UCAS Application Form 2024 Entry

If you want to apply for an undergraduate course in the UK, you will have to fill in the UCAS application form. This is all done online via UCAS’s service ‘Apply’. You only need to send one application to apply to up to five universities. To make sure your UCAS application form is filled in perfectly, we have come up with some helpful tips and info to get you started.

UCAS Applications

The UCAS applications process may seem scary, but don’t worry, it really isn’t. Everything is done online and in one place, ‘Apply’. The UCAS application form is designed to make the process as stress-free and efficient as possible.

UCAS Application form 2024

If you are applying for 2023 entry or deferred entry for 2024, you should have already started to think about your UCAS application form if you haven’t submitted it already.

Submitting the UCAS online application form involves a fee. If you’re applying to just one course, you are charged £20, and if you are applying to more than one (up to five) or after the 30th June, you need to pay a fee of £26.

The final step of the UCAS Application form is your reference. If you are not applying through a school or college, it’s a good idea to get your referee to complete your reference long before the deadline.

Don’t forget to apply for student finance if you’re a UK student.

As part of the application, you are required to fill in any exam results and qualifications you have gained. If you are applying as a mature student (mature students are over 21) and you don’t have the right A-Levels, for example, it is still possible you can apply. Get in touch with the course provider to see what they would like to see from you, whether this be work experience, or taking an extra course.

There is a UCAS application form pdf available online which serves as a printed guide. You can also access a UCAS application form pdf which provides data and an information analysis on previous cycles.

When to apply

The deadlines for your application will depend on which universities and which courses you are applying to. Some have deadlines a year before the course start date, so make sure you research this early on to avoid disappointment. It might be an idea to write down all the deadlines for the courses you want to apply for in a calendar or similar so you don’t miss them!

The first deadline to consider is the 15th of October.

• This is the deadline for undergraduate applications to Oxford and Cambridge and most of the Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine or Science courses. You don’t need to apply to all five of your choices by this date, however – you can add some after the 15th of October, as long as they do not total more than five.

The deadline for most courses is the 15th of January.

• Although there is some flexibility if you do not need to apply by the 15th of October, it is best to apply as soon as possible. This gives you time to sort out student finance.

Some courses will require applicants to take extra tests and interviews, so make sure you apply in good time.

Whenever your deadline is, by that date you will need to have filled in all your personal details, added your qualifications and exam results, picked your courses, and submitted your personal statement. Make sure your referee has included their reference well before the deadline.

Apply early cannot be recommended enough, however, if you do miss the deadline you can still apply. After this point, however, universities are not obliged to consider you and may only do so if there is still space on the course.

Here is a UCAS application form example on how to register.

To apply through UCAS, you need to register. On the UCAS homepage, you will find a button that says ‘Apply’. You will then be asked a few questions on your personal details. You will also be asked for a ‘buzzword’ – this links your application to your school or college if you are applying through one. If so, ask your teachers what the buzzword is. This will allow your referee to upload your reference to your application form.

After registering, you will then need to add details of any qualifications you have taken, such as A-Level exams, as well as some details on what your parents do, and your national identity. Why does UCAS want to know what your parents’ jobs are? You don’t have to fill this in if you don’t want to – it is used to gather statistics and data on undergraduate applications.

You will also have the option to connect your application to student finance, so it is easy to apply for a loan.

With thousands and thousands of courses to choose from, picking just five may seem like an impossible task. Where on earth do you start?

Do you have any particular goals? What do you want to get out of university? Do you have a career in mind for after you graduate?

As you will hopefully be spending the next three or four years at university, it’s sensible to start with a subject that you actually enjoy studying. Sometimes interests can lend themselves to future jobs – is this the case with you?

There are some careers which require employees to have gained qualifications. If you want to be a doctor, for example, then you need to study Medicine at university. Other jobs may not explicitly require you to have gained a degree in that subject but may look for students who have developed relevant skills and knowledge. If you know you want to go into finance after graduation, why not explore Finance, Economics, or Mathematics courses?

Still not sure? UCAS provides subject guides which indicate the courses available to study, and where graduates go to work afterwards.

Once you have chosen a subject, make sure you carefully read each course description. History courses at two universities could be completely different. If you require more information, go to the university or course webpage to find the list of modules, and look to see if there are any that appeal to you.

Most courses will allow you to specialise relatively early on, with some more flexible than others. With so many options available there will be clear differences in different programmes, so make sure you do a lot of research to make sure you apply to the right courses for you.

To maximise your chances of getting into university, UCAS allow you to apply to five courses at one time.

If you are applying for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine of Science, you can only apply to four courses in those subjects, with your fifth being a related course. For example, students applying for Medicine often choose Biomedical Sciences as their fifth option.

At undergraduate level, you can only apply to either Oxford or Cambridge – you cannot apply to both.

It is best to apply for similar subjects so that your personal statement is relevant for each course you are applying to. Remember, you only have one personal statement. Don’t apply to Physics at one uni, and then French at another. Your personal statement will lack coherence and will not be as relevant as it could be.

Type of graduate courses available

The Majority of students tend to study a Bachelor’s degree at university – an undergraduate degree. In Scotland, undergraduate degrees can be called ‘Masters’ but they are not postgraduate degree programmes – this is because most Scottish degrees are longer than English ones.

Bachelor’s degree

Bachelor programmes are usually three or four years of full-time study, and longer if part-time. If you are studying modern languages, your degree programme may be a year longer than your peers to allow for a year aboard. These undergraduate degrees allow you to study a single subject or more as a Joint Honours programme. Overall, Bachelor courses require students to study certain compulsory modules, before allowing them to specialise in other areas.

Some also integrate postgraduate-level study – this is called an integrated masters. After completing the normal undergraduate degree, students can continue for another year to gain their master’s.  Not all subjects offer this, however. Indeed, it is mostly Science subjects and Engineering that offer this path. If this sounds appealing, when using the UCAS search tool, make sure you include the term ‘master’s’.

Foundation Years

These are one-year programmes which are designed to build up student’s skills and knowledge before a full undergraduate degree, although some are valued as just one-year courses.

Why would you take a Foundation Year? If you didn’t get the right grades or didn’t study the right subjects at school, Foundation Years are great opportunities to get the right qualifications for undergraduate study.

Graduate Level Apprenticeship Degree

These kinds of courses are relatively new. Designed to allow applicants to get a degree qualification as well as practical experience, these are perfect for those considering working in applied vocations. These courses are extremely competitive, however, so if you are thinking about applying to one, make sure you are committed and willing to work hard! It may also be a good idea to apply to traditional undergraduate degree programmes through UCAS to keep your options open.

International student? Don’t worry if you haven’t taken A-Levels. The qualifications on the UCAS list are organised by name and country. If you can’t find yours on the list, you can simply add it into the ‘other’ box. Again, you will likely have to send your exam results to the places you’ve applied to.

Mature student? If you took your exams years ago and cannot find your exam results or certificates, get in touch with your old school or local council.

You will also be asked to fill in any employment history as part of the application form. In this section, include any paid work you have undertaken in the past, whether full-time or holiday work. Make sure you provide the company’s details, address, your role and when you worked here.

Don’t include any unpaid work experience or voluntary work – you can put this in your personal statement instead.

If you haven’t done any paid work, you can just leave the section empty.

How do I write my personal statement?

Writing your personal statement may seem like the most stressful part of your UCAS application form. Although you don’t need to be too frightened by the prospect, it is important to allow plenty of time to plan, write, and edit your statement.

This is the only chance you have to show admissions teams why they should accept you onto their course. It is therefore vital you carefully plan and research your personal statement.

You want to explain why you want to study this course and provide evidence to demonstrate your interest and commitment to the subject. You should also include any relevant work experience, or voluntary work you’ve done, describing the transferable skills you’ve developed.

Universities like to know that applicants will contribute to student life, so make sure you tell them what extra-curricular activities you do.

Your personal statement cannot be more than 4,000 characters, including spaces, so you need to carefully choose your words. But don’t panic! The best thing to do is draft and rewrite your personal statement several times, making sure that you demonstrate your academic abilities, personal interests, and passion for your chosen subject.

Whilst it is good to research and undertake wider reading to enhance your personal statement, do not plagiarise! This is imperative. Universities use advanced software which will detect the smallest similarity between your statement, something on the internet, or a statement previously submitted. If any are found, your whole application is at risk of being rejected.

If English is not your first language, we recommend using our editing services to make sure your personal statement shines and stands out for all the right reasons.

References

The reference is the one part of the application form you don’t write. It is essentially a letter of written recommendation normally provided by a teacher or tutor. If you aren’t applying through a school or college, then your referee can be an employee or former teacher – they need to know you on an academic or professional level.

All applicants require a reference. If you’re unsure who to ask, reach out to the course provider.

If you are applying through school, they will look after and sort out your reference – you don’t have to worry about it. Just make sure all the rest of the application form is finished.

Independent applicants need to find a referee and include their contact information on the form.

Thinking of taking a gap year?

For most courses, you can apply now and defer your place for a year, allowing you to take time out. Some courses won’t allow you to defer your application, so you must check before making any final decisions. If you’re not sure, ring up the course provider and ask. It is very unlikely that Medicine courses, for example, will offer applicants deferred places.

If you are taking a gap year, think about how you can productively use your time and relate any activities to your studies.