How UCAS Apply Works

This has to be finished by October 15th for students applying to study at Oxford, Cambridge as well as for most courses studying Medicine, Veterinary Sciences and Dentistry. The deadline for students who are not applying for these universities or courses is January 15th but we strongly encourage sending your application off earlier than that.

Start by creating an account at http://www.ucas.com/apply - this will require to enter your personal details, create a password and set some security questions - all fairly standard stuff! You will also need to add a buzzword that is specific to your school, so ask your teachers about this - if you are applying independently, or don’t have a buzzword, don’t worry! UCAS will ask a couple more questions. After this is done, UCAS will create a username for you. This will be a 10 digit number in the format – (e.g. 123-456-7890) - you’re ready to start filling in the form!

The form is fairly simple - it is structured into multiple sections, starting with Personal Details, which will require you to enter your email address, and other contact details. Students living in the UK are asked a few extra diversity questions related to your background. The choices section is very important to get right - select the 5 universities and courses that you are applying to. For Oxbridge and Durham students, the box titled ‘Campus Code’ is where you select which specific College you are applying to, or if you are sending an Open Application.

The form includes other important sections, such as your education history and any employment you have done which you think may aid your application. The two most important sections are the Personal Statement and the Reference - the personal statement is presented as a box to type your answer into. Once you’ve completed your personal statement, Copy & Paste it into the box, checking that your entire statement has fit within the character limit. For most students at school, the reference section does not show up in UCAS Apply - this is dealt with automatically by your teachers. However, for students who are applying independently, you need to fill your referee’s details - UCAS will automatically contact them after this section has been finished.

There are only three things left to be done before you send you’re application off!

  1. Take the time to double check your application - it’s a great idea to get a friend to check through your form to ensure you haven't made any errors.

  2. Once you’ve marked it as complete, tick the boxes agreeing to the terms of applying through UCAS

  3. Pay for the application online - this costs £24 and is either done through the school or directly through the form - ask your teachers about this.