UCAS: A Beginner’s Guide

UCAS is the British system for applying to university. From an outside perspective it can be appear confusing and can be a source of stress, so allow us to demystify the process a little.

For us, the easiest way to imagine UCAS is as a timetable that charts your progress towards being accepted into your university of choice. It looks a little like this:

March - September of Year 12: Research time

This is the ideal time to browse university prospectuses, sign up for open days (both in-person and virtual) and explore the myriad of courses that are available. If you already have a course or university in mind, this part of the process will be a little simpler, but many people (myself included!) went into the process without having fully decided what or where they wanted to study.

October - January of Year 13: Apply

It is now up to you to choose the five universites that you will apply to. Most courses have a January 15th deadline, so it is important not to miss this.

Every student writes a 4,000 character personal statement that will be sent to each of their choices. A well-written personal statement will show your passion for the subject and course, demonstrate the ways you have explored the subject and your interests beyond the curriculum and show your personality. The word limit is quite tight, so word choice and editing are essential!

There are several important exceptions to the January deadline above:

• Dentistry, medicine, veterinary courses, and all courses at Oxford and Cambridge observe an October 15th deadline.
• These courses typically also require additional steps as part of the application process, such as interviews, submissions of written work and subject-specific aptitude tests.
• You may only apply to one of Oxford and Cambridge in the same year.