Guidance

Applying to University

For information for parents to support your child with their choices and application to Higher Education visit UCASParents

For more on UCAS and Higher Education, check out UCAS.tv

Don’t know where to start? Try UCAS Top 10 university admissions questions

Applying through UCAS

Use the UCAS Course Search Tool

Personal Statements:
How to create a winning personal statement? UCAS says:
The personal statement is your opportunity to tell universities and colleges about your suitability for the course(s) that you hope to study. You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment, and above all, ensure that you stand out from the crowd.
Follow the link to learn more
Plagiarism – all personal statements sent to UCAS are checked for similarity.
Each personal statement is checked against:

• a library of personal statements previously submitted to UCAS
• sample statements collected from a variety of websites
• other sources including paper publications

Clearing
UCAS offers Clearing which is a service available between July and September, but for most people it is used after the exam results are published in August. It can help people without a university or college place to find suitable vacancies on higher education courses

Course requirements & Admissions Tests

University Admission Tests
A number of Universities in certain subject areas now require students to take an admission test prior to interview or making an offer. Links to these admission tests appear below. It is very important that students check out the entry requirements for the subjects for which they are applying to ensure that any admission test is completed either in school or at a separate test centre.

BMAT – biomedical admissions tests
Essential website for institutions requiring students to take an admission test for a degree in Medicine or Veterinary Science.

ELAT English Literature Admissions Test
Provides details of English Literature Admission Test for Oxford University.

TSA Thinking Skills Admissions Test
Provides details of the Admission test for Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Cambridge University

UKCAT – UK Clinical Aptitude Tests
The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) is used in the selection process by a consortium of UK university Medical and Dental Schools

LNAT – national admissions test for law
Essential website for institutions requiring students to take an admission test for a degree in Law.

Oxford University Maths and Computer Science
Provides details of Mathematics Admission Test for Oxford University

Student Finance and Bursary Searches

Student Finance
Student Finance England will help you work out the financial support you’ll get for University, apply for finance.

Bursary Search
If you’re doing a full-time higher education course in England, you may be entitled to extra support from your university or college in the form of a bursary. Some universities also offer scholarships – and there are some charities and educational trusts which may be willing to award you extra financial help. However, bursaries may be dependent on household income while scholarships may be determined by other factors such as grades, sporting achievement and even voluntary work completed. Make sure you contact the universities to which you are applying. Please be aware that every university will offer different bursaries and amounts will vary.
Government Student Finance Advice
Scholarship Searches

Sponsorship & Internships

Sandwich courses and sponsorships are something to consider when you are applying to University, although this may not always be possible. Employability is the key issue. With the cost of tuition fees set to rise, it is important that you think very carefully about where you spend your money!

Researching universities’ destination rates i.e. how many students are employed 6 months after they graduated and where, is essential! Please note that sponsorship in this economic climate may be difficult to acquire, so please check carefully on any employer/university for their latest details. Sponsorship is normally available in construction, business management, armed forces, computer science, economics, engineering and science as well as hospitality and leisure. Some companies, and this is becoming more common, are offering sponsorship in the ‘final year’ only. This could be a one year placement or summer internship before the final year of your course.