UCAS Application

Year 13 UCAS Applications

To register and set up your UCAS Account

Please refer to this presentation shown during the Year 12 careers morning

Registering for UCAS 2025 Entry

How to Complete a  UCAS Application

To apply to universities through UCAS:

1 – Students should complete all sections of the UCAS application and ask their tutor to check through the application and personal statement. Students should then change/amend where necessary.

2 – Students should complete the predicted grade sheet and give this to their tutor. Tutors will need this for the student’s reference.

3- When a tutor tells the student all parts of the application have been correctly completed and they have written the reference, the student should click “Review & Submit” and pay for their application (the application will go to Carol Jarman in Careers, it will not be sent straight to universities)

4- Free School Meals – UCAS has removed the application fee for any student who is or has received UK government-funded free school meals (FSM) during the last six years, up until the end of their final year at school or college. 

Students must tick they receive FSM on their application form and choose to ‘Apply with Waiver’ when they ‘Pay and Submit’ their application

If any student is experiencing financial difficulties they should speak to Carol Jarman in the first instance as the college may be able to offer support.

5 – After paying for the application, students should book a UCAS send-off appointment via the careers teams channel.

6- For the appointment students will need to bring the predicted grade sheet. The application will be sent on to UCAS at the end of the appointment.

7– We cannot send incorrect applications or applications that have not been paid for prior to the appointment with Carol. We also cannot send applications if students do not bring the predicted grade sheet to the appointment.

Student Finance England

Website: www.gov.uk/student–finance 

Applications will open about end of February/beginning of March 2025.

Tuition Fee Loan

What is it? Helps with the cost of tuition fees (maximum £9,250)

You can get a loan to cover the tuition fee your university charges you.

Who can get it? Anyone, it is not means tested/based on household income

How is it paid? Student Finance pays your Tuition Fee Loan directly to the university on your behalf.

Maintenance Loan

What is it for?  Help with living costs- food, accommodation, stationery, travel etc

How much can I get?  The amount depends on where you live, study and your household income. Any full-time student who is eligible for student finance is eligible to receive a Maintenance Loan.

How is it paid? The Maintenance Loan is paid directly into your account, in 3 instalments – at the start of each term.

Do you have to pay the loans back? 

Yes, but you don’t start paying anything back until after you finish your degree and only if you are earning over £25,000 a year. Payments are made in monthly instalments.

If your salary drops below £25,000 repayments will stop. Any outstanding loan is written off after 40 years from when you finish your degree.

Example: What you would pay back per year after graduating

Annual Salary                                                           Repayment

£24,000                                                                      Nothing

£26,000                                                                      £90/year (9% of £1,000)

£35,000                                                                      £900/year (9% of £10,000)

Other sources of financial help – you don’t have to pay any of these back 

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) Helps pay for extra costs a student might have as a result of their disability, mental-health condition or learning difficulty eg dyslexia or dyspraxia. It is paid directly to the university.

University scholarships and bursaries – check individual university websites for details

NHS Bursary for Nursing, Midwifery and some allied health courses

More information can be found at:

Martin Lewis’ 6 need-to-knows about ‘Plan 5’ English student finance (moneysavingexpert.com)

Repaying your student loan: How much you repay – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Key dates

15/10/24 – deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Veterinary, and Dentistry applications to be sent to UCAS

29/1/25 – deadline for all other applications to be sent to UCAS

We advise that students applying for competitive courses/universities should aim to finish their application by 28/10/24.

Students applying for all other courses should aim to finish their application by 18/11/24.