Extra

If you have applied for university through UCAS you may be at the stage of considering one or more offers, which is great news.  But what if you haven’t received any offers, or have had second thoughts about those you have received?

You can apply for additional courses using Extra.

If all five of your university choices have been used up, either because you haven’t received an offer or you’ve declined offers you’ve received, a button should appear in your account on UCAS Track giving you the opportunity to apply for more courses, one at a time.

You can search online to find courses that have vacancies.  Contact the university directly to check that they will consider your application and then apply online.  The university has 21 days to respond.  

If you’ve only just decided to apply to university, so have missed the main closing date in January, you can still apply for specific courses at universities until 30^th June.  Once you’ve identified courses that interest you, it’s a good idea to contact each university to see if there are spaces remaining, before you complete the application on the UCAS site.

Clearing

If you aren’t holding an offer at the beginning of July you can apply to university through Clearing, which lists all remaining courses.  If you are eligible you will be entered into Clearing and will have your own number in Track.

UCAS will update the list of courses with vacancies on a regular basis.  If you see courses that interest you, contact the university direct to find out more and to make sure they will consider your application, before applying on Track.

Prepare for university

The University of Reading have developed a free online course called Live Smart: Your Essential Guide to Living at University which is designed to help you prepare for the transition to higher education and think about the life skills for living at university and beyond.

Study skills for higher education

UCAS have created some informative guides that highlight key study skills which assist in making a successful transition into Higher Education. These include:

• Understanding and answering exam questions 
• How to present an argument 
• Time management 
• Proofing and editing your work 
• Academic essay writing