UNIVERSITY FAQS
What is UCAS?
UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) is the centralised admissions service that UK students use to apply to university.
What are UCAS Points?
Lots of courses list UCAS points as their entry requirements. Your letter grades can be converted into numerical value. Use our UCAS Calculator to find out what your UCAS points total is. Simply input your predicted grades and your score will be calculated.
When looking at courses be sure to check if any required subjects have to have a specific grade, rather than relying on your overall total.
Calculate your UCAS points on our UCAS Calculator.
How many universities can I apply to?
You can apply to any number between 1 and 5. If you only apply to one university the application fee is £18, if you apply to more than one it’s £24. Some courses such as medicine only allow you to apply to a maximum of 4 universities.
How do I apply for university?
Students apply to university through UCAS. The process is very simple. Register on UCAS.com and input details about yourself such as address and your background. Next you’ll be asked to submit a personal statement. This is a 4000-character long essay about why you’re the perfect candidate for that university. Then you’ll input your five course/university choices. Finally, your teacher will input your predicted grades and provide a reference.
What’s Clearing?
Clearing is a UCAS process which allows students to apply and get a place at other universities if their results are not high enough to get into their firm or insurance uni. It shows courses with vacancies that you can apply to.
Find out more about Clearing on our Clearing FAQs blog post.
How do I pay for university?
Student Finance England provides students with financial support so they can go to university no matter what their financial background is. They offer students the opportunity to get a tuition fee and a maintenance loan. You begin to pay back your student loan the April after you graduate, and only if you’re earning over £25,725 a year. After 30 years your loan is wiped clean.
Find out more about Student Finance here.
How Do I Choose a University?
Picking which universities to apply to is a daunting task, you need to make the right choice for you. Three years is a long time to be living somewhere and studying a subject you hate. Make sure you do a lot of research and try to visit the university either through an Open Day or a campus tour.
There are lots of things you need to consider; the course itself, the university, the location of the university, how the course/university ranks in league tables, student satisfaction and job prospects, etc.
The most important thing to consider when looking at universities is what YOU want. Whilst listening to teachers and parents is important, you’re the one who’ll be living there for at least three years. Make sure it’s where you want to be.
Browse through our university open day calendar.