Step-By-Step Guide

You will have already been told to do your research on the courses and universities that appeal to you. For some people the list can be long and for others quite limited.

Make sure that you save the course that you like using the heart button on the online UCAS course search. This will keep all your liked searches in one stored area.

We recommend that you start completing your profile around late June or beginning of July. This helps you to get the boring part of the application out of the way and it will be ready for you to start applying to universities. There are five sections that you will need to fill in which are:

• Personal details (eg school details, support needs etc.);
• Education (you can add any subjects that you are working towards or have completed already);
• Employment (if you have any work experience or currently have a part-time job you can add it here);
• Personal statement (a chance to say a bit about yourself);
• Contact details (you can add your contact details eg mobile number and email and keep them up-to-date throughout the application process).

Remember, you must save these sections once you have completed them, otherwise the information that you have inputted will be lost and you will have to start again.

Download our Guide to Applying for University for step-by-step information.

This page might appear if you have answered certain questions from the above category. UCAS doesn’t organise your student finance, but if you need financial support at University (tuition fee loan, maintenance grant/ loan), you can give UCAS permission to share your information with the relevant student finance company. This helps speed up the process of applying and the awarding of your student finance.

The Personal statement is one of the most important elements of your UCAS application, so to get the best advice, read our dedicated page that will help you to nail the personal statement.

Furthermore, we offer fantastic departmental advice from all our subject tutors on how to go about completing your personal statement specific to that subject area.

Listen to some of the top tips in our dedicated Personal Statement video hub. 

You’re only allowed to make five applications to five universities. Your five choices could be to the same university for different courses, or to different institutions for the same course. Download our 'how-to' guide on selecting university courses.

Top tips:

• Make sure that it’s the right course for you!
• Ask yourself whether you can see yourself studying and living in the chosen University.
• Does the student life appeal to you? (Sports Clubs and Societies, town life, facilities).
• Do you like the accommodation?
• Does the University have a range of opportunities for you eg studying abroad, working in industry?
• Does your course have good graduate prospects?

It’s so important to check over what you have written and make sure that you’re applying to the right university for the correct course. It’s an easy mistake to put the wrong course code down or to mix up the University of your choice!

Your application will require a reference from either your teacher, adviser or a professional who knows you academically or professionally. Everybody who applies will require a reference, unless you get permission from your chosen university or college.

You will also need to pay the UCAS application fee, and you can apply to a maximum of 5 choices.

You can pay by debit or credit card online.