1. Beyond Sixth Form
Next Steps

2. Where next? University Employment Through UCAS
Could include a gap year
70-80% of students
Could be through an apprenticeship or other training programme offering career advancement

3. Outline Overview and preparation University – UCAS and Finance
Other options

4. Overview – Opportunities in year 12
University & Employer visits (Jan onwards)
UCAS Convention (April)
Work Experience (throughout the year & the summer)
Work in PSE (throughout the year)
University open days (June)

5. Overview – Opportunities still to come
July tutor morning
Guided exploratory time (e.g. UCAS / Apprenticeships / School leaver programmes)
Tutors discuss options and aspirations with students
Opportunity to use the reference and prospectus libraries within the school
Familiarisation with the UCAS website / application system

6. Overview – Opportunities still to come
July rich experience week
Future pathways event
Key groups;
Elite universities
Nursing
Medicine / Dentistry
Primary Education
Law
Early applications

7. Overview – year 13 2nd September (first day) PSE & tutors
CV workshop / UCAS personal statements IMPORTANT that students have an idea of what they want to do by now
PSE & tutors
Personal statement & UCAS form completion
By end of September for key groups
By end of December for everyone else

8. At the heart of connecting people to higher education
Why higher education?
Increase potential earnings*
Better career prospects
Benefit the wider community
Social and cultural reasons
More independence, self-confidence and responsibility
Personal challenge
Broadens interests and knowledge
Better health
It can be immense fun!
Usually on this slide we ask the audience before clicking – what are the main reasons to go to HE?
You may like to get some up-to-date statistics to support the bullet points eg on average graduates earn X more than non graduates in 2013.
If you Google ‘why go to university?’ these are some of the reasons that come up as articulated by researchers and applicants alike.
*Source: Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, 2006, in Universities UK, Research Report, The Economic Benefits of a Degree
At the heart of connecting people to higher education

9. The UCAS journey The steps all applicants will take to get to uni.
1 – Research, what are you looking for and do you have what the universities/colleges are looking for?
2 – Making your application
3 – Starting uni – enrolment, finance, life at uni.
More detail on ucas.com, and in Parent Guides if you have given them these.

10. Research – it’s free and important to do
Start at
Make sure your son or daughter signs up for a UCAS Card – they’ll get monthly s and discount on top-name brands.
Research – career options, universities, courses and minimum entry requirements.
Attend a UCAS event – even if your son or daughter doesn’t know what they want to do, speaking to those in the know will help.
Learn from others – student videos
are available to watch at UCAS.tv.
Research is the most important part of the journey – you need to be fully prepared before you start your application in order to identify skill gaps in a timely fashion.
Every year so many applicants are unsuccessful for reasons that could have been avoided if they had undertaken better research.
When UCAS interviewed current students in their second year asking them what advice they would give to their 18 year old self, ALL of the students said – ‘do more research!’
Nearly all courses on ucas.com have an Entry Profile which is very detailed information about what the institution is looking for in terms of their applicants – a bit like a job description!
The best time to attend open days is before you submit your application – in plenty of time! For example Y12.
Think about the number you are going to attend – do not go to too many as you will struggle to remember each institution and their individual features and benefits will all roll into one.
Find us on:
At the heart of connecting people to higher education
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11. Other things to consider
Work experience – professional bodies, charities or at events
Finance – course fees, grants, travel and living costs
Travel – to and from home
Accommodation – uni halls or private residences?
Living away from home...
Although work experience is not mandatory, it helps enormously in being able to get the required skills and experience for university and to be able to write a good personal statement, it also helps applicants decide what they are interested in. Students that have done this kind of thing are the ones that STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD!
Catering - a foot in the door. It’s frequently difficult to get work experience directly in many vocations so don’t forget about catering opportunities in eg care homes or hospitals, and charities such as Cancer Research UK who are nearly always looking for volunteers.
Even undertaking roles within school or college or at your local town/village can help and be counted. Eg helping with brownies, your local church, or helping at a local gig venue.
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

12. How can you support the research process?
Sign up to the monthly UCAS Parents Newsletter.
Download the 2014 UCAS Parent Guide from the UCAS website.
Offer to attend open days with them, you may have a different perspective.
Financial assistance – with railway tickets.
Try to remain impartial.
Visit
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

13. Key features of the UCAS scheme
Your son or daughter can make up to five choices in one application.
The 2014 applicant fee is:
£12 for one choice
£23 for up to five choices.
Applications received by the key deadlines are given equal consideration.
‘Invisibility’ – universities cannot see where else students have applied. In
UCAS received 653,637 applications
464,910 were accepted
The only exception where students can not make five choices is for medicine, veterinary science/medicine and dentistry courses, where students can only make 4 choices.
Students can also only apply to study one course at either Oxford and Cambridge – not both.
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

14. Key dates and deadlines
Mid-June
Applicants can register and start to complete their application.
Mid-September
Schools can start to submit completed applications to UCAS.
15 October
Medicine, dentistry, veterinary sci/med and Oxford or Cambridge.
15 January
Application deadline for most courses.
24 March
Many art & design courses (check each course for deadline).
30 June
Applications after this date held for Clearing.
This is a good opportunity to talk about how it is managed within your school or college – that your deadlines are as important as the UCAS ones. At this point you can also suggest to applicants to use their summer holidays wisely.
Admissions test may need to be completed prior to applying.
All applications received up to a deadline will be considered by universities – following the deadline it is up to a university if they wish to consider the application or not, after a deadline they are able to close courses. When an applicant applies after a deadline date the application is passed on and marked as late – many will still have vacancies and can make the student an offer as normal, but popular courses/universities will not be in this position so it would be wise to check this with universities directly first.
At the heart of connecting people to higher education

15. At the heart of connecting people to higher education
The UCAS application
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16. Making the application
Apply is the UCAS online application system.
Every applicant has six sections to complete:
Personal details
Student finance (UK and EU only)
Choices
Education
Employment
Personal statement.
Once a student submits their application, the reference is added and it is sent to UCAS who passes it on to the university
To register with Apply takes 10 minutes, then the applicant is able to log in and out of their form as much as they want to before completing it. To register they will need the school/college BUZZ word – you may give it out now?
Personal details – information about the applicant, nationality, nominated access (if parents wish to help and talk to UCAS or uni’s directly) and how we contact them. A section alongside this is additional information – ethnicity, care, parents’ background questions – remind parents that not all information will be used to make decisions, some is used for statistical purposes.
Student finance – if filled in we’ll remind students to apply for this and pre-populate some fields in their application with data from Apply.
Choices – students can make five choices. The exception is where students can only make four choices for medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine/science courses, although the remaining choice(s) can be used for any other subject. Students can also only apply to study one course at either Oxford and Cambridge – not both.
Education - is the area where most errors take place so take care eg know which BTEC you’re taking.
Employment – can be marked blank, and it is paid employment only.
Students send form to school/college they then send it to UCAS after the reference and checking. UCAS sends it to universities within hours.
Remind about mandatory fields, many are not so you don’t need to fill them in, and the ‘?’ contains help text for each box.
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

17. Personal statement – start early
Personal statements are so important, make sure your son or daughter includes:
academic achievements, past and present
interests in the chosen subject area
knowledge of the subject and enthusiasm to go beyond the syllabus
what they enjoy about studying
details of their independent study skills.
The questions universities and colleges will ask:
have they chosen the right subject for the right reasons?
do they have a range of interests?
does the personal statement confirm their interest in the subject?
have they studied independently?
are they motivated and committed?
do they possess good numeracy and literacy skills?
Personal statements should stand out – tutors receive 200 per week!
If a student is applying to both dance and horticulture the personal statement will struggle to convey their commitment to both subjects.
UCAS checks all personal statements against a library of the last 5 years and against all major websites – more info on
Personal statement guides are available to help a student ask relevant questions, plan their timetable for writing the personal statement and include or exclude the correct information – these are downloadable from
Write it early:
You will need to write a few drafts
Get someone to read through it
Apply has NO SPELL CHECK facility!
At the heart of connecting people to higher education

18. Decision-making by institutions
Universities and colleges will review:
Personal statement
Reference
Qualifications
Admissions test results
Interviews
Portfolios
Auditions.
An admissions tutor may make one of three decisions:
Unconditional offer
Conditional offer
Unsuccessful.
Institutions may also offer a place on an alternative course
So it’s important to make sure all aspects of your application are the best they can be, and that you have undertaken sufficient research so you know what your universities are looking for.
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

19. Tracking applications
Track will allow your son or daughter to:
follow the progress of their application 24/7
see their choices and personal information
display their offers
reply to offers online.
Track is our online system that allows students to follow the progress of their application
If an applicant does not receive offers at the same time as their friends – this is normal. Each HEI makes offers in different ways and at different rates.
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

20. At the heart of connecting people to higher education
Replying to offers
When your son or daughter receives decisions from all of their choices they will need to make their replies by a set date.
They can now hold a maximum of two offers:
Firm - their first choice. If they meet the conditions of the offer they will be placed.
Insurance – acts as a back-up choice and only comes into play if they are not placed with their firm choice.
If your son or daughter fails to reply to their offers by the deadline date, all offers will be automatically declined.
If they do not receive any offers they can make an additional choice through the Extra scheme
Applicants do not have to have an insurance choice if they are certain they would only be interested in one of their offers.
Applicants cannot swap between the insurance and firm choices.
The insurance choice disappears once they have been placed with their firm choice.
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

21. At the heart of connecting people to higher education
Extra
If your son or daughter does not get an offer from any of their choices they can use Extra.
Students eligible for Extra:
Used all five choices
All choices unsuccessful, cancelled or offers
declined
No option for firm or insurance
Universities have 21 days to respond
Existing apply information used.
Extra is open between February - July
More information can be found on
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22. At the heart of connecting people to higher education
Confirmation
Exam results are published – many are passed electronically to universities by UCAS.
Admissions staff check if the applicant has met the conditions of the offer. There are four possibilities:
2. If a student doesn’t meet the conditions of their firm choice, but meets the conditions of their insurance choice (which should be lower), they will be placed at their insurance choice. It’s also time to celebrate!
1. If a student meets the conditions of their firm choice. It’s time to celebrate!
Most exam results will be passed automatically from awarding bodies to UCAS before the school or applicant sees them to enable us to process Confirmation decisions, ucas.com displays the qualifications this is applicable to.
4. If a student meets and exceeds the conditions of their offer, they are eligible for Adjustment. This provides an opportunity for them to reconsider where and what to study whilst still holding their firm offer.
3. If a student has not met the conditions of their firm or insurance choice (or no insurance), they will be entered into a process known as Clearing.
At the heart of connecting people to higher education
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23. The Clearing process Clearing Applicant enters choice details on Track
University or college will make a decision
If unsuccessful applicant can start again
Applicant contacts university or college to discuss vacancies
Clearing
An applicant may add any choice that is open in Clearing.
An applicant will only be able to substitute a Clearing choice when an institution declines the applicant (on screen decision reply shows as Clearing Accept Declined) which will release the applicant into Clearing.
The applicant will not be allowed to withdraw a Clearing choice.
If an applicant receives a Clearing ‘accept’ decision through the Clearing process they will not have the option of accepting or declining the offer in Track.
More information is available at
If successfully placed – celebrate!
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

24. How can you support the application process?
Don’t book holidays at key times
e.g. results day
Engage with the school – find out opening times and key contacts, use opportunities provided
Support your son or daughter’s management of their application.
Make sure they read everything they are sent carefully!
Prepare them for living away from home:
Cost of living – paying bills
Independent living skills – cooking and washing.
Be there...
Comforting, proofreading, encouraging, testing, practising etc
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At the heart of connecting people to higher education

25. At the heart of connecting people to higher education
Find out more
At the heart of connecting people to higher education
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26. Help & Support
Important students see Mr Ballantyne (careers advisor) about their thoughts/choices for some professional up-to-date advice
Students need to be pro-active if they are applying for competitive courses (e.g. Oxbridge, medicine, law, nursing, primary education)
Students may need to take advantage of work experience opportunities
Students may need to sit an admissions test

27. What support can you get?
TUITION FEE Loan
Extra support
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SECTION 3
What support can you get?
Maintenance
support

28. i TUITION FEES AND LOANS AN OVERVIEW
With tuition fees of up to £9,000, how can you afford to go to uni?
Eligible students won’t have to pay any tuition fees up front.
A Tuition Fee Loan is available to cover the fee charged by a university
or college.*
A Tuition Fee Loan doesn’t depend on household income.
SFE pay the Tuition Fee Loan directly to your university or college.
The loan is repayable, but only when your income is over £21,000. i
*Up to £9,000 for full-time courses at a publicly funded uni or college
or up to £6,000 for approved courses at private providers.

29. i MAINTENANCE SUPPORT AN OVERVIEW
Maintenance support is available to help with your living costs while in
higher education.
There are two main types of support, Maintenance Loan (that you pay back) and Maintenance Grant (that you don’t).
All eligible students are entitled to get some Maintenance support.*
The amount of Maintenance Loan you can get depends on where you
live and study.
Maintenance support is paid directly into your bank account each term. i
*Most of the Maintenance Loan available to you is not linked to
household income (65% is non means tested).

30. £ £ £ i MAINTENANCE LOAN £4,565 £5,740 £8,009
MAXIMUM LEVELS FOR 2015/16
Parental home
Live at home while you study
Up to
£4,565
Elsewhere
Live away from home & study outside London
Up to
£5,740
London
Live away from home & study in London
Up to
£8,009
If studying overseas as part of a UK course, Maintenance Loan support is still available; up to £6,820 for 2015/16. i

31. i MAINTENANCE GRANT SUPPORT AND MEANS TESTING
The Maintenance Grant doesn’t have to be repaid.
How much grant you can get depends on your household income.
Household income:
up to £25,000
Full grant:
£3,387
The maximum amount of the Maintenance Grant is £3,387. Students will qualify for the maximum where their household income is £25,000 or less. Where household income exceeds £42,620, no grant is payable. Where students get a Maintenance Grant their Maintenance Loan entitlement may be reduced.
Students in some circumstances, for example single parents or those with certain disabilities can apply for a Special Support Grant, this won’t affect their Maintenance Loan entitlement.
Household income:
up to £42,620
Partial grant:
(Min £50)
You can get an estimate of your student finance entitlement
using the calculator on: gov.uk/studentfinance i

32. i EXTRA SUPPORT BURSARIES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Many universities and colleges offer financial support to their students
through bursaries and scholarships:
Bursaries:
linked to personal circumstances and often, household income
awards can include discounted tuition fees, accommodation or cash
Scholarships:
linked to academic results or ability in an area such as sport or music
can be subject specific and are usually limited in numbers
Check university/college websites and ask at open days to see
what they offer and how/when to apply....don’t miss out!! i

33. i EXTRA SUPPORT ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
DEPENDANTS, DISABILITIES AND NHS BURSARIES
Other financial help and support may also be available if you:
have children or an adult dependent on you
have a disability, including a mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty
study an NHS or Social Work course
NHS courses include:
nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy,
dietetics, radiography , the later stages of medicine and dentistry
Childcare Grant
Helps with childcare costs for dependent children aged under 15 at the beginning of the academic year (or under
17 if they have special educational needs) in registered or approved childcare. For more details on what childcare
qualifies, visit
Parents’ Learning Allowance
This allowance can help with course-related costs for students with dependent children.
Adult Dependants’ Grant
The grant can help if a student has an adult who depends on them financially. This can’t be the student’s grown-up child or other adult who gets student finance.
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) help pay for extra costs a student might have as a direct result of their disability including a mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. DSAs are additional support available to students who may otherwise be prevented from attending a higher-education course because of a disability.
Link to NHS site is live!
Students studying a medicine, dentistry or other healthcare course may be able to apply for an NHS grant and
bursary to help with tuition fees, living costs and extra help for students in certain circumstances. These grants and
bursaries can be applied through the NHS Business Services Authority and don’t have to be paid back. Students who
live in England may also be able to get additional help from Student Finance England (SFE).
For more information on eligibility and applications for NHS
support go to: i

34. i STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS AN OVERVIEW
You won’t make repayments until your income is over £21,000 a year.
If you study a full-time course, you will be due to start repaying in the
April after graduating or leaving higher education.
You’ll repay 9% of your income over £21,000 and if you’re employed deductions will be made from your pay through the HMRC tax system.*
If your income falls to £21,000 or below your repayments will stop.
Any outstanding loan balance will be written off 30 years after entering repayment.
The current earnings threshold is:
£404 a week
£1,750 a month
£21,000 a year
Students who live or work overseas after they’ve finished their course still need to repay their loans. They’ll get more information about this towards the end of their course.
The repayment threshold can change, for more information go to
*If you move/work overseas you will repay 9% of your earnings
over the repayment threshold for the country you are living in. i

35. Income each year before tax Monthly repayment (Approx)
STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS
THE FIGURES
Income each year before tax
9% will be deducted from
Monthly repayment (Approx)
£21,000 £0
£30,000
£9,000
£67
£40,000
£19,000
£142
£50,000
£29,000
£217
£60,000
£39,000
£292
Link to page is Live!
From example: a basic way of working out the monthly repayment would be to divide £4,000 by 12 giving £ and that by 9% giving a monthly payment of £30.
The interest rate is updated once a year in September, using the rate of RPI from March. Details on this can be found on the repayment website.
Full-time student interest
While studying until entering repayment = RPI +3%
On entering repayment interest is linked to earnings
Under £21,000 = RPI Only
£21,000 to £41,000 = RPI + up to 3%
Over £41,000 = RPI + 3%
Part-time RPI
While studying on a course until whichever comes first:
the April after graduating or leaving a course; or
the April after the fourth anniversary of the start of a course - RPI + 3%
From the April after graduating or leaving a course, or after the fourth anniversary of the start of a course - RPI
Income
£25,000
£4,000
9% Deducted from?
Monthly
repayment?
£30
Interest is applied to your loan at a maximum rate of RPI +3%
More info can be found on: i

36. Student finance support
More detailed session for Parents in March next year – 2016/17 information
Support for students
Also talk about money management with students in PSE
Budgeting
Banking
Dangers

37. Other options Apprenticeships School leaver programmes
Visit to Dryden centre – Gateshead apprenticeship programmes
School leaver programmes
Offered by many companies – some nationally others more locally
Range of academic abilities
Some may support study at Level 4 and above (e.g. accountancy)

38. Information Often comes in at short notice
s go out to students – IMPORTANT that they check on them regularly or they can miss out
We encourage students with smartphones to pull their school onto their phones (gmail app)

39. Any questions