UCAS INFORMATION FOR EX-STUDENTS

• Home
• Support
• Careers
• UCAS Information for Ex-Students

Accessibility: Please note that a PDF version of this page is available with bookmarks, autoscroll and reflow options.

At Peter Symonds all students (including ex-students) applying to higher education use the online UCAS Apply system. This application system can be used from any computer with Internet access and provides on-screen instructions for each section of the form.

This leaflet is designed to help make the process of applying to higher education courses as simple as possible for you.

If you wish to discuss your UCAS application with anyone at College, you should come in the first instance to the Careers Library in the AshurstBuilding (ground floor).

We are open from 8.30am – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (term time only).

To ensure someone is available to see you we advise that you phone the Careers Department early on the day you wish to come in to arrange an appointment time, (Tel: 01962 857552).

Key Website

UCAS online Apply system:http://www.ucas.com/apply

You will need the college’s buzzword to use the system.To get this you will need to contact the college on 01962 857552.

Deadline Dates

To allow sufficient time for the college to process your application form and forward it to UCAS to meet their deadline dates, you must click ‘pay/send’ by the following dates:

• 19 September 2008 for applications to Oxford and Cambridge, or to courses in Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science.
• *7 November 2008 for all other applications.

*NBUCAS will accept and process applications up till 30 June 2009, but only applications they receive by 15 January 2009 will be ‘guaranteed equal academic consideration’.Applications received by UCAS after this date will be stamped ‘late application’ and considered after the first cohort. If you are applying for popular courses at popular institutions you should make sure you meet the deadlines.

Instructions for UCAS Online Application Service

Registration

• Use the website www.ucas.com
• Select “Apply” and click on “Register / Log in to use Apply 2009”.
• Read and accept terms and conditions.
• Continue to enter your personal details (if you have a UCAS card, you can insert your UCAS Card number and your details will appear).
• You must then click to register through “a school or college” and use the college buzzword (phone the college to obtain this).This will ensure that your application comes direct to Peter Symonds, enabling us to download your form and attach your reference before forwarding your application electronically to UCAS.If you select ‘Independent Applicant’ your form will go directly to UCAS without a reference.
• Registration process generates a username for you and you can enter your own password, along with security questions.

(NB please keep a record of these details, as these are very important and the college does not have the details if you forget).

• Once you have registered you can login anywhere with internet access and go back into the application form whenever you want to – there is no need to complete the whole form at once!The status of each section is shown in the main screen as not started, in progress or complete.

It is important to make sure that you exit the software by clicking “log out” rather than the X in the top right hand corner, as this can block your re-entry.You can log in and out as frequently as you like.

Personal Details

• Add your home address if different from your postal address.
• Residential Category – most students from UK and EU will be in Category A – if you are not sure click on the ? symbol for further information.
• Unique Learner Number – please leave this section blank.
• Student Support:Fee Code – if your residential category is A, then Fee Code is usually 02 (even if the household income is too high to qualify for financial support).Nursing or ‘professions allied to Medicine’ where courses are funded by NHS use 05.
• Student support arrangements:select your local LEA eg Hants, Southampton, Wiltshire.
• Disability or Special Needs – If you have a disability or special need you must select the most appropriate code from the drop-down list (select none if you do not).Please say if you need any facilities or support as a result of your disability or special needs:this might include adapted accommodation, extra equipment, or extra time in exams.
• Add any Taster courses / summer schools you have participated in within the ‘Additional Information’ section.

Choices

• You can select up to 5 courses (up to 4 of these can be medicine, dentistry, vet science).
• Enter your choices in any order (‘Apply’ will re-order them alphabetically).
• Use the drop-down lists to select institutions and courses. Check very carefully that the institutions and courses are exactly correct.
• Use the help button if you are unsure.
• Point of Entry – for most students you should leave this section blank.
• Start Date – click ‘2009’ unless you are taking a gap year and deferring entry until 2010.
• Live at home – click “yes” if you plan to live at home rather than in the university or city.
• Some courses eg Law, Medicine may require a supplementary test – please check!
• Applying for Art & Design – there are 2 routes of applying, Route A and Route B – seek advice from the Art department and/or Careers staff for further information, as this is complex.

Education

• To ensure you get all the details correct, it would be advisable to have your examination certificates with you when completing this section.
• You must enter all your qualifications where you have accepted certification – even if you failed, are resitting modules or got a low mark.It is essential that all the information you provide is complete and accurate, if it is not UCAS may cancel your application.
• Enter the month August for all dates of qualifications.
• All qualifications for which you have studied, are currently studying or for which you are awaiting exam results must be shown including:
• General Studies AS and A level
• AS levels select Advanced Subsidiary (New – first award 2001)
• Key Skills (New)

• If you are still awaiting a grade select pending (and August 2009), otherwise select actual grade.
• You must include all module/unit grades, as well as your overall grade.
• You can also add qualifications such as music, drama or dance (only give the highest grade).
• Remember to enter details for any admissions tests you have already taken with results and for any admissions tests you still need to take, eg BMAT, LNAT.

• GCSEs
• Double award and short course GCSEs have a separate button to select

• AS & A Levels
• You must identify the units and grades of each AS / A Level as follows:
• For ‘unit title’ you should type in the unit code not the title
• For ‘unit grade’ you should type in the unit grade (from your results letter) for all 6 units
• If you are resitting modules to improve A level grades, you must enter you’re A level twice. Once with overall & unit grades dated August 2008 and then again showing any modules you are resitting and overall grade as pending dated 2009.
• If you have only been given a unit mark, you should use your “Guide to Grade Boundaries” information sheet (which you will be given on results day) to convert your unit mark to a grade.

• Mathematics -if you are doing AS or A Level Mathematics, select Mathematics (MEI)

Employment

• Brief details of paid employment only, starting with your most recent job – use your personal statement if you wish to tell them about any unpaid, relevant work experience.

Personal Statement

• You should not write your personal statement directly on screen.
• Copy/paste to insert text you have already prepared in Word or other word-processor
• There is a maximum limit of 4,000 characters (about two thirds of an A4 page using a 12-point font).

Submitting your Form and Fee Payment

• Once you have completed all the sections you must view all, click printable copy and print.If possible, please get this checked by a college member of staff such as your old tutor or a careers adviser.
• Then click pay/send.
• When you have ‘sent’ your form you will then be given options for how you wish to pay for your application: credit/debit card or cheque.If you have not paid online by debit or credit card, then take or send a cheque (or cash) for £17 (£7 for only one course) payable to Peter Symonds College (with your full name and d.o.b. on the back) to Student Services, Peter Symonds College, Owens Road, Winchester, S022 6RX.
• You must then ring Faculty Administrators to inform them that you have sent the form, so they are aware and can attach the reference (Tel:01962 857500 ext 7541 or email: faculty.administrators@psc.ac.uk).If you do not do this, it will certainly delay your UCAS form being sent off.

Important: Please note your application cannot be sent to UCAS until you have paid and all these steps have been completed.

Summary

• If you need to discuss your application come into the college Careers Library.
• Be sure to use the college buzzword when you register.
• Use the on-screen Help.
• Look at information and tips on the UCAS website.
• Keep your username and password in a safe place.
• Click onto the ‘ucas track’ section of the UCAS website to keep up-to-date with decisions made about your application (you will also receive this information through the post).