1. UCAS Update Higher Education Advisers’ Conference Birmingham City University James Durant, International Professional Development Executive

2. Full-time undergraduate courses 385 universities/colleges Six in Northern Ireland 20 in Wales 23 in Scotland 335 in England One European 35,000+ courses

3. Applicant statistics

4. Acceptance statistics

5. Acceptances by acceptance route (logarithmic scale) Source: Figure 63 from ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015’

6. UK 18 year old acceptances by acceptance route (logarithmic scale) Source: Figure 64 from ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015

7. Young entry rate (cohort) by country Growing proportion of a year group accepted by 19 - either at 18 years old or at 19 years old 18 year olds in 2014 PLUS the 19 year olds in 2015

8. UK 18 year old population 2006-2034 Population increased by 2% (+13,000) from 2014 to 2015 Scotland was the only country where population fell in 2015 In 2016 and through to 2020 population is set to fall by 80,000

9. Offer making in 2015 Providers increase offer-making by 4.5% to 1.9 million offers. Over half of applicants with five choices have at least four offers. Offer rate to 18 year olds from English providers up 0.9% to 78%. 65% of those predicted AAB received five offers. A record 32% of applicants with five choices received five offers. 98.5% of those predicted BBB received at least one offer. Full statistics published on ucas.com/corporate

10. Offer rates by predicted A level grades UK domiciled 18 year olds with 5 main scheme choices All predicted grade profiles receive at least one offer More likely to receive 5 offers in 2015 Applicants with higher grade profiles often apply to more competitive courses

11. Number of unconditional offers made to 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland and Wales, the number made firm and the number made insurance Source: ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015’

12. Proportion of offers made to 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland and Wales that were unconditional Source: ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015’

13. Number of providers that made at least 100 unconditional offers to 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland and Wales Source: ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015’

14. Proportion of 18 year old applicants from England, Northern Ireland and Wales that received at least one unconditional offer Source: ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015’

15. Acceptance rates for UK 18 year olds by type of qualification held Source: Figure 104 from ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015’

16. Proportion of English 18 year old applicants who met or exceeded their predicted attainment by predicted grade profile Source: Figure 105 from ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015’

17. Increase in acceptances holding BTECs English accepted applicants of all ages: 2008 - 2015

18. Proportion of English 18 year old acceptances who are holding ABB+ qualifications by provider tariff group All ABB+ equivalent qualifications A level only ABB+

19. Proportion of English 18 year old acceptances who are holding BTEC ABB+ qualifications by provider tariff group Source: Figure 108 from ‘UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015’

20. So what? Fewer 18 (and 19) year olds available to recruit. Fewer have A levels. Fewer have high grade A levels. Students with reasonable A levels are in strong demand

21. A record 18.1% of the most-disadvantaged students placed. High, medium and lower tariff providers all accept more students. Higher tariff providers see biggest %age increase. Largest %age increase by subject group. Non-European Languages. Veterinary Sciences, Agriculture and related; Education. Engineering. Largest %age decrease by subject group. Combined Arts; Combined Sciences. Full statistics published on ucas.com/corporate. Further 2015 cycle analysis

22. 2016 cycle applicant statistics 593,720 total applicants (+<1%) England: 411,420 (-1%) N. Ireland: 20,040 (+2%) Scotland: 45,100 (+1%) Wales: 21,000 (+1%) EU: 42,720 (+6%) Not EU: 52,020(+1%)

23. January deadline application rates for 18 year olds by country Rate in Northern Ireland remains at 48% high. Rates increase to new highs in: England (37%) Scotland (33%) Wales (32%) This is a measure of ‘behavioural’ (rather than demographic) demand for HE. 2016 cycle statistical analysis

24. Increases in all English regions January deadline application rates for English 18 year olds by region The highest application rate is in London (45%). With South East at 38% and South West at 32%, southern England has the broadest range of rates. Northern and midland regions are more closely aligned. Most regional rates are between 8 and 10 percentage points higher than they were in 2006

25. Application rates by sex; England January deadline application rates of 18 year olds from England by sex The application rate for women is 11.5 percentage points higher than it was in 2006. For men, the rate is 7.5 percentage points higher. In 2016, the application rate for men surpassed the 2006 application rate for women for the first time.

26. Changes coming for 2017 entry 17 May (last Tuesday) – Apply for Advisers available. 24 May (this Tuesday) – Apply 2017 for applicants opens. Logins and passwords sent to you in April in two separate emails. £1 increase in application fee. New UCAS Tariff.

27. New Tariff for 2017 entry size x grade New Tariff points are determined by multiplying size and grade bands Size bands – allocated 1 to 4, based on a qualification’s guided learning hours. Grade bands – allocated 3 to 14 spread across the breadth of Level 3 / SCQF Level 6.

28. Size bandGLH/NLHQualifications includedGLH/NLH 1< 120Free Standing Mathematics Qualifications IB Theory of Knowledge IB Extended Essay 60 100 2120-219Extended Project Qualification AS BTEC (QCF) L3 Certificate IB Standard Certificate 120 180 200 3220-319Scottish Higher240 4320+Scottish Advanced Higher A level IB Higher Certificate BTEC (QCF) L3 Subsidiary Diploma Pre U Principal Subject 320 360 380 New Tariff – Size bands

29. Grade bandA levelAS (New Tariff) Scottish Highers Scottish Adv Highers 14A* A 13 12A B 11 A 10BAC 9 B 8CBD 7 C 6DC 5 DD 4E 3 E New Tariff – Grade bands

30. New Tariff for 2017 entry

31. UCAS.com/advisers

33. Resources for advisers

34. Open days

35. Open day search tool

36. Virtual open days

37. The UCAS widget Hosted on your school or college’s website. Link your students and their parents to important information about UCAS. Simple and intuitive navigation. Content reviewed regularly by UCAS.

39. Translate UCAS.com

40. Guidance on qualification reform Why does your school offer a particular provision? Are non-subject specialists delivering courses? Any differences in location of study? How do you determine predicted grades? Is the student very new to your school? Source: SPA National Expert Think Tank Host a page on your school’s website; include the URL in references.

41. UCAS MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) –working with Futurelearn to develop MOOCs for advisers and learners worldwide. Professional Development Portal - supporting e-learning modules on the UCAS process. Embeddable interactive parent tool for school websites. Which? content in UCAS Parent Guide 2017. Coming soon…

42. Questions

43. UCAS References James Durant International Professional Development Executive

44. Quick refresh 1Applicant researches course choices. 2Applicant researches admissions tests, student loans, and visa application requirements (if relevant). 3Applicant registers online with UCAS Apply. 4Completes form and processes payment. 5Academic reference added by centre/independent referee. 6Centre/applicant sends form electronically to UCAS. 7UCAS processes form and forwards to chosen universities/colleges. 8Universities/colleges submit decisions (offer or unsuccessful). 9Applicant views decisions in Track. 10Applicant replies to offers in Track (firm/insurance). 11Place confirmed when results are released.

45. Personal statement The only section you have control over. Your only chance to sell yourself as an individual. One personal statement for all choices. Max. 4,000 characters, 47 lines. Min. 1,000 characters. No spelling/grammar check. No formatting.

46. How important is it? Your opportunity to stand out from others with similar grades. Chance to showcase writing style and talents. The weighting of the personal statement can vary from university to university and from course to course. It’s an important selection tool universities and colleges (including the Russell Group).

47. What is being looked for? Independent study skills. Self-awareness. Motivation and commitment. An understanding of the course. Good numeracy and literacy. Essay writing - don’t write lists! Research skills. Time management skills. Enthusiasm- go beyond the syllabus.

48. Other points to remember Strong opening paragraph Your research into the courses will help you 80% academic, 20% extra-curricular Be honest Draft, redraft and proof-read There’s no perfect statement

49. Registered centres can begin writing as soon as an applicant registers Used by institutions to verify students’ personal statement & ability Not seen by applicant prior to submission References The UK Data Protection Act allows applicant to request a full copy of application from UCAS (including reference)

50. References Similar format to personal statement Should form a partnership with the personal statement Should be in line with predicted grades Make sure its written for the right student Particularly important for competitive courses

51. What to include Academic performance. Suitability for the course. Skills and qualities, such as aptitude and enthusiasm. Current or past achievements in particular subject areas. Relevant extracurricular. Any commitments. Factors that may affect performance. Avoid unnecessary repetition

52. Key words from admissions tutors “INDEPENDENT” “INSIGHTFUL” “OBJECTIVE” “MEANINGFUL” Must ADD VALUE to the application A profile of performance and potential, prepared by professionals.

53. Guidance on qualification reform Why does your school offer a particular provision? Are non-subject specialists delivering courses? Any differences in location of study? How do you determine predicted grades? Is the student very new to your school? Source: SPA National Expert Think Tank Host a page on your school’s website; include the URL in references.

54. A common format for references Information on the school/college Suitability for the chosen course Subject by subject report Special circumstances (if applicable) Concluding endorsement

55. Reference exercise Offer or No Offer? Two applicants’ personal statements and references. Do you think an offer was made to either?

56. Questions