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Entering qualifications

Step 2: Applying

Guidance on entering specific qualifications

Click on the qualification title below for more information:


If your qualification isn't listed below, please read the help text in Apply, speak to your school, college or centre, or contact our Customer Contact Centre for advice.

GCE qualifications (AS & A level, single & double award)

You must list all subjects that have been certificated (also known as 'claimed' or 'cashed in') at GCE AS level. This includes subjects which you're taking on to A level. You should include a subject even if you're resitting an AS unit to improve your A level grade.

If you have any doubts about the certification of your AS subjects, check with your school or college, or whoever is helping you with your application.

Entering unit or module details for AS or A levels is optional - check the Entry Profiles in Course Search to see if universities want your units or module results and add them if they do.

Entering A levels

  1. Choose 'A level' from the alphabetical list in Apply, and select your subject from the drop-down list provided. If your subject isn't in the list, type it into the free text 'Other' field just below.
  2. In the 'Qualification Date' field enter the date on which you received or will receive your qualification. You can enter the awarding organisation you took your qualification with from the drop-down list provided, or in the free text field alongside it if you can't find the right one.
  3. If you have already completed your qualification you can enter the grade you achieved in the 'Grade' field, or if you are yet to take it you can enter 'pending'.
  4. Below this is a section where you can enter the modules or units you're taking as part of your A level, including grades if you know them.
  5. To enter A levels in other subjects, click on the 'save and add similar' button at the bottom of the page, and enter the details for your next A level.

The following scenarios should help you to enter your qualifications correctly.

  • Your AS levels were certificated

    Enter your AS subject and the grade achieved, with the achieved unit results if you wish.


  • Your AS levels were certificated, and you're retaking some/all units to achieve a higher overall grade

    Enter your AS subject and grade achieved with the achieved unit results if you wish. Then, enter the AS level again (to cover the resit) with the results showing as pending, even if you're taking the subject on to A level. We need to know about the AS level resits for matching purposes to enable us to pass on the potentially new AS grade to your chosen universities and colleges.


  • Your AS level was certificated prior to sitting A levels

    When entering your pending A level, you can enter the units achieved at AS level with the grades if you wish. Then, enter the additional units for your A level as pending.

    Or

    When entering your pending A level you can enter just the pending units that you're taking.

    If you're resitting one or some of the AS units that will count towards achieving your A level, you can also enter these units as pending.

AS and A level mathematics and further mathematics

Students who are taking AS and A level mathematics or further mathematics are advised by their awarding organisation to re-certificate these qualifications at the end so that the best combination of grades is awarded.

For example, if you have certificated your AS mathematics, enter the grade you have received. If you are then re-certificating the AS so that all units are released to allow the best possible combination of the A level award to be achieved, you also enter the AS mathematics with a pending result.

Music, dance, drama or speech qualifications

If you have music qualifications, such as ABRSM or equivalents, dance qualifications, such as RAD or equivalents, drama or speech qualifications, such as LAMDA, only enter each subject once with the highest grade you achieved.

Open University credits

In the title box, enter the programme code, the programme title and the number of credit points for all the Open University programmes you have completed or for which you are studying, for example, S103 Discovering Science 60 points.

Additional admissions tests

Some universities and colleges require you to to sit additional admissions tests as part of the admissions process. View a list of admissions tests.

Enter details for any admissions tests you have already taken with results and any you still need to take. (But remember that all your chosen universities and colleges will see the qualifications you enter. Only certain universities and colleges require specific admissions tests for particular courses so when you provide details for an admissions test, you may give some indication of the universities, colleges and courses you have entered in the choices section of your application. The universities and colleges will not, however, have the details of any of the other institutions or courses you have chosen.)

Scottish qualifications

Entering Highers

  1. Choose 'Highers (Scottish)' from the alphabetical list in Apply, then select your subject from the drop down-list provided. If your subject isn't in the list, type it into the free text 'Other' field just below.
  2. In the 'Qualification Date' field enter the date on which you received or will receive your qualification, and enter the awarding organisation you took your qualification with from the drop-down list provided.
  3. In the 'result' field you can enter the grade you achieved if you have already taken the qualification, or if you are yet to take it you can enter 'pending'.
  4. There is also some space where you can enter the modules or units you are taking as part of your Higher if you have been advised to do so by the universities or colleges you are applying to, including grades if you know them.
  5. You will need to select a new Higher for each subject you have taken or are taking.

Entering Advanced Highers

  1. Choose 'Advanced Highers' from the alphabetical list in Apply, then select your subject from the drop-down list provided. If your subject isn't in the list, type it into the free text 'Other' field just below.
  2. In the 'Qualification Date' field enter the date on which you received or will receive your qualification, and enter the awarding organisation you took your qualification with from the drop-down list provided.
  3. In the 'result' field you can enter the grade you achieved if you have already taken the qualification, or if you are yet to take it you can enter 'pending'.
  4. There is also some space where you can enter the modules or units you are taking as part of your Advanced Higher if you have been advised to do so by the universities or colleges you are applying to, including grades if you know them.
  5. You will need to select a new Advanced Higher for each subject you have taken or are taking.

Standard Grades, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, Highers, Advanced Highers

Don't enter details for the units that make up these qualifications unless your universities or colleges have asked you to provide this information. If you have entered details for a Mathematics course where you had the option to take Maths or Statistics as the External Assessment, you should enter Maths 3 or Statistics as a unit/module.

National and other free-standing units

Enter details for any units you have obtained or are studying that are not part of a completed course or a Scottish Group Award. You must not enter details for Core Skills units as national or freestanding units. Enter these units under your Core Skills Profile (see Core Skills Profile below).

Group awards

Such as HNCs, HNDs, National Certificates, National Progression Awards (NPAs), Professional Development Awards (PDAs), Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs)

Enter the title for the whole course, the date when you finished or expect to finish the course and the result or grade. If you're still studying for the qualification, leave the result/grade box blank. Then enter details for all the units or subjects that make up the qualification. If you're entering details of an HNC or HND that includes Group Award Graded Units, give details for these units by putting 'Graded Unit' after the unit title, for example, HNC Business Graded Unit 1.

If you have taken, or are taking, HNC or HND units, national units or workplace-assessed units, but not as part of a course or group award, enter the details as free-standing units.

Core skills profile

Enter the general information for the whole Core Skills Profile. Then add details for all the core skills that make up the profile.

Access courses

Check that you know which of the four Access courses you have taken (see below) - if you are taking the qualification now, it is likely to be the Access to HE Diploma (2009 onwards).

Enter your qualification title in the box provided, select the date it will be awarded or was awarded and which organisation validated it.

For each module or unit, enter its title and the date it was achieved or will be achieved. You should also enter the credit value and level for each unit. For each level 3 unit, enter the grade achieved, or 'pending' if you do not have the results yet. For level 2 units, simply enter 'No gr'. You can add more modules by clicking the 'add another module' button at the end of the page.

Selecting an Access course in Apply

  • The Access to HE Certificate was only offered until 2007.
  • The Access to HE Diploma (ungraded - last award 2011) did not have grades for the units, but only an overall grade of pass or fail.
  • The Access to HE Diploma (2009 onwards) has no overall grade, but does have grades for the level 3 units taken. It consists of 60 credits of which 45 must be taken at level three.
  • Access (other) should be used where your course was offered by a particular university or college in isolation, perhaps where it was designed for access onto a particular programme at that same institution.

If you're in doubt, please ask your college for help.

If you're taking a Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) or an access programme agreed locally with a university or college, talk to your tutor before you start to apply.

International Baccalaureate

  1. Choose 'International Baccalaureate Diploma' from the alphabetical list in Apply.
  2. In the 'Qualification Date' field enter the date on which you received or will receive your qualification, and in the 'total score' field enter either the total number of IB points you achieved or 'pending' if you are yet to complete your qualification.
  3. You can use the Modules section to enter the IB Certificates you have taken or are taking as part of your IB Diploma. Use the drop-down list to find your subject, then enter the date you will take or took this subject. In the 'HL, SL, EE, TOK' section use the drop-down list to indicate whether you took this subject at higher level or standard level. In the grade section you can either enter pending if you are yet to complete this subject, or enter your points if you have already achieved it.
  4. You can then add the next subject being taken by clicking on the 'add another module' button at the bottom of the page. You should have three standard level subjects and three higher level subjects.
  5. You should also enter your Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay in this section. For Theory of Knowledge, simply select it from the drop-down list, enter the date achieved or to be achieved, and select 'Th of Know' from the 'HL, SL, EE, TOK' section. If this is still to be achieved enter 'pending' for your grade, but if you have achieved it remember to select a letter grade rather than a number from the drop-down list.
  6. For your Extended Essay, select 'Extended Essay' from the subject drop-down list, and then simply enter the date, select 'Ext Essay' from the 'HL, SL, EE, TOK' field and enter either the letter grade or 'pending' if it is still to be completed. If you know the title of your essay you may want to enter this in the free text field provided underneath the subject drop-down list instead of selecting 'Extended Essay' - just remember to indicate that this is your Extended Essay by selecting 'Ext Essay' from the 'HL, SL, EE, TOK' field.

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma

  1. Choose Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma from the alphabetical list in Apply.
  2. Enter the date you achieved or will achieve your qualification, the awarding organisation you took the qualification with and your result if you have already achieved it - if not, select 'pending' from the drop-down list.
  3. In the module section, enter the title of the individual investigation you are taking as part of your Welsh Bacc. This just indicates that you have taken the Welsh Bacc Core - to enter your Options, go back to the alphabetical list of qualifications and enter them from there (for example, Principal Learning or A level).

14-19 Diploma

You don't need to enter all elements of your Diploma separately - simply choose the correct Diploma from 'D' in the alphabetical list in Apply. Select the line of learning you are on from the drop-down list, then the date that you received or will receive your qualification, and the awarding organisation you took your qualification with. You can then select the grade you achieved for your Diploma, or 'pending' if you are yet to complete it.

We recommend that you enter your Extended Project separately, as institutions like to know what you are studying for this element of the qualification. To enter this, go back to the alphabetical lists and select 'Extended Project (Level 3)'. As well as the date, awarding organisation and grade fields, you will see a free text box which can be used to enter the title of your Extended Project.

If you are studying for an Advanced Diploma and are undertaking Additional and Specialist Learning, you will also need to enter this separately from the alphabetical lists (ie: A level or BTEC Subsidiary Diploma).

For more information view our guide How to apply to UCAS with a 14-19 Advanced or Progression Diploma


Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Principal Subject)

  1. Choose 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Principal Subject)' from the alphabetical list in Apply.
  2. In the 'Subject' field use the drop-down list to select the subject that you have taken. If you can't find your subject, type it into the free-text 'other' field.
  3. In the 'Qualification Date' field enter the date on which you received or will receive your qualification, and in the 'Awarding Organisation' field enter CIE (Cambridge International Examinations).
  4. In the 'Grade' field use the drop-down list to select the grade that you achieved for this qualification, or 'pending' if you are yet to complete this subject.
  5. If you have taken more than one Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Principal Subject), click on the 'Save and Add Similar' button at the bottom of the page so you can add the details of your other Cambridge Pre-U Certificates (Principal Subjects).
  6. If you have taken Cambridge Pre-U Certificate Short Courses or Global Perspectives and Independent Research (GPR), please do not enter these here. Please go back to the alphabetical list and select 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Short Course)' or 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Global Perspectives & Independent Research)' as appropriate.

Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Short Course)

  1. Choose 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Short Course)' from the alphabetical list in Apply.
  2. In the 'Subject' field use the drop down list to select the subject that you have taken. If you can't find your subject, type it into the free-text 'other' field.
  3. In the 'Qualification Date' field enter the date on which you received or will receive your qualification, and in the 'Awarding Organisation' field enter CIE (Cambridge International Examinations).
  4. In the 'Grade' field use the drop-down list to select the grade that you achieved for this qualification, or 'pending' if you are yet to complete this subject.
  5. If you have taken more than one Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Short Course), click on the 'Save and Add Similar' button at the bottom of the page so you can add the details of your other Cambridge Pre-U Certificates (Short Courses).
  6. If you have taken Cambridge Pre-U Certificate [Principal Subjects or Global Perspectives and Independent Research (GPR)], please do not enter these here. Please go back to the alphabetical list and select 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Principal Subject)' or 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Global Perspectives & Independent Research)' as appropriate.

Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Global Perspectives & Independent Research - GPR)

  1. Choose 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Global Perspectives & Independent Research)' from the alphabetical list in Apply.
  2. In the 'Qualification Date' field enter the date on which you received or will receive your qualification, and in the 'Awarding Organisation' field enter CIE (Cambridge International Examinations).
  3. In the 'Grade' field use the drop-down list to select the grade that you achieved for this qualification, or 'pending' if you are yet to complete this subject.
  4. If you have taken the Cambridge Pre-U Global Perspectives Short Course, please enter this under the Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Short Course) section.
  5. If you have taken any other Cambridge Pre-U Certificates (Principal Subjects or Short Courses), please do not enter these here. Please go back to the alphabetical list and select 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Principal Subject)' or 'Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Short Course)' as appropriate.

Cambridge Pre-U Diploma

  1. Choose 'Cambridge Pre-U Diploma' from the alphabetical list in Apply.
  2. In the 'Qualification Date' field enter the date on which you received or will receive your qualification, and in the 'Awarding Organisation' field enter CIE (Cambridge International Examinations).
  3. In the 'total score' field, enter either the total number of points you achieved or 'pending' if you are yet to complete your qualification.
  4. You can use the Modules section to enter the Principal Subjects you have taken or are taking as part of your Cambridge Pre-U Diploma. Use the drop-down list to find your subject then enter the date you will take or took this subject.
  5. In the grade section, you can either enter pending if you are yet to complete this subject, or enter your grade if you have already achieved it.
  6. You can then add the next Cambridge Pre-U Certificate (Principal Subject) by clicking on the 'add another module' button at the bottom of the page. Please note that A levels should not be added here, but should be selected separately from the alphabetical list of qualifications. You should, however, enter your Global Perspectives and Independent Research (GPR), in this section. Simply select 'Global Perspectives & Independent Research (GPR)' from the drop-down list, enter the date achieved or to be achieved, and enter either your result or 'pending' for your grade.

BTECs

There are a number of different BTECs listed in Apply as their format has changed a number of times over the years. The first step is to ensure that you have the full official title of your qualification - check this with your school or college before attempting to complete your application. You'll see that a lot of qualifications seem to appear twice, with just '(QCF)' at the end of the title to distinguish between them. There is a different structure for these qualifications, so it's important you know which you're taking. If you started your BTEC in or after September 2010 it will be one of the new QCF ones - if you're in any doubt, ask your school or college. If you started your BTEC before September 2010 it will be one of the old style BTECs. Some of these have different versions depending whether you took it before or after 2003, so check the date on your certificate. The format of your result can also help - most BTECs before 2004 did not have grades, so this may be an indication of which BTEC you should choose.


OCR National Extended Diploma

  1. Select 'OCR National Extended Diploma (18 units)' from the alphabetical list in Apply.
  2. Use the drop-down list in the 'subject' field to select the subject you have taken, or use the 'other' field if you can't find it.
  3. You can then enter the date you achieved or will achieve your qualification, as well as the grade you achieved if you have received your results - or 'pending' if you haven't.
  4. You also have the option to enter the units you have taken as part of your qualification, including grades if you know them.

Irish Leaving Certificate

  1. Select 'Eire - Irish Leaving Certificate' from the alphabetical list in Apply.
  2. Then select your subject from the drop-down list, or enter it into the 'other' field if you can't find it.
  3. Enter the date you achieved or will achieve your Certificate, and in the 'level' field indicate whether this was at Higher (IH) or Ordinary (IO) level.
  4. Finally, enter your grade if you have already taken this qualification, or 'pending' if you have yet to achieve it.
  5. To enter more Irish Leaving Certificates in other subjects, click the 'save and add similar' button and enter the details for your next Certificate.

QCF qualifications (excluding BTECs)

If you're taking one of the new QCF qualifications, please ensure you select the correct qualification title from the list. All QCF qualifications have 'QCF' at the end of the title, eg Diploma (QCF) or Advanced Certificate (QCF) or NVQ Diploma (QCF).

If you have any queries about entering your qualifications, speak to your school or college, or whoever may be helping you with your application.