Missenden Abbey Conference Centre, 2 March 2010 Mary Curnock Cook Chief Executive Professionalising Admission to Higher Education in Further Education

 306 universities / colleges  127 FE colleges  Around 50,000 courses  Over 630,000 applicants  Over 2.3 million applications UCAS Membership

FE / HE Membership

Higher education in context ▪Unprecedented demand ▫Applications increasing; but no increase in HE places ▫Increased competition – average Tariff offer increased by 7 points ▫Average offer is just over 280 points equivalent to BBC at A level ▪Funding for higher education ▫Fees review ▪Curriculum reform and development

2009 cycle statistics Source: UCAS Statistics Unit

The (changing) profile of accepted applicants ▪Age profile Source: UCAS Statistics Unit

Facts and figures

Home and International Profile

Facts and figures

Top qualifications for non A level UK Accepts to FEHE %ageCompared to total UK Accepts International55.7%  BTEC/OCR34.0%  Access3.9%  Foundation3.0%  HND/HNC2.5% 

Facts and figures  Applicants accepted to FEHE institutions have a very different profile to those accepted to HE in general  Mature applicants  Courses studied are different  Applications not made through centres  Study locally  More likely to make a single, rather than multiple, application  More likely to have previously studied vocational qualifications

Facts and figures ▪Over the last five years, there has been an increase of 11.4% in the number of applications made to FEHE institutions ▪2010 has seen a 43.6% rise in applications made to FEHE institutions. This is more than double the increase seen in the sector as a whole (19.5%) ▪This provides opportunity for FEHE colleges

Facts and figures  2009 figures show that FEHE institutions are much less likely to convert applications to acceptances than the sector as a whole

Facts and figures

Entry profiles ▪Purpose of entry profiles: ▫Provide clear, up-to-date information about courses ▫Provide clarity – same course title, different experience ▫Help to make the application process transparent and fair ▫To widen participation ▫To increase retention ▫To facilitate fully informed choices ▪Entry profile development: ▫Visits to institutions by External Relations Officer ▫Training available for all member institutions

Web-link ▪A web-based interface, allowing institutions to record and update course information and to access applicant records

UCAS International Team ▪Focal point for international customers ▪Raising awareness and promoting UCAS services ▪Working with external stakeholders ▪Raising profile of UK services ▪Responding to the needs of our customers ▪Supporting our member institutions in achieving international student targets ▪Responding to government initiatives

Professional development opportunities ▪Continuing professional development – a programme specifically for student recruitment / admissions staff ▫Enhance knowledge and expertise in an ever changing environment ▪Consultancy services – workshops, seminars and keynote presentations delivered to FE and HE staff on a wide range of topics

UCAS: Adding value  Course Search / Apply / Track  Conferences and conventions  Fraud and verification services  HE policy development  Qualifications and curriculum development  Sector body liaison  Statistical services  Training and consultancy  UCAS Tariff  UCAS.tv  Web interface services (Web-link)  ‘yougofurther’

The right people Making the right choices For the right reasons With the right outcomes

Useful information For advisers ▪ Information for advisers, including Adviser Track ▪ Information on the training services available for those helping students through the UCAS process ▪ Information on our services and standards, and links to the latest media releases For students ▪ Search and compare different courses and universities ▪ UCAS’ student networking site ▪ Informative video guides for applicants including ‘how to guides’, case studies and tutorials ▪ For information on higher education conventions, subject-specific conferences and other events

Questions Mary Curnock Cook Chief Executive  +44 (0) 