Ucas deadline: your last chance to apply before Clearing - Telegraph.co.uk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/30/2014 - 08:37

Another day, another university application deadline. But before you leap up
in a fresh panic, worrying that you’ve missed an important stage in the Ucas
process, this only applies to prospective students that have yet to press
send.

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According to Ucas, around 8,000 people apply in the week leading up to today's
deadline, so, if this is you, you won't be alone in leaving it to the last
minute. But now's the time to drag yourself out of the post-exam stupor for
the final push towards completing your application.

As of noon today, you have 6 hours to log in to Track and press send; any
later and you’ll miss your chance to apply; any later and you’ll be entered
to Clearing.

But wait just a minute, you say. Wasn’t the Ucas application deadline in
January?

The January 15 application deadline was indeed the first application deadline
for conventional undergraduate applications. If you didn’t get your
application in by 6pm, it would have been marked as late.

If you did manage to get your application in by this date, all your choices
would have been given equal consideration by universities and if,
subsequently, you accepted an offer, you needn’t now worry about Ucas until
Results Day.

>> Clearing 2014: early preparation is key to
success

Today’s deadline is slightly different. If you enter an application today,
there is no guarantee that a university will consider your entry, but those
that do will have until July 17 to make you an offer.

Once you have received those offers, you will have until July 24 to reply. If
you fail to do so, Ucas will decline these offers on your behalf and you’ll
be entered to Clearing.

In order to meet today’s deadline, log in to Ucas Track and make sure you have
all elements of your application in order before you press send.

You’ll need your personal statement, a completed reference from your school or
college, your previous qualifications and your course choices. You will also
need to have paid.

Applying for one course costs £12, applying for multiple courses cost £23.
Applications which are sent after 30 June will also cost £23 and you can pay
direct online by credit or debit card.

Once you’ve pressed send, you can check the progress of your application by
logging in to Track. You’ll need your Personal ID and your password to do
this; however, if anything does change in Track, you’ll get an email
notification, so don’t waste time checking back every day – your exams are
over, so go and enjoy the sun.

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For those of you who know you’ll miss this deadline, yet still want to go to
university in September, Clearing will be the route to take. Your
application in Track will update to inform you whether you are eligible or
not. If you are, you will be given the opportunity to apply to any course
that still has places on Results Day.

If you know, or even think that this might be you, making sure you have done
your research in advance of August 14 will certainly allay some of your
pre-Results Day fears. While universities will not be able to offer you a
place until you have your grades, use this summer to research alternative
courses and travel around to a few open days.

Give yourself the best possible chance of success on the day by having phone
numbers written out and Ucas course codes to hand. Also, make sure you know
your Ucas Personal ID number and password, so you can log in to Track on
Results Day.

Remember, most universities will want to know your individual grades before
they offer you a place, something which Track will not be able to tell you.
You will either have to travel into school, or have an alternative method of
communication in place to receive these grades.

Clearing, is certainly not a last-ditch attempt to get to university. Many
students use it as an opportunity to apply for places on courses having
reassessed their future ambitions.

In 2012, 55,000 students went through the Clearing process and in 2013, this
grew to a record 57,000, so you certainly wouldn’t be on your own.

Submit your application here: ucas.com

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