UCAS Parents Information English Martyrs School & Sixth Form College

1. Welcome to the Year 12
Higher Education
Information Evening

2. University and Colleges
Admissions Service

3. Options….
Your son/daughter has to
choose from over
51,000 courses at over
325 universities and
colleges

4. Preparation & Support
Year 12
• Discussions on enrolment day
• PSE – speakers from local universities
• April 2015 - UCAS convention
• Activity week – 15-19 June 2015
• Work experience programme
• Newcastle & Northumbria open day – Friday 26 June 2015
• Given the opportunity to attend a full programme of
activities, including summer schools, taster days and open
days

5. Preparation & Support
Year 13
• Resources include university prospectus
and internet access in library available
for ALL students
• Advice and guidance from tutors, sixth
form management team, learning
mentor and subject teachers
• ALL UCAS forms are checked before
submission to ensure accuracy

6. Things to consider
Locality
SizeCity or countryside
Facilities
Academic prestige
Course availability
‘New’ or ‘Old’ university
Graduate employment rates
League tables
Accommodation
Entry requirements
Costs

7. Course Types
Once they have decided on their subject they
then need to decide whether to apply for one
subject or combine the subject into one
qualification. The length of time spent on each
subject can often be determined by the
student:
•JOINT – 50/50
•MAJOR/MINOR – usually 75%/25%

8. Course Types…
SANDWICH COURSES – students can opt for a 4
year programme where they will spend a year
in industry. It is normally the third year of the
degree course and depending on the employer
may be full time paid employment.
LANGUAGES – some students are given the
opportunity to study abroad in their third year,
learning a language whilst immersing
themselves in the culture.

9. Offers
Offers can be based on grades or on UCAS
tariff points
Some universities use grade offers i.e. ABB
and may have stipulations to the A grade
being in a particular subject
Others use a points based system for their
offers:

10. Grade Tariff points
GCE & AVCE
Double Award
GCE A level and
AVCE
GCE AS Double
Award
GCE AS & AS
VCE
A*A* 280
A*A 260
AA 240
AB 220
BB 200
BC 180
170
CC 160
150
CD A* 140
DD A AA 120
AB 110
DE B BB 100
BC 90
EE C CC 80
CD 70
D DD A 60
DE B 50
E EE C 40
D 30
E 20

11. Admissions Tests
• Some universities/courses ask candidates to take a
written assessment as an extra part of their application
process.
• Most common:
• Medicine – BMAT, UKCAT
• Dentistry – UKCAT
• Law – LNAT
• Teaching - QTS
• It is the student’s responsibility to find out if they need to
take any tests.
• See Bev if in any doubt.

12. Main UCAS deadlines
15 October – deadline for applications to Oxford
or Cambridge and applications for medicine,
dentistry and veterinary medicine/science
courses
15 January – deadline for applications to all other
courses, except some art and design courses

13. EMS UCAS deadlines
30 September – deadline for applications to
Oxford or Cambridge and applications for
medicine, dentistry and veterinary
medicine/science courses
31 October – deadline for applications to all
other courses

14. Application process
• Online at www.ucas.com/apply
• Tend to choose the same/or a similar subject
• Can apply for more than one course at any
university
• Application fee is £23 – to be paid online using
a credit/debit card
• Subject teachers provide information to tutors
who complete the reference section

15. UCAS Track
• www.ucas.com/track
• Allows your son/daughter to check if any
university has responded to their application
• Conditional offer – requires certain grades or
points to be met
• Decisions
o FIRM – should be the place they want to go to
o INSURANCE – second choice in case firm choice
conditions are not met

16. UCAS Extra
• If your son/daughter has used all of
their 5 choices and has either
declined all offers or not received
any offers then Extra gives them the
option to have an additional choice
through UCAS
• Opens mid February until the end of
June

17. Clearing
• If on results day your son/daughter still
does not hold an offer or fails to meet
the conditions of both their firm and
insurance offer then they have the
option to look at courses still available in
clearing
• If all else fails……they can take a gap year
and reapply next year

18. Any questions?

19. Deadline reminder
30 September – deadline for applications
to Oxford or Cambridge and applications
for medicine, dentistry and veterinary
medicine/science courses
31 October – deadline for applications to
all other courses