Admissions procedures to UK universities
Applying to a university in the United Kingdom can be a long winded, daunting task, however once you understand the process you mind will be put at rest.
The first step for an Undergraduate student is to research a course they would like to study before finding out which universities offer it. Creating a short list of five universities is recommended, and providing you have the entry requirements, you can then proceed to the second step.
The second step is to complete a UCAS application, which is then submitted to the universities you have chosen. It does take a few months before you receive a reply, so it is always recommended that you submit your application at least six months before your course commences.
Thirdly, during the waiting period, you should consider applying for funding from the government or Student Loans Company. In Scotland, SAAS provides bursaries to students and pays the course tuition. For students in England or outside the UK, alternative funding is available either privately or through special application, such as requesting a scholarship.
Again, it is vital that you apply once you have been given your UCAS reference number so your application for funding can be reviewed well before you begin your course.
Your application for a place at a university is reviewed and you are then given a Conditional or Unconditional offer. A Conditional offer is an offer to attend the university providing you met set criteria, for example you achieve a minimum grade A in a subject. An Unconditional offer does not carry such regulations. Once you have decided which university you would like to attend, you simply reply to the offer of your choice online via the UCAS control panel.
Similarly, you will be offered funding which may be solely as loan or could be a combination of a loan and bursary if you are a Scottish student. You will be written too by the company(s) involved so you can produce this on your first day at university. This will clarify if you need to pay your fees or not and will allow the university to then updated their records.
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March 26, 2010 at 2:53 pm
- Professors speak out – 96% against privatisation of university education
A poll of 500 professors resulted in an overwhelming, 96.2% majority against government proposals to encourage the growth of private universities in the UK, even as the first new private sector college to be granted university college status for 30 years was announced, BPP College of Professional Studies.
The University and College Union (UCU) has highlighted the professorial poll to warn minister David Willetts against privatisation plans, pointing out that private universities are not subject to the same academic rigour or public scrutiny – and that their proliferation could seriously damage the UK’s international reputation for the provision of top quality university education.
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said the news could mark the beginning of a slippery slope. ‘Encouraging the growth of private providers and making it easier for them to call themselves universities would be a disaster for the UK’s academic reputation. It would also represent a huge threat to academic freedom and standards.
She added, ‘It is essential that David Willetts listens to our finest minds instead of being wooed by a private sector more interested in profit than probity.’
David Willetts said: “The coalition Government is committed to promoting a wider range of educational opportunities … and matching the skills employers want.’ He added that it was healthy to have a ‘vibrant’ private sector working alongside traditional universities.
Britain is to have its first new private university for more than 30 years, it was announced today.
BPP, which offers business and law degrees at 14 sites across the country, will become a university college with immediate effect.
The title is awarded to smaller higher education institutions that deliver a limited range of degrees and qualifications.
The move – approved by the universities minister, David Willetts – signals the government’s desire to expand the number of profit-making private sector institutions in higher education.
Willetts said it was “healthy to have a vibrant private sector working alongside our more traditional universities”. This would create a “dynamic and flexible” degree system and could encourage online degrees, he said.
BPP which intends to offer healthcare and teaching degrees in future, will not receive public funding and will be allowed to set its own fees.
An increase in private universities could reduce the pressure on university places. Figures published this month by the university admissions service, Ucas, revealed that about 170,000 people will miss out on a place at university in England this autumn, as applications surged by 11.6% – a record high.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jul/26/first-private-university-30-years
- When the dust settles, how will students fund their studies in future?
If you’re feeling confused by all the conflicting reports over the future of university funding that isn’t surprising. Last week, Universities Secretary Vince Cable said the coalition was keen to investigate the idea of a variable graduate contribution or tax. That was quickly followed by senior Conservatives saying the government was unlikely to back this idea.
Money is certainly needed – this year we are told that the demand for university places has risen by 70,000, so a total of 660,953 people, including foreign students, applied in time for the 30 June deadline to start full-time undergraduate courses at UK institutions this autumn, compared to 592,312 last year. Now some estimates say there will be no places for as many as 200,000 applicants. Most authorities agree that having a greater proportion of young people going on to tertiary education is a good thing but that requires funding.
Vince Cable outlined a possible system where graduates would pay an increased rate of taxation, which would be higher for higher earners. Meanwhile Lord Browne’s review of fees, which is due to make its report this autumn, is expected to lift the cap on individual universities charging more, so fees could go up to around £7000 a year.
Other moves to cut costs have also been mooted – two-year degrees, more students studying part-time, by distance learning or living at home, and expanding the role of private institutions.
For a fuller discussion of the questions and answers on what the situation is now and could eventually be, see the BBC’s feature Q & A on University Funding. The Complete University Guide’s own pages on finance will help to give you a picture of the current funding possibilities for students who are looking at going to university this year.
- Steep rise in first and upper second class degrees – maths and languages lead the way
As final year students await news of their degree results it has been revealed that almost twice as many first class degrees are being awarded by UK universities today, compared to 14 years ago – this is the most startling of the latest figures compiled by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
There is also a notable increase in the percentage of those getting an upper second, from 42% in 1995 from to 46% in 2009 – that translates to a total of 131,480 students gaining a 2:1 last year.
Mathematical sciences saw the sharpest rise in students getting an upper second class or above going from 48% in 1995 to 62% last year, while those taking language degrees (including English) tend to do very well, with 74% obtaining a 2:1 or higher against 51% in computer science. Both have seen significant rises in the top grades.
This is all good news, especially set against the the recent announcement by the Association of Graduate Recruiters that four out of five employers now looking for graduate employees are insisting on a minimum 2:1 grade – so the bar is getting higher. But it also needs to be seen in context – over 15 years, the number of students awarded a 2:2 has remained fairly steady at roughly 77,000 to 81,000.
So if you graduate at that level today you will find yourself up against almost 140,000 better-qualified rivals – nearly 30,000 more than you would have done in 1995.
For league tables of which universities gain the best honours degrees in which subjects, see the Complete University Guide’s 2010 tables. For more details of this story and graphs of results see the BBC website.
- When a 2:1 is not enough – what employers, and graduates, really want
The graduate jobs market is getting tougher, say all the media – employers want minimum 2:1s, shout the headlines. A BBC survey of employers and students gives a sample of the true situation.
In the financial sector it reports some recovery after last year’s collapse in graduate jobs. The international accountancy firm, Ernst and Young, has increased its graduate intake by 30% since last year and plans to recruit 900 university leavers for 2011.
But it’s tough competition. The company wants people to have 2:1 degrees, but it’s not an automatic cut-off, ‘if [applicants] have a good story tto tell we are interested in hiring them,’ said a spokesperson.
The firm’s UK head of graduate recruitment also suggested young people might have to look further afield than the City of London:
‘Graduates need to get on their bikes for work this year… There are some fantastic opportunities to work for major global organisations like Ernst & Young, based in towns up and down the country such as Reading and Southampton, which provide the same career development opportunities.’
Supermarket chain Aldi reports that the volume of graduate applications for the group’s management scheme, with its attractive £40,000 starting salary rising to £61,000 in three years, is now 12,000 applicants for every 50 places. There’s an online form, plus a requirement for a 2:1 degree and evidence of leadership and commitment outside of studies.
“Graduates who stand out from the mix are those that combine academic and non-academic skills and experiences,” says Aldi head of graduate recruitment Richard Holloway.
“Leading a local or university sports team, carrying out voluntary or charity work, having a part-time job, or going the extra mile to reach individual potential is favoured over first-class honours.”
Even getting an interview depends on a persuasive CV. Aldi advises applicants to provide an informative, succinct and spell-checked account of achievements, qualifications and skills, not spreading beyond two pages.
It even gives the best font to use - Arial 11 point.
For information on graduate employment generally, and the tables for which universities offer the best employment figures, see the Complete University Guide’s Graduate Prospect pages. For more on this survey plus students’ own experiences of looking for jobs, see the BBC website.
- Top student services at Sheffield – 2010 Leadership and Management Awards
The University of Sheffield has won the 2010 award for Outstanding Student Services Team, and York St John University the award for Outstanding Student Admissions Team, in the second ever annual selection by the Times Higher Education Awards, presented at the Grosvenor House Hotel this month.
Launched last year amid what the THE calls ‘the gloom of deep recession’ the awards were designed to celebrate the leadership, management, financial and business skills of the higher education sector – they have sparked an enthusiastic response around the UK and for 2010 there were 264 entries across the 18 categories.
Other winners include the University of Newcastle, for their Research Management team, and the University of Derby, for Leadership and Management.
The judges said that their choice of winners ‘demonstrated the professionalism and dedication that underpin the UK’s world-class research and teaching enterprise and give the sector an unrivalled body of best practice.’
- Wanted – graduates with flair, vision and a passion for John Lewis
Students who share in this country’s
love affair with the John Lewis Partnership can now look forward to new
opportunities for making a career with the company. From September this
year the John Lewis recruitment programme begins two new graduate schemes,
one in buying, one in merchandising.
In the past, would-be buyers have
had to apply for the general management scheme and then work their way into
head office but now can apply to start at entry level to become an assistant
buyer, and within 3 to 5 years if all goes well they could be buying globally
and handling multi-million budgets.
Sophie
Milliken, the group’s graduate recruitment manager, says they are looking for
people with flair, vision and a passion for the John Lewis ethos -
that’s good service to customers and profit sharing for staff who become
“partners” in the business.
For merchandising you
need to be able to look at the numbers and forecast product sales.
“We’re looking for people with maths skills who are good at thinking
logically. They will work alongside the buyers. The buyer might see a range of
products and say ‘wow’, and the merchandiser has to bring them down to earth
and start talking about units and figures,” says Milliken.
Graduate
trainees start on £24,000 plus the partnership bonus, while an assistant buyer
can earn £23,600 to £32,800. Fully-fledged buyers earn between £43,000 and
£87,250 plus bonus.
More
details on this story from the Independent website
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/graduate-news-john-lewis-in-search-of-flair-and-passion-1995535.html
International students planning to study at UK universities can now use English language certificates to gain UCAS Tariff points – in the same way as they have traditionally done with ‘A’ Levels.
The inclusion of Cambridge ESOL examinations in the UCAS Tariff will significantly boost opportunities for thousands of overseas students coming to UK universities each year.
nder the new arrangements announced today, overseas students applying to UK universities in 2011 will be able to gain valuable UCAS Tariff points if they hold selected high level English tests from University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
Dr Mike Milanovic from Cambridge ESOL says this will significantly increase the pool of talented students available to admissions officers. He explains:
“This is an excellent move which will benefit overseas students, their peers and the University sector as a whole. Each year thousands of overseas students bring a wealth of cultural experience to UK universities, but it’s essential they have the necessary language skills to cope with the demands of academic life.
“By awarding points to linguistically competent students who have already proved a high level of English ability, admissions officers will have access to a pool of even more exceptionally talented individuals.”
More info
- ‘Fresher Freshers’ to grow their own
The traditional image of university students as cash strapped with less than perfect diets could be about to change with the introduction of a new scheme from Homebase and the National Union of Students (NUS) to allow thousands of undergraduates to grow and eat their own fruit and veg. With rising student debt and high food inflation impacting on student dietary habits, the introduction of the ‘Fresher Freshers’ initiative couldn’t come at a better time.
Launching on Friday 28 May, the Grow Your Own’ (GYO) scheme aims to promote a long-term behavioral change amongst some of the most financially pressured in society, who often struggle to eat a balanced diet. The average student leaves university with £20,000 worth of debt[1] and recent research into student eating habits[2] showed that 63% of students have changed their diet to eat less nutritious food as a result of financial pressures. With food inflation rising to 2.6% in April[3] and £200 million of university funding cuts just announced, this effect is only likely to increase.
The Homebase scheme will provide plants, seeds and tools, as well as advice and support from local stores, to universities that have provided land and staff to support the initiative. Campus activity will include creation of GYO societies, development of plots and polytunnels, the implementation of veg box schemes and the sale of produce back to fellow students and local communities.
Matthew Compton, category manager, garden horticulture at Homebase says: “This initiative is about creating a generation of graduates with healthier, greener and more pocket-friendly eating habits. If students learn at this influential life-stage to grow healthy, fresh food for themselves and their local communities we hope they will take those skills and that passion on into later life. The GYO category increased 30% year on year in 2009 and we want students to be able to benefit from this social trend.”
Susan Nash, Vice President of Society and Citizenship of NUS says “Recent NUS research has shown us that 42% of students would grow their own fruit and vegetables if given the facilities and tools. The ‘Fresher Freshers’ initiative offers universities and students that opportunity and we are looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labour in the near future.”
The initial rollout will see capital, product and expert support provided to the University of Bradford Union, Leeds University Union, Liverpool Guild of Students, University of Gloucestershire Students’ Union, University of Bristol Union, Students’ Union Royal Holloway and University of Kent Union.
Student Sarah Taylor, who has been involved in a growing project at The University of Gloucestershire, says: “With virtually no experience of growing food or gardening when I got involved in the project, I’ve learnt far more than I ever expected. The practical skills, community involvement and the love of growing and cooking food are amongst the many pleasures of the project that I will take with me throughout my life.”
Students can log on to the online community http://www.getintogardening.co.uk/ get recipe ideas, growing tips and chat to other ‘grow your own’ enthusiasts in the forum section.
- [1] Survey by Push student guides, August 2008
- [2] Sodexo University Lifestyle Survey, March 2010
- [3] British Retail Consortium, May 2010
- If the cap lifts – how much will students have to pay for their courses?
Everyone is expecting the cap on university fees to be lifted – but by how much? Recent reports in the media claimed the Browne review of university funding was considering allowing fees to be raised by £1000 a year for five years - which would mean students at Oxford and Cambridge could end up paying around £7000 a year.
The Browne review is not due to make its final report until the autumn. But according to a recent Independent article the Russell Group of leading UK universities has announced its members would consider radical steps such as going private if there was no way to increase cash for the universities. This came in the wake of the coalition government’s announcement of a further £200 million cuts to higher education.
There is a possibility that Labour MPs might band with Lib Dem rebels to vote down proposals to raise tuition fees.
The Russell Group is clear that the fees cap would need to be lifted in order for universities to maintain standards in the face of such cutbacks. Director General of the group, Dr Wendy Piatt said, ’Without clear means of increasing their income, meeting these challenges begins to look like an impossible task. There is now a real risk that we could lose academics who have been responsible for discoveries that have changed the lives of millions of people for the better or tutors who have inspired generations of students and turned them into outstanding doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs.’
More on this story from the Independent website, and advice and information on all aspects of student finance on the Complete University Guide’s money pages
