How university applications work

Applying through UCAS

UCAS is the central service that all students need to use when applying to study for a full-time degree in the UK.

Instead of applying directly to a university, your child will submit and track their application through the UCAS website. The site is full of helpful advice and videos to guide them through the process. If they are based at a school or college then their teachers and careers advisers should be able to assist them with their application.

Your child will need to set up a profile on the UCAS website. There’s no need for them to complete everything at once. They can save their progress and come back later. Please note that UCAS charge a small fee for their services.

In most cases, your child can choose to apply for up to five courses. This could be the same course at five different universities or multiple courses at the same university. They won’t have to choose which of those universities is their preferred option until later on in the process.

Check the entry requirements

Your child should look carefully at the entry requirements for the courses they’re interested in. As these vary between universities. Most (including ourselves) accept a wide range of qualifications, including A Levels, BTECs, the new T Levels and equivalent international qualifications.

On the UCAS website the entry requirements for a course are often expressed in terms of ‘UCAS tariff points’. This is a system they use to provide a transparent way of outlining entry requirements across a wide range of qualifications. In the table below you can see how this works.

Some courses may have more specific requirements. Many science courses, for example, require students to have a GCSE in Maths and an A Level in a science-related subject. And these may need to be at a particular grade.

Make sure your child understands the entry requirements for the courses they’re applying for so that they have a realistic chance of being accepted.

This is how your child's qualifications translate into UCAS tariff points.

Scroll or swipe on small screens to see all table columns

A Level grade (at A2-level)	BTEC QCF/RQF Extended Diploma	BTEC QCF/RQF Diploma	BTEC QCF Subsidiary Diploma	T Levels
A* = 56 pts A = 48 pts B = 40 pts C = 32 pts D = 24 pts E = 16 pts	DDD* = 168 pts DDD = 160 pts D*DD = 152 pts DDD = 144 pts DDM = 128 pts DMM = 112 pts MMM = 96 pts MMP = 80 pts MPP = 64 pts PPP = 48 pts	DD = 112 pts D*D = 104 pts DD = 96 pts DM = 80 pts MM = 64 pts MP = 48 pts PP = 32 pts	D* = 56 pts D = 48 pts M = 32 pts P = 16 pts	D* = 168 pts D = 144 pts M = 120 pts P = 96 pts (C or above on the core) P = 72 pts (D or E on the core)

A Level grade
(at A2-level)

BTEC QCF/RQF Extended Diploma

BTEC QCF/RQF Diploma

BTEC QCF Subsidiary Diploma

T Levels

A* = 56 pts

A = 48 pts

B = 40 pts

C = 32 pts

D = 24 pts

E = 16 pts

D*D*D* = 168 pts

D*D*D = 160 pts

D*DD = 152 pts

DDD = 144 pts

DDM = 128 pts

DMM = 112 pts

MMM = 96 pts

MMP = 80 pts

MPP = 64 pts

PPP = 48 pts

D*D* = 112 pts

D*D = 104 pts

DD = 96 pts

DM = 80 pts

MM = 64 pts

MP = 48 pts

PP = 32 pts

D* = 56 pts

D = 48 pts

M = 32 pts

P = 16 pts

D* = 168 pts

D = 144 pts

M = 120 pts

P = 96 pts (C or above on the core)

P = 72 pts (D or E on the core)

BTEC / T Level grades: D = Distinction, M = Merit, P = Pass

After your child has applied – what happens next?

After your child has submitted their UCAS application it can be anxious time. While they wait to hear back from the universities they’ve applied for.

They’ll be able keep track of everything by logging into the UCAS online system known as the UCAS Hub (previously UCAS Track). This displays any offers or rejections they’ve received from their chosen universities. It will also give them the option to either accept or decline them.

When students receive an offer from a university it may be either an ‘unconditional offer’ or a ‘conditional offer’:

Unconditional offer – Congratulations. Your child has been offered a place at that university. They will be given a deadline by which they will need to accept or decline that offer via the UCAS website.

Conditional offer – Your child has been offered a place subject to certain conditions, which they’ll be told about. This is likely to involve achieving certain grades.

Your child will normally be asked to choose which university they’d like to attend before they’ve received their A Level results. For this reason, they will need to specify a firm choice and an insurance choice when accepting offers on the UCAS website. They will then need to reject any other offers they’ve received.

Firm choice – This is your child’s first choice university course. If they receive an unconditional offer from this university then it’s great news – they’ve secured a place.

Insurance choice – This is your child’s second choice and acts as a back-up option. In case they don’t achieve the grades needed to be accepted onto their first choice course. This university will normally accept lower grades.

UCAS Extra - If your child doesn’t receive any offers from their chosen universities the UCAS Extra process gives them the chance to apply to an additional university.

UCAS will set a deadline for your child to respond to and accept or decline any offers they’ve received. If they don’t respond then their offers will automatically be declined, so it’s essential that they meet the deadline.

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How university applications work

Applying through UCAS

Check the entry requirements

After your child has applied – what happens next?

Parents and carers guide to university

Helping your child choose a course and university

How does student finance work?