welcome and choices pages in
Track), and your Personal ID number which will let them see your application online.

Ask if they'd accept you they might reconsider you (maybe even for the same
course) even if you applied to them earlier in the year

Get informal offers over the phone maybe from a variety of universities and
colleges then decide which you want to accept.

Take a look around if you have time it's the best way to see what a
university/college is like most will be happy to meet you and show you around.

4. Add a Clearing course in Track

Click Add clearing choice and fill in the course details by the date the
university/college gave you on the phone.

This counts as you definitely accepting the offer, so if they confirm it'll show as an
acceptance on the choices page of Track and we'll send you a confirmation letter.
Please only add a Clearing choice once you've had confirmation from the university
that they're happy to consider you.

You can only add one choice at a time, but if the university/college doesn't confirm
your place you'll be able to add another

Applicants who do not have access to Track can phone UCAS on 0871 468 0 468.

Adjustment
If you've met and exceeded the conditions for your firm choice, you might be thinking
about looking for an alternative course. You might be happy where you are, but with the
Adjustment service it's possible for you to swap your chosen course for one with higher
entry requirements! There's no vacancy list for Adjustment you'll need to check course
details using the search tool and contact admissions offices at universities and colleges
to talk about any possible vacancies.

Adjustment is available 1331 August. You only have five 24 hour periods (including
weekends) within this time to use it, starting from when your conditional firm (CF)
offer changes to unconditional firm (UF), or on A Level publication day whichever is
the latter. If your offer goes UF less than five days before 31 August you'll only have
whatever time is left between then and 31 August.

You'll see the option to register in Track. Your original UF choice will be safe while
you're looking for another you'll only lose it if you confirm you'd like to go elsewhere
and the new university/college adds themselves to your application.

If you try Adjustment but you don't find anything you'll still keep the course you
gained on results day.

Adjustment is entirely optional. A lot of competitive courses will be full, but other
applicants might have missed their conditions or swapped a course too, so it could
be worth seeing what's available

Adjustment Step by Step

1. Talk to an adviser

Talk to an adviser at your school, they can help you decide if Adjustment is a good
idea for you.

2. Register

Click Register for Adjustment on the choices screen in Track You need to have met
and exceeded the conditions of your firm offer (See example). If originally you only
applied for one course for the reduced fee of 13 you'll have to pay the additional
11 to be able to apply to multiple courses.

Meeting and exceeding an offer

Offer

Meeting and exceeding your offer

Not meeting and exceeding your offer

A level BBB
240 Tariff points
including C in
French

A level ABB
240 Tariff points including B in
French

A level BBC or A level BBBB

280 Tariff points including D in French

SQA Higher BCC

SQA Higher ABC

SQA Higher ACD

3. Talk to the institution you're interested in

Tell them you're applying through Adjustment and give them your Personal ID
number. (Though they won't be able to see your application unless you've
registered.)

They'll check you've met and exceeded your conditions (remember if you contact
them on results day there could be a short delay while your application is updated).

Talk to them about course vacancies, but be careful to confirm that you're just
gathering information at this stage only verbally agree an offer with a university or
college if you're absolutely sure you want it.

4. See if there's an offer you want to accept

If a university or college offers you a place on the phone you just need to let them
know if you'd like to accept it. Remember you can only have one Adjustment offer,
and it's the university or college that will add themselves to your application.

Only verbally accept one offer, and make sure it's the right one!

If they're happy to accept you your Track screen will be updated with the new choice
and we'll send you a confirmation letter.

If not then you can keep on looking, or once your Adjustment time limit is up you'll
just keep your original place.

10