Factsheet 7

Choosing and applying for a higher education place

If you are applying for a full-time or sandwich undergraduate degree, higher education (HE) foundation course or Higher National Diploma (HND), you will need the current UCAS application form and handbook. These are free. You can get them from your college, from libraries or direct from UCAS (www.ucas.com or 01242 544 610).

For other full-time further education or teacher education courses, or for parttime courses, including all Open University courses, contact the university or college directly and ask for a prospectus and application form.

Making your choices

Draw up a shortlist of about ten colleges or universities that really appeal to you and ask each of them to send you their prospectus. Read them all carefully.

Make a list of priorities - the things that really matter to you, such as location, assessment method, and course content. Score each place against these, add up the totals and see which place comes out top.

Universities hold open days for prospective students to have a look around. Tours of the campus and facilities let you see if the place is right for you, and there will be people available to answer your questions.

Once you have narrowed your shortlist down, try to check out as many of them as you can. Lots of colleges produce ‘unofficial’ prospectuses on the web, or you can ask for one to be posted to you. UCAS lets you choose six possible colleges or universities.

Disabled students

There will be extra issues to think about if you are disabled - things like access to lecture theatres, bars and canteens and so on, whether there will be a room for your personal assistant if you have one, the number of other disabled students etc.

You will be asked to state whether you have a disability on the application form. This will help them to arrange the support you need in time for when you start your course. From September 2002, university education became covered by the amended Part IV of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This means universities and colleges are not allowed to treat a disabled applicant ‘less favourably’ than a non-disabled applicant for reasons related to his or her disability, without ‘justification’. Skill (The National Bureau for Students with Disabilities) can provide lots more information about this.

Visit the website at www.skill.org.uk

Applying through UCAS

The earlier you apply the better. Most applications need to be with UCAS by 15 January of the year you want to start your course.

For Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science/Medicine, you need to apply by 15 October of the year before you start your course.

Some Art and Design courses have a later application date of 24 March, so do double-check with UCAS.

You can download a sample application from www.ucas.com. Applying online continues to increase in popularity and by 2006 that will be the only way to apply.

Getting a place

UCAS will send your form to the colleges or universities you have chosen and each will decide whether to make you an offer.

You might be invited for an interview so that admissions staff can meet you and discuss your application. This gives you a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the course and about the university or college generally - so make the most of it.

You will then be sent a Statement of Decisions letter and a reply slip. Offers will be either conditional or unconditional. A conditional offer means that you have to get certain grades to take up your place.

You must then reply to each offer using the following categories:

• Firm acceptance (F) - remember you can only accept one offer firmly
• Insurance acceptance (I) - a back-up in case you don’t get the grades you need for your first choice
• Decline (D) - a definite no.

Send your reply slip to UCAS as soon as you can but make sure it is not later than the date on the form. You will be on the course if you make the grades you have been asked for - and even sometimes if you do not (if enough places are available).

From 2006, UCAS will make their admissions process fully electronic. This will allow you to submit your applications, monitor their progress, and accept or decline offers online.

Do not panic if you do not get an offer or get the grades you need. You can go into the ‘clearing’ system, which starts in August.