UCAS - Overview

Overview of Apply

Apply is an application system that allows you to apply online for courses at universities and colleges in the UK. You'll be asked to complete the following sections.

Registration
Personal details
Additional information (UK applicants only)
Student finance
Choices
Education

Employment
Personal statement
Reference
View all details
Declaration
Pay and send

You'll need to mark every section as complete before you can send your application to us.

Help text

There are two types of help available in Apply. We provide help that gives you an overview about the current page that you're viewing, and help that is specific to each question. Please read the help text before completing your application.

European characters

If you want to, you can enter some European characters that are not in the English alphabet in some fields of the following sections of your application: personal details, personal statement, employment, and referee details. Not all universities and colleges can view these characters correctly, so a version with substituted English characters is also made available to them. If you enter a European character that does not have a valid substitution, we will insert the character '#'.

If you enter a European character in Apply, a warning message will appear on the screen and you will need to view and agree to the substituted characters version of each section in which you've entered European characters.

View a full list of European characters we allow and the substituted English characters we will use (PDF)

Registration

In this section you add personal details, like your name, address and date of birth. We ask you to read and accept the terms and conditions for using Apply. The registration process creates a username and you create your own password, which you use to log in to Apply.
More about registering >>

Personal details

The personal details you entered when you registered will be transferred into this section. Check that your name, address, date of birth and contact details are correct. We ask for further information that universities and colleges require, like your nationality, residential status and an outline of any disabilities you may have.
More about personal details >>

Additional information (UK applicants only)

In this section you add any non-examination-based activities you've taken part in to prepare for higher education, as well as information designed to help us and the universities and colleges to monitor applications and in terms of equal opportunities, like your national identity and ethnic origin.
More about additional information >>

Student finance

If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and you'll be applying for student finance to help with tuition fees for your course and living costs, you can make the process easier by allowing us to share some of your application details with your student finance company. For 2013 entry, this has been extended to applicants who live in Scotland, who can now share their application details with the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). We provide information and links to further advice for applicants who live in the EU (non-UK) and outside the EU.
More about student finance>>

Choices

Enter the courses and universities and colleges that you're applying to. You can enter your choices in any order because there isn't a preference order - Apply will store your choices in alphabetical order. For each choice, you say whether you'll be living at home or in student accommodation, and when you want to start the course.
More about choices >>

Education

We need to know where you have studied and which qualifications you're taking/have taken. Add your schools and colleges, then list your qualifications. Check that you have included all relevant qualifications, including those that you've completed and any that you're currently studying. It's important that you enter all of your qualifications.
More about entering qualifications >>

Employment

In this section, you fill in the details of your work history and employers. If you've not had any jobs, you can leave this section blank, but you'll still need to mark it as complete to continue with your application.
More about employment >>

Personal statement

We ask you to complete a personal statement, which tells your universities and colleges why you're applying for the course(s) you've chosen and why they should want you as a student. This statement helps them to know more about you as a person.
More about writing your personal statement >>

Reference

Your application needs a reference from a tutor, careers adviser or other professional who knows you well enough to write about you and your suitability for the course. If you're applying through a school or college, this section will be completed by your referee there. If you're applying independently, your referee adds the reference to your online application before you complete and submit it to UCAS.
More about your reference >>

View all details

If you wish to edit any of the information in your application, click 'edit' for the appropriate section.

If you have entered European characters that are not in the English alphabet, there will be a tick box next to that section on this screen. Not all universities and colleges can view these characters correctly, so a version with substituted English characters is also made available to them. Tick the box to confirm that you agree with the English characters version. You must mark this section as complete and click 'save' before you can agree to the declaration and submit your application.

Declaration

Once each section has been marked as complete, you'll be asked to agree to the declaration. Please read the information carefully and, once you've agreed to its terms, you can go to the payment section.

Pay and send

You won't see this screen if you're applying through a school or college that has an alternative payment arrangement with UCAS. Otherwise, you pay the application fee online using a credit or debit card. After this section is complete, your application is sent to us or, if you are applying through a school or college, to your referee.
More about paying >>

If you have a verified email address, we will send you an email when you successfully send your application to UCAS, or to your school or college, which will explain what happens next. If you send it to a school or college, you will also receive an email when they send the completed application to us.

Once we receive your application, either from you or your referee, we'll process it, send it to each of your chosen universities and colleges and send you a welcome letter.

You can only send us one application in each year's application cycle. If you send a second application, it will be cancelled and you will not receive a refund.

Need more information?

If you can't find the answers you're looking for on this site or in the help sections of Apply, you can contact our Customer Contact Centre.