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UCAS Connect goes mobile after attracting 18,000 visitors in ten days

11 August 2011

Busy university hopefuls can now look up the advice they need at any time, thanks to the UCAS Connect mobile phone app.

After notching up more than 18,000 visitors across 100 different countries and territories, the service is now accessible via a free app on Android, Apple and Nokia phones.

Kirstie Buchanan, of Rippleffect, who developed the app, said it offered applicants 'UCAS in their pockets'.

The app provides top tips, frequently asked questions and video guides, as well as access to UCAS' interactive search tool. Anyone with a question about university or college can type it in and get relevant answers.

Installing Connect on your phone also gives access to UCAS' Twitter account and Facebook page, where you can read real-time answers from expert advisers.

After a short pilot earlier this year UCAS Connect was re-launched this month in the build up to Confirmation and Clearing - usually known as "results day" - on August 18.

More than 77 percent of the visitors rated the YouTube videos as "extremely useful". The clips give advice on, for example, how to navigate your way through Clearing.

Over 65 percent of users said UCAS Connect saved them a phone call. Nearly all users (94 percent) said the language used was "just right", and neither too formal or informal.

Users have praised the videos as "brilliant, nice, clear and easy to follow", and another applicant said "Connect is very user friendly and easy to use and this would be the first place I would search for answers to any university questions I have."

Beth Hayes, who oversees the project as part of UCAS' Online Experience team said: "The UCAS Connect app provides instant help at the touch of a phone screen, allowing us to reach busy people at a time that suits them. Applicants can get the answers they need without having to call, which is especially valuable to international students."

Kirstie Buchanan added: "You can actually learn quite a bit in sixty seconds. It's possible to educate and entertain whilst ensuring we get direct messages of help and support across. We have created a fantastic product that not only advises users on what to do, but shares anecdotes that make their experience more engaging."

Applicants can now access a mobile version of the UCAS website (www.ucas.com ) as well. It carries the latest UCAS news and links to yougofurther (www.yougo.co.uk), UCAS' student network. Here applicants can get to know each other and swap tips before they even set foot on campus.

To see the full range of services on offer visit UCAS Connect.

You can download the app via the Android Market, Apple's App Store, and Nokia's Ovi store. You can also view the mobile version of the website on Windows 7 and Blackberry phones.

UCAS is a charity and is the world's leading shared admissions service for higher education. We manage applications for full-time undergraduate courses, together with applications through GTTR (Graduate Teacher Training Registry), CUKAS (Conservatoires UK Admissions Service) and UKPASS (UK Postgraduate Application and Statistical Service).

Since its inception in 1993, UCAS has processed around 30 million applications and placed over 5 million students on higher education courses.

Services include:

  • An informative website (www.ucas.com) enabling students and parents to access a wealth of information designed to help their application to higher education run smoothly.
  • A state-of-the-art contact centre (0871 468 0468) providing a point of contact for students, schools and higher education institutions.
  • An online application system.
  • A simple, straightforward tracking service enabling students and schools advisers to access up-to-date information about their applications at the click of a button.
  • Over 50 higher education events each year providing 250,000 students with face-to-face advice on the UCAS process. Internationally, we participated in events in over 12 countries and also provided training and professional development throughout Europe and beyond.
  • UCAS Connect, which brings you the digital side of UCAS. It's the place for all online advice and tips about applying to university. You can talk to us, ask questions on our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, and join our student network, yougofurther. Here you can meet people applying to your course or university.

Media contacts
UCAS Press Office: 01242 545469
James Woodward, Press Officer
Email: j.woodward@ucas.ac.uk
James Durant, Press Officer
Email: j.durant@ucas.ac.uk

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