What next?

If you have already applied or are thinking about applying to university
or college this year, you have an opportunity to research your options.
Here is a guide to help you.

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Doing your research
Here are some things you can look at when deciding what andwhere to study. It’s a good idea to first think about what matters
to you and find information related to that.
• Choose a subject or subject combination that interests you.
• Look at the details of courses you’re considering, such as themodules on offer.
• Think about what you want to get out of your course. Is it togain new skills, to study a subject you love, or something else?
• Consider if you want to study at home or move away. Also
think through the type of place you want to live, and whether
you want to study full-time or part-time.
• Check the entry requirements for courses you’re keen on.
Universities and colleges set their own requirements, so these
may be different depending on the institution you’re applying to.
• Make sure to check how the institution will deliver the course.
Will it be online, or in person? Keep checking the institution’s
website for updates on course delivery.
• Think about whether you want to do a course with a practicalelement, such as placements or an internship. Is this important
to you?

2 Discover Uni• Think about other options, such as higher or degree
apprenticeships. You can find information about
apprenticeships on Discover Uni. Remember, you can also
apply for apprenticeships at the same time as applying for anundergraduate degree.

How to research options
It’s important that you research your options for university or college thoroughly this year, and you’ll need to look at a range of factors.
You could use a table like this one to help you see which university or course can offer the things that are most important to you.

Entry requirements

Option 1

Option 2

BBB – match

AAB –higher than
predicted

Do they fit with your actual or predicted grades? Remember to consider
different options – why not include some courses that are above your grades,
some that match and one that is lower as a backup.

etc.

Course content
Does the course subject and content match your interests and potential career
aspirations?

Sandwichyears onhold

Work experience
Does the university or college offer placements or internship opportunities?
How will these opportunities be affected by the pandemic?

Assessment
How will the course be assessed? Think about whether you prefer exams orcoursework and check how modules are assessed.

No exams

Mix ofexams andcoursework

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Option 1
Delivery methods

Option 2

All online

How is the course now being taught? Is it online, face-to-face, or a mixture?
How long will any changes to teaching methods last – just for the first term,or the whole first year? What teaching methods would suit your preferredlearning style best?

Location
Where is the course based? Consider whether you want to be closer to homeor further away, and what kind of campus you would like to attend.

3 hour trainride£200 field
trip in firstyear

Fees and costs
Are there are any additional costs you may have to pay for the course, such as
for materials or field trips?

Financial support
Are there any scholarships or bursaries available for the course?

Additional support
Does the university or college provide any additional support that you may
need? For example, if you have a disability, how will the university make surethe course is fully accessible to you? Or if you are a care leaver or estranged
from your family, is the university able to offer year-round accommodation?

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Guaranteedaccessible
accommodationin first yearetc.

Applying
For most undergraduate higher education courses in the UK,
you should apply through UCAS. The key dates for this year’s
application process are listed on its website.

Find key dates at UCAS
If you’re applying for a place on a practice-based musical theatre,
music, dance or drama course at one of the UK’s conservatoires,you should apply through the UCAS conservatoire route.
If you miss the UCAS application deadline, you can still apply formany courses until clearing opens in the summer, but you should
check with the university or college that if they have spaces first.

After you apply
Universities and colleges will reply to your application. This may
include an invite to interview or an offer of a place. Each university
and college will make their decisions at different times, meaning
you might hear back before or after your friends do.
You can withdraw or make changes to your application either on
the UCAS Track Tool or by contacting the university or college
directly.

Before you apply, remember to look carefully at the course
information and entry requirements on university and college
websites. These may highlight key things they are looking for inyour application and personal statement.

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Withdrawing or deferring
If you do not want to apply to higher education anymore, you cancancel your application via Track. You should remember that you
can’t get an application refund unless your application has beencancelled within 14 days of being submitted to UCAS.
If you want to defer your place or had originally applied fordeferred entry and no longer want to defer, you will need to checkwith your chosen university or college for information about theirdeferral process. Make sure you are certain about your course, as
you won’t be able to apply elsewhere whilst holding a deferredplace, and will only be released if the course provider agrees.
You can also withdraw your application completely and apply foruniversity or college next year, but please keep in mind there is no
guarantee you will get an offer or place then.
It is important for you to think carefully before you decide to defer.
Consider the pros and cons of deferring your place – for example,
you may be able to spend the intervening year gaining practicalskills or experience that will benefit your studies, but rememberthat will also mean taking a further year to graduate and enter thejob market.

I’m not 100% sureon which course isright for me.

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I’m worried
about having
enough money
while atuniversity.
I could use
the year towork.

If you decide todefer, you could
work to save somemoney and go touniversity or college
when you are ready.

If you’re not sure which course youwant to study, you could defer tospend some time to think about thisto make sure you make the rightdecision for you.

Before you go, researchwhat all of your costs
will be and how muchmoney you will receive
through student loans.
You can use a budget
calculator to help you toplan your finances.

I have considered
all of my options andhave decided to defer
this year.

If you have considered
all of your options andyour university or college
will allow you to defer,that’s fine!

I was rejected from thecourse that I wanted todo, what should I do?

I could use this year to dosome work experience to
see which career I mightwant to do in future.

You could see if the course
becomes available through
Clearing and if not, have someother options ready which you
could apply for.

Work experience can support
you to see what you enjoy doing
and help you to decide on thecourse you want to study atuniversity or college.

If you would like totravel, you could use theyear to go to new places,
meet new people and getsome life experience.
I could use
the year totravelI can’t decide if I
want to stay close
to home or moveaway.
You can research youroptions, go to open days
and speak to otherstudents to help you to
decide which location isright for you.

I’m worried
about moving
away from home.

It’s natural to feel worried about
moving to a new place. There arelots of ways to meet new people
which will help you to make friends
and settle in.

Will I have thesupport I need when
I’m at university orcollege?

When applying foruniversity, you can
include details on
your UCAS application
form to help you to
get any support thatyou may need when atuniversity or college.

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While you are waiting for your results
1. Apply for student finance

4. Make sure support is in place

If you are a new student, you can apply for funding even if you do
not yet have a confirmed place on a course.

If you have particular requirements, inform the universities orcolleges you’ve applied to. For example, if you are a care leaver oryou have a disability, look for support on their websites and ask
what they can offer you.

Find information about student finance on Discover Uni

2. Look into accommodation
There are usually different types of accommodation available,
which can include university or college owned accommodation,
student accommodation owned by private companies, and private
accommodation.
You may prefer to live on campus, it may be important for you tohave a short commute to uni or college, or to be in an area withlots on your doorstep. It’s worth researching the accommodation
available at your chosen universities or colleges early so that you
are ready to get arrangements in place.
Find useful information about accommodation on Discover Uni

3. Get prepared for clearing
Many universities and colleges have virtual campus tours
available on their websites. You can also sign up for virtual open
days and online discussions. UCAS keeps a list of virtual eventson its website.

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6. Talk to other students
Talking to current students is a great way to understand what
university life is really like. Sign up for Unibuddy and The Student
Room to hear from other students like you. Your university orcollege may also include information from current students on
their websites or social media.
You can also look at the course information on Discover Uni –it includes surveys from students who’ve done the course andinformation on what they’ve gone on to do. Check out our shortvideo to help you understand the statistics that are available
through Discover Uni.

Where to find information•	Check your university or college’s website for
information. They are the first point of call for
information about everything from course content toaccommodation.
•	You can search for, save and compare courses on the
Discover Uni website.
•	Prospects or What Uni can help with ideas based onyour A-levels or other Level 3 qualifications if you wantto think about your options for Clearing.

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When you get your results
1. Your results

3. If you change your mind

UCAS will receive grades from the awarding bodies and will
match them to your applications and send them on to theuniversities or colleges. After considering the grades, they will
update your application status on UCAS Track.

If you change your mind about the courses you’ve applied for or
accepted places for, you can find information on UCAS website
about what you can do.

If you meet the conditions of an offer, the university or college will
confirm your place in your application.
If you do not get the grades you need, universities or colleges may
still confirm your place or make an alternative offer: this will show
as a ‘changed offer’ against your application.

4. If you did better than expected
You will have an opportunity to reconsider your options if you
achieve better grades than you were predicted.

If you narrowly miss getting the grades you need, it is worth
contacting the university or college to discuss your situation.

You can register for Adjustment through your Track account.
Make sure to discuss Adjustment with any universities you areinterested in to see if there is sufficient space for you on thecourse.

Information about what to do next will be shown in UCAS Track.

5. If you have changed your mind

2. If you haven’t yet applied or are unplaced

If you have an offer but you have changed your mind, you canrelease yourself from this choice to be automatically placed into
Clearing. Think carefully before you do this and make sure you
have done plenty of research, as you will lose the place once you
release yourself into Clearing.

If you haven’t applied or have not received any offers, you canapply through Clearing.
This is where any research you’ve done will help, as you may havesome universities, colleges and courses in mind you’d like to apply
to.

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Your rights
To help you make an informed decision about accepting an offer
of a place on a course, universities and colleges are obliged underconsumer protection legislation to make certain information
available to you. This includes information about costs,
complaints, terms and conditions and your right to cancel thecontract you hold with the university or college.

made to date, and the timescales in which information on theremainder of the academic year will be made available. Complaints
processes must continue to remain accessible, transparent and fair,and universities must provide clear information on how students
can escalate any issues, including through contacting the Office of
the Independent Adjudicator.

If you are applying to a university or college in England, theOffice for Students has released guidance which states that youruniversity or college should:

If you don’t think your university or college has given you theinformation you need to make an informed choice, there are a few
steps you can take:• tell you about any changes to your course, for example,
whether you will be taught online or on-campus• Complain to the university or college through their complaints
procedure.

• let you know whether the teaching on courses could change
due to public health advice• If you are in England, you can notify the Office for Students.
Bear in mind that this information will only be used to searchfor patterns of behaviour in universities, not to take further
action on your individual case.

• provide you with their terms and conditions• ensure that their complaints procedure is accessible, clear andfair, and let you know where you can find it.
They should give you all of this information before places are
confirmed in August.
If you are applying to a university or college in Wales, the Higher
Education Funding Council for Wales expects universities to makesure that students have access to clear and up-to-date information,
based on what is known at the time. Where universities have madedecisions about the delivery of part of the academic year, but not
the whole year, they should provide information on the decisions• If you are in England or Wales, you may be able to complain to
the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.
• If you are in Northern Ireland, you may be able to complain to
the NI Ombudsman.
• If you are in Scotland, you may be able to complain to the
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
• If you think the university or college has breached consumer
protection law, you can report their behaviour to theCompetition and Markets Authority.

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A-Z of resources
Researching options

Consumer protection

Discover Uni: https://discoveruni.gov.uk/

Competition and Markets Authority: https://www.gov.uk/
government/organisations/competition-and-markets-authority

Prospects: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/
UCAS: https://www.ucas.com/

Consumer protection law advice for higher education providers
and students: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-guide-to-consumer-rights-for-students

Unibuddy: https://www.ucas.com/chat-to-students

Office of the Independent Adjudicator: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/

What Uni: www.whatuni.com

Submit a notification to the Office for Students: https://www.
officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/notifications/

Qualifications information

NI Ombudsman: https://nipso.org.uk/

England: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awardingqualifications-in-summer-2021/awarding-qualifications-insummer-2021

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: https://www.spso.org.uk/

The Student Room: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/

Scotland: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/96763.html
Wales: https://gov.wales/examination-and-assessmentguidance-2020-2021
Northern Ireland: https://ccea.org.uk/summer-2021

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