After you apply

Once an application has been received by UCAS, it’s usually with the universities and colleges within two working days of being sent. Applicants will receive a welcome email and then need to keep checking the progress of their application on a regular basis by signing into the UCAS Hub.

Once the universities or colleges receive an application they begin their decision-making process. This differs between them, and even for different courses at the same university or college. Applicants will hear about each of their choices at different times – sometimes they’re contacted very quickly, or it may be several months before they hear anything. Universities and colleges have deadlines by which they must make decisions on applications – this date depends on when the application was submitted to UCAS. If you have applied by the January deadline you will hear back by mid-May at the latest, or mid-July if you missed the January deadline.

Sometimes, applicants are invited to undertake an assessment before the university or college can decide whether to make an offer. They may need to sit an admissions test or attend an interview, perhaps both, depending on the subject and popularity of the course. Art and design students usually need to present a portfolio of their work, while for many performing arts related courses an audition is required.

Do respond to invitations to interviews as soon as possible. Applicants can accept, decline, or request a new time or date – if they need to. To change the date, applicants must contact the institution directly. If you are invited to an interview, the HE provider will then decide whether to make an offer after you have attended.

Offers are conditional, meaning you will have to meet certain exam results, or unconditional. These are less common and usually means the applicant has already met all the university or college’s entry requirements for the course.

When the last decision comes in UCAS will inform applicants who can then choose their first choice (firm) and insurance choice, which is a back up choice. This should ideally be a lower offer – but still somewhere you want to study. Applicants will then need to decline any other offers they may have received.

If an applicant changes their mind after making their choices, if its within 14 days they can contact UCAS to make any changes. After that, they would need to contact the HE provider directly to discuss before letting UCAS know what they want to do.

More information about what happens after you apply can be found here

HE finance

You will need to apply for a tuition fee loan and if you plan to take it, a maintenance loan. You don’t need a confirmed place to apply. Dates vary each year, but you can usually apply from February onwards in the year you plan to go. To help ensure everything is ready by the time you start your studies this needs to be done by the end of May at the latest.

Getting your results

Hopefully when you receive your results you obtain the grades asked for by the HE provider you have applied to. If not, you can go into Clearing. Clearing is how HE providers fill any places they still have on their courses. These are listed on the UCAS website. Last year there were over 30,000 places available, but obviously the more competitive the course the less likely there are to have spare places.

Getting ready to go

There are a number of things that you will need to think about and plan for before starting HE.

These can include:

• ensuring finances are planned, including when any loans, awards, bursaries will be paid, devising a budget etc.
• confirming accommodation arrangements if moving away to study
• transport & travel arrangements
• Start and finish times – especially if you have childcare responsibilities and need to plan childcare
• Work placements: when are these likely to happen and where (students on healthcare professional courses (e.g. nursing) often have to manage shift patterns that include night shifts, early, and late starts)
• accessing childcare services
• what to take on the first day: e.g. copies of exam certificates and other paperwork, passport sized photos
• what course materials, books etc that may be needed before starting
• special requirements: for example, if you have a disability
• devising a timetable to help manage time effectively.

Universities and colleges provide a range of services and support to help ensure learners settle in and are successful in their studies and it’s worth spending time finding out what is available at the institution you plan to study at. While these will vary from institution to institution they can include:

• accommodation (if moving away)
• finance
• childcare facilities
• counselling services
• study and IT support
• mentoring schemes
• support for students with additional needs
• job hunting support etc.

Useful resources

Getting Ready for HE

HE Finance