The key dates to remember for university applications in the new year
Students across Wales have less than two weeks to finish their university Ucas application forms.
These are the key dates in the coming months for everyone who is thinking about starting a university course next September: When is the Ucas deadline to start university next autumn?
The general deadline for Ucas applications is 6pm on January 15. Is that for all courses?
No. For art and design, the deadline is March 24 for most – but not all – courses.
Check dates for the course you’re applying to. I handed my application in to school or college, so I guess all is in hand?
Don’t rely on it. It’s a busy time so check sure your school or college has sent your application off.
Make sure that your Welcome page in Ucas Track confirms your application has been sent off. It should include the message “Your application has been sent to Ucas”. If it doesn’t, contact your school or college and ask them when they plan to send it. What if I miss the Ucas deadline?
Don’t panic. Check with universities directly to see if they accept late applications. Some do. What if they don’t take late applications? You still have two options: Ucas Extra: This runs from February 25 to July 4 for applicants who must have made their five initial choices, but have either been unsuccessful in all cases or have declined any offers they received.
Ucas Clearing: The Clearing cycle to fill up empty spaces that have not been offered or accepted starts in July and ends in September.
In Wales, Clearing will get busiest when A-level results are issued on August 16, 2018. Thousands of spaces are usually freed up by applicants not getting the grades they needed to meet offers or by applicants turning down insurance offers in favour of their first choices.
If you are applying to Scottish universities, peak time is around August 7 when Higher results are published.
Clearing operates on a first come, first served basis, but most universities still want the best applicants and may want the same grade requirements. Can I still apply for Clearing next summer if I’m not in the Ucas system?
Yes, but don’t wait until Clearing is at its peak. Apply as soon as you can after Clearing opens. Am I too late to apply for Oxbridge and medicine this year?
Yes. The deadline for applying to Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses was October 15, 2017 to start in autumn 2018. If you missed that deadline, your chances of being considered are unlikely. You’ll have to apply next autumn. How long does it take to hear back from a university?
It depends, but these are the latest dates you can expect to receive a response from a university about your application:
May 3, 2018 if you send your application by January 15, 2018.
October 23, 2018 is the final date for universities to make decisions on 2018 applications through Clearing. What about applying for student finance?
Student Finance Wales says it releases dates for applying for loans and grants around February/March. The deadline for applying has not been published yet, but is usually mid-May.
You can apply after the deadline but if you do, you’re not guaranteed to have money paid into your bank account for the start of term. Is it too late to change my mind?
If you don’t get an offer from your first-choice university, you could accept another university offer, apply to different courses through Ucas Extra or Clearing or reapply next year. Is university the right option for me? What about apprenticeships?
Only a third of young people say they felt informed about apprenticeships when leaving school or college.
Research by Which? shows that 36% of 16 to 24-year-olds surveyed felt they were informed about apprenticeships, compared to 94% for university.
Just 3% said pursuing an apprenticeship was their first choice, while only a third (36%) said they had considered it. Two-thirds (64%) felt that they didn’t know enough about apprenticeships.
Of the 1,003 young people interviewed by YouthSight for Which?, nine in 10 (91%) said going to university was their first choice or they had seriously considered it.
Which? said: “The findings suggest a lack of awareness of apprenticeships or what they might offer for
some young people.”
The survey showed feeling informed was an issue for young people irrespective of their socioeconomic background.
Just over a third of young people from both higher (35%) and lower (37%) socioeconomic backgrounds said they felt informed about apprenticeships.
Three in five (61%) of young people from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and just over half (56%) of those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds said they did not consider apprenticeships as on option at all.
Nearly half of respondents (47%) said they did not think they could get apprenticeships in the industry they wanted to go into, yet more than eight out of 10 (84%) agreed apprenticeships were a good way to learn skills and get work experience without taking on debt such as student loans.
Which? University has produced a free downloadable guide to higher and degree apprenticeships, which allow students to earn and learn simultaneously. Students obtain a university degree without the tuition fees and gain paid work experience, as an alternative to studying at university full-time.
Alex Hayman, managing director for Which? University, said: “It’s vital that young people have as much information as possible when making such crucial decisions about their future.
“Apprenticeships can be a stepping stone to a qualification up to degree level that doesn’t saddle students with tuition fees and other debts and learn in the workplace too – but it’s clear that not enough young people are aware that the option is there for them.
“Students can find a range of tools to help them plan their future on the Which? University website.”
The Complete Guide to Higher and Degree Apprenticeships from Which? University can be downloaded at www.which.co.uk/ degreeapprenticeships