UCAS Application Process and

Student Finance

Vanessa Emslie Student Recruitment and Admissions

www.facebook.com/universityofyork @UniOfYork

(Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)

Central body for all HE admissions

Separate system for Music

conservatories, and some

dance/drama

One application form on which you

can apply for up to 5 courses

Equal consideration by

Universities

Restrictions on choice:

-only 4 choices for Medicine, Density,

Veterinary Medicine or Veterinary

Science

-Can usually only apply for Oxford or Cambridge

Quick overview of…

You can apply for more than

one course at the same

university

Important Dates:

Closing date for most applications

is 15th January

For some it is 15th October

But also remember

internal deadlines

Before you apply… Do some research

This shows that you are focussed and helps avoid mistakes

Get some work experience?

Medicine, Law, Teaching

Think about course and university preferences

Subject, Course content, Entry requirements, University &

location, your interests and hobbies, career plan

Useful places to find information:

School careers library resources

Prospectuses

University website

Unistats/NSS (HEFCE) websites

‘The Student Room’ & other online

forums

Subject League Tables

Student Finance England (SFE)

‘Alternative’ prospectus

Open/Visit Day or a virtual tour

Talk to current students

UCAS application

& Personal Statement

An admissions tutor

wants to gain a picture

of YOU

What can make you stand out from

other applicants, especially for the

more competitive courses?

Find out: will the decision be

made solely on your UCAS

application? Or will you have

an interview that will be taken

into account too?

Admissions tutors are looking for:

You to have researched your choices

You to have a passion for your

subject

Appropriate skills and approach

The importance of your…

Save your application as you go along You can go back and edit it until you’re happy to send it

You can give nominated access to a

parent, guardian or advisor if you’d like

them to be able to speak on your behalf

What are admissions tutors

looking for?

Strong academic potential from past

and predicted academic achievements

Students who have a passion for their

subject and are prepared to commit to it

Students who have researched their

choices

The skills and approach appropriate for

subject applying for

What is a

‘Personal Statement’?

47 lines of text (or 4,000 characters, or 500 words) expressing your suitability for the course

It needs to be: well written well punctuated grammatically correct with no mistakes

It should have a clear layout and development of ideas

Top Tip: A strong opening paragraph will get you noticed straight away

Aim for competent, clear,

well organised and

well evidenced

Be original, honest and positive But take the application seriously, no jokes required!

What should my personal

statement say…

At least half academic, social

and cultural interests relating to the course(s)

- We recommend at least 50%...up to around

80%

You need to demonstrate your

reasons and motivations for

taking the course(s)

Why is the

University/course for you?

Show an understanding of, and

interest in, the subject area

What relevant academic skills and

experience do you have?

What have you done with your

interest in…physics?...town

planning?...French? Etc.

Can use specific examples (especially

if university course related) E.g.

What else should I include?

- Through my Biology coursework I have

improved my ability to…

- Following a visit to the Natural History

Museum…

- Reading Charles Dickens novels inspired

my fascination with…

- As an aspiring scientist…

Demonstrate that you are clear

about what the study of a new

subject will entail

Work or voluntary experience (especially useful for vocational courses)

E.g. Doing teaching work experience demonstrates that you have a commitment to becoming a teacher and (now) have an understanding of the role.

Reflect on your experience What did you learn? E.g. Life in hospital is… Working in a solicitor’s office… Working with the general public has taught me… Through my work experience, I realise that…

Director of Admissions, Kings College London: “We’d like to hear about a patient a student has come into contact with or an experience they’ve had. It’s just as valuable to have spent time as a hospital porter, as it is to have followed around the lead clinician.”

Also include… Extra-curricular activities

Personality

Other skills

E.g.

Time management,

communication,

organisation, team player or

leadership skills, energy,

enthusiasm, diversity of

interests

Need to be relevant to the

courses you’re applying for

Include career/gap year

plans (if relevant…and

realistic!)

-Show evidence of how the

gap year will be spent: do you

have plans in mind?

“I walk my dog a lot. I can relate

this to English Literature

because…”

Needs to be appropriate…

E.g. (Not like this)

Top Tips…

It is not simply a list of everything you’ve achieved.

“I would much rather read about what you learned

from observing one filling than a list of all the

procedures you observed.”

(Dentistry Admissions Tutor, Which? University Website

Remember to use evidence,

not just statements

E.g. Books you have read,

experiences you have had (inside or

outside of the classroom)

You don’t need to use a thesaurus to

improve the language/word’s

you’ve used!

Identifying your skills and experience is a great place to start before writing your personal statement…

Experience: Part time job

What did you do? Checkout operator in a supermarket chain

What skills/knowledge did you develop? Commercial awareness,

Impact of high profile marketing campaigns,

Communication skills,

Team Working,

Professionalism

How is this relevant to your course? Looking forward to studying economics and

society- explore consumer behaviour in out-

of-town shopping centres vs city centre

shops

What examples can you think of?

Personal Statement DOs and Don’ts …

Do be clear and specific

about why you want to

study what you do

Don’t write your personal

statement for just one

course

Do leave some space in the

text area -A line between paragraphs is good,

but will count towards your

character count, i.e. 500 words or

4,000 characters

Don’t rush it; it needs

careful proof reading and

benefits from outside

comment (teachers, family

or friends)

Do ensure you come across

as realistic and informed

about career plans

What happens next?

1. Your application is submitted through your school

2. Universities make their decisions

3. UCAS contacts you with offers via email This is usually followed up with contact from the universities themselves

These are usually ‘conditional’ offers There may be an interview/auditions before you receive an offer You will usually find out before the 31st March

What happens next?

4. You should consider your offers in further detail You could attend a ‘Post-Offer Visit Day’

5. You choose your ‘Firm’ and ‘Insurance’ choices You will do this by early May

6. Then all that’s left is to work hard to pass your exams etc. and

start planning your new life at University!

It will all be worth it!

Student Finance

Student Finance Overview

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan

Grants for students with additional needs

Bursaries and Scholarships

(Some) professional body bursaries

What help is available?

Universities can charge full-time students up to £9,000 per year for tuition fees

Students do not have to pay any tuition fees up front or while they are studying

The Tuition Fee Loan does not depend on household income

The Student Loan Company pay the Tuition Fee Loan directly to the university

The loan is repayable, but only when the student’s income is over £21,000 a year

Tuition Fees

Maintenance loan

The Maintenance Loan is available to help with living costs The loan is paid directly into the student’s bank account at the start of each term and is repayable The Maintenance Grant which was previously available has gone Under the new system students will be able to borrow a maximum of £8,200, dependent on household income. Note: this is more than has ever been available before.

Full-time student Loan available for the 2016 to 2017 academic year

Living at home Up to £6,904

Living away from home, outside London Up to £8,200

Living away from home, in London Up to £10,702

You spend a year of a UK course studying

abroad

Up to £9,391

Repayment only starts once the student has finished their course (from the April after graduation) AND

Is in a job with a salary of over £21,000

Automatic deductions through UK tax system (PAYE)

Monthly repayment amount depends on salary

Students pay back 9% of anything they earn over £21,000

If the student’s income stops or falls below the threshold, repayments automatically stop

Students can make voluntary repayments at any time

Repayments of the loans

The following may be available depending on personal circumstances:

Childcare Grant, Parents Learning Allowance, Adult Dependants Grant Disabled Students’ Allowance Bursaries, scholarships and awards from individual universities

Leaving local authority care bursaries Social Work bursaries NHS bursaries: From 1 August 2017, new nursing, midwifery and allied

health students will no longer receive NHS bursaries. Instead, they will have access to the same student loans system as other students.

Travel grants for clinical placements

Additional support

Apply in Spring 2017 for courses starting in September 2017

The deadline for applying is 9 months AFTER the date the course started

Students do not have to wait until they’ve accepted a place to apply for student finance

How and when do I apply?

Students reapply for each year of their course

Set up a student finance online account at Student Finance England and complete the online application

Send in proof of identity Sign and return the loan declaration, which you should receive within 6 weeks.

More money will be available for students studying in 2016/17 than ever before

Any loan remaining after 30 years will be written off Students don’t start repaying their loans until they are earning over £21,000 It is based entirely on what you earn, not what you owe Most people won’t pay back any more under the new system (only those that earn £35,000 as a graduate starting salary and subsequently earn more than the rate of inflation for the rest of their lives will, but only in the latter years of repaying their student loan!)

To apply for student finance, go to www.gov.uk/studentfinance

Key points

Thank you for listening

Any questions?

If you’d like further information- get in touch!

www.york.ac.uk

01904 324000

Ug-admissions@york.ac.uk