Applying to University
As well as using this website to research courses and institutions you also use it to complete your online application to universities/colleges of education. If you decide that you want to apply to university we will help to guide you through the process. At the beginning of Year 13, when you have completed your Action Plan, decided what course you want to do in the future and written a draft of your personal statement, you are ready to complete your online application.
Click here to download UCAS Online Application Form Student Help Sheet 2012-2013
UCAS Time Frame
Click here to download the timetable for 2013 applications.
St. Bede's final college deadline for application to university is the end of December of Year 13. The application takes time to complete and students benefit from a great deal of support from the pastoral team. However, it is very important that students are proactive as early as possible and adopt a responsible approach to their own preparation, especially when choosing courses and writing their personal statement. UCAS deadlines are non negotiable and failure to adhere to them will adversely affect applicants’ success in receiving offers from their preferred university. Students who do not have their application ready to send until after Christmas risk losing out as university subject departments may have already made their quota of offers and closed the course.
Entry Requirements for Courses
Each university course has an entry requirement. Below is a list of grades/UCAS points. When you apply for a course, you must make sure that you will be able to fulfil the entry requirements. It is vital that you know your predicted grades at A2 because the grades or points needed to get onto the course may be too high or too low.
UCAS TARIFF / ENTRY REQUIREMENTS |
|||||
| Grade | Pts. | Grade | Pts. | ||
| AS | A | 60 | A2 | A* | 140 |
| B | 50 | A | 120 | ||
| C | 40 | B | 100 | ||
| D | 30 | C | 80 | ||
| E | 20 | D | 60 | ||
| E | 40 | ||||
N.B. A* in Extended Project = 70 UCAS points
*Some university courses accept points from courses in addition to A levels. For example, if you studied 4 AS levels in Year 12 and are studying 3 A levels in Year 13 the course entry requirement may allow you to use the points you gained from your extra AS level. Some courses accept points from General Studies. Check the entry requirements very carefully when you apply for courses!
Admissions Tests
http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/choosingcourses/admissions/
For some courses you must pass an admissions test as well as achieve the required grades/points at A level. e.g. Medicine, Law, Biomedical Sciences. Students are advised to check the entry profile for each individual course for which they apply, using Course Search on UCAS, or checking the institution’s website.
UCAS Personal Statement
The personal statement is a very important part of your application. In it, you have the opportunity to convince admissions tutors that you have the qualities and potential to be successful on their course and an asset to the university as a whole. Remember that your personal statement could also be used as the basis for an interview so make sure that you are able to talk about what you wrote and enlarge upon it if necessary.
Click here to download “Personal Statement Help Sheets”
Support for Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities
Students with identified additional educational needs are offered a support package tailored to their individual circumstances. Upon request, a transition entry meeting is available to discuss specific needs and support packages for students coming into Sixth Form. A transition exit meeting is also available to ensure that any support received during their time at St. Bede's is communicated effectively when moving into further education, higher education, a training programme, employment or other future outcome. All universities have a disability support team. It is important that you let universities know when you apply so they can make sure the support is available when the term begins.
http://www.achieveability.org.uk is a national network formed to promote awareness of the needs of those with dyslexia, dyspraxia or specific learning differences. Its aim is to help smooth the transition into higher education for students with specific learning disabilities.
What happens after your UCAS application has been sent?
Access the following link to find out what happens once your application has been sent to UCAS.
http://www.ucas.com/students/applying/whatwedowithyourapplication
UCAS Track
When you have received your welcome letter you can use UCAS TRACK to monitor your progress and reply to your offers. http://www.ucas.com/students/track/
Clearing
Clearing is a service which helps applicants find vacancies on higher education courses.
Early clearing : http://www.ucas.com/students/offers/extra
If you apply through UCAS, use all five choices on your application and don’t receive any offers, you might be able to apply through Extra for another course. In Extra, you can apply for any course with vacancies. Extra is open between the end of February and early July. In Extra, you apply for one course at a time using Track.
Clearing in August : http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/nextsteps/clearing/
If, on results day, you do not achieve the grades/points to meet your offers, you can look for vacancies through clearing.
Student Finance
If you’re starting a higher education course at university or college after 1 September 2012, you can apply for student grants, tuition fee loans and living cost loans to help you with your tuition and living costs.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students gives a comprehensive guide to the cost of going to university.
http://yourfuture.direct.gov.uk gives a comprehensive picture of student finance. It tells you about the cost of going to university, financial support available and how to calculate your repayments.
Registration and application for finance is at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
http://bursarymap.direct.gov.uk has links to the bursary information web page of each institution.
A bursary is non-repayable support from a higher education institution which is available to a wide range of students.
Student Accommodation
Students can apply for accommodation by contacting their first choice university through the institution’s website or by telephoning. Many universities include links to information about accommodation when they post their reply to students on UCAS TRACK.
www.accommodationforstudents.com is a useful resource for researching information.
