What do I need to know about the admissions process?
October 15th, 2022
After you have completed your application and chosen the (up to) 5 courses on UCAS, a process starts that is often referred to as the admissions process. This is the period where you might encounter a lot of waiting for responses and it can get overwhelming and confusing sometimes. There are some things that you should be aware of that will hopefully help you have a little piece of mind.
Timelines
The admissions process is all about timelines and tight deadlines that need to be adhered to, both by yourself, the university and UCAS. These can vary a bit between different universities, so if you are ever unclear about anything, make sure to reach out to the university or UCAS.
What you need when
Throughout the process, you will be required to provide documents and certificates to prove everything that you have selected on your application. This might include (but is not limited to):
- Your passport
- Your qualifications so far (GCSEs, A-Levels, BTEC etc)
- Your references, if not already provided during application
- Your DBS check
- For international students: your visa documents and your English language certificates
Universities will let you know when you need to provide these documents and how to send them. Make sure you send them as soon as you can to avoid any delays.
How to track your status
A lot of universities now have dedicated Application Status Trackers that let you check your application by simply logging into the tracker on their website. If they don’t have one or it doesn’t work for you, you can also contact universities directly to check on your application. You can do so via telephone, email, or sometimes live chat, but keep in mind that emails might take a few days to be responded to.
Always check your spam folders
After submitting your application, you will most likely receive quite a few emails from the universities you applied to. To not miss anything and to ensure that you send in documents on time, you should regularly monitor your email inbox and especially your spam/junk folder, as sometimes emails have a habit of ending up in there.