Tariff processes

How do qualifications get Tariff points?

UCAS considers qualifications for inclusion in the Tariff upon receipt of a formal request from the relevant awarding organisation, sector skills council, government or government agency.

In order to manage the expected volume of qualifications seeking entry into the Tariff within the next 12 months, UCAS will prioritise requests for inclusion on the Tariff. All organisations wanting UCAS to consider their qualification for inclusion on the Tariff are therefore asked to complete an expression of interest form prior to submitting their qualification(s) for consideration. Qualifications will be prioritised for consideration based on the information received on the expression of interest form.

UCAS Tariff expression of interest

Following an initial review of the qualification, UCAS submits a timed and costed work plan for the necessary comparability work. Once this plan has been approved UCAS sources an appropriate benchmark qualification against which the qualification seeking inclusion in the Tariff is compared. In order to be appropriate, the benchmark:

  • must attract UCAS Tariff points
  • must be in a related subject, or have a related skills base, to enable comparability
  • is normally a GCE A level except in circumstances where the qualification seeking Tariff points is so occupationally focused that it cannot be compared with a GCE A level.

It is important to note that UCAS facilitates the comparability work with all considerations made by a panel of experts including experienced individuals from higher education and awarding organisation representatives. Information about the recruitment of HE subject specialists can be found here.

 

How do the experts compare qualifications?

UCAS provides summaries of each qualification being compared, which the experts use along with specifications, assessment materials and candidate evidence (where available) to answer a set of questions covering the following themes:

  • aims
  • size
  • content and coverage
  • assessment objectives/criteria
  • assessment models
  • grade/performance descriptions
  • strengths and weaknesses.

In addition, experts also consider the extent to which each qualification helps to prepare students for higher education through completion of Tariff domain scores. Further information about UCAS Tariff domain scoring can be found at Tariff domains.

The tasks completed by the Tariff Expert Panel members are compiled into a single report by UCAS staff with issues and discussion points summarised by an independent HE qualifications and education expert. These points then form agenda items for a final meeting of the panel, at which recommendations for the allocation of Tariff points are made.

Recommendations are reviewed by a wider group of HE admissions staff and qualification regulators before being submitted to the UCAS Board for approval.