How to apply to University through UCAS
Follow our handy step-by-step guide to help you when making an application through UCAS:
Step 1: Register to apply
You will need to add your personal details and set up an account with a password etc. If you’re applying through a school or college you will also need the buzzword you were provided with.
Step 2: Sign in
You can now fill in the rest of your details, verify your email address so UCAS can keep you up to date with your application, and nominate a parent/guardian/adviser to have access to your application if you’d like.
Step 3: Additional Information (UK applicants)
This is where you can answer questions about equality, ethnic origin, national identity, any summer schools/taster courses you attended, care and parental education, and occupational background. You don’t have to answer any of these questions, they’re just handy for statistics.
Step 4: Student Finance (UK and EU applicants)
This page won’t appear for everybody, it depends what you stated in your ‘Personal Details’ section. Student Finance doesn’t come from UCAS, but they offer lots of advice and guidance about it. You can choose to share your UCAS info with student loan providers, which will make your application for funding a bit easier!
Step 5: Course Choices
This is where you choose which universities you’d like to go to, and what you would like to study. You can choose up to 5! You don’t need to put them in order of preference yet, and the universities can’t see who else you’ve applied to.
Step 6: Education History
This bit is important. You will need to enter all your qualifications from secondary education onwards; whether you’ve already got the result (even any that were ungraded) or you’re still awaiting exams and results. Even if you didn’t finish a course, you still need to include the details!
Step 7: Employment History
Here you need to mention any paid (full-/part-time) employment you have had. You’ll need to include company names, addresses, job descriptions and start/finish dates. You can mention any unpaid/voluntary work in your Personal Statement.
Step 8: Write your Personal Statement
Now’s your chance to let the university’s know why you want study their courses and why you’d be the perfect student for them. It’s a good idea to start your Personal Statement early because it can take some time to get it right, make sure you give it to friends/parents/advisers to check over for you!
Step 9: Check everything over!
Make sure you double, triple and quadruple check all your details, make any edits you need to, mark it as complete and save it. Once you’ve done this you’ll be able to read an accept the declaration and finish your application!
Step 10: Reference, payment, send it off!
You must have a written recommendation from a teacher, adviser or professional who knows what you’re like as a student. We won’t accept applications without a reference. You can then pay for your application and UCAS will send it off to us!
