Website of the UK government

Registering your application

Applications to UCAS can only be made online. To register an application through a school, college or careers organisation you will need their 'buzzword'. If you are applying as an individual you do not need one. After registering you will be given a username and asked to enter your own password.

You can register in the summer before you plan to make your online application. The earliest you can submit a finished application is the September before you want to start your course, unless you are applying for deferred entry (for example, applying in the 2009 cycle for 2010 entry).

If you choose to defer your place until 2010, you will still need to meet any conditions (for example, qualification grades) by the end of August 2009.

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Completing the UCAS application

There are seven sections on the application: personal details; additional information (for UK applicants only); choices; education; employment; personal statement and reference. In the choices section, you can list up to five courses.

The application has pop-up menus with an A to Z list of universities and higher education colleges, and also course codes, so you just have to click and select.

For full details on how to apply, see the UCAS website.

• More on how to apply from UCAS Opens new window

Art and design courses

If you’re applying for some art and design courses, the application procedure will be different.

• Applying for art and design courses
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Personal statement and employment sections

Your personal statement should cover why you are interested in the courses you’ve applied for, and what you hope to do after your studies.

In the employment section, you can list your part-time or summer jobs.

• Personal statements: more from UCAS Opens new window

Referees

Once you've completed all sections of your application, click 'Send to referee' so the person who's acting as a referee can check your details and add their reference. If you're not at school or college and are applying independently, paste your referee's reference into the online application.

• Getting a reference: more from UCAS
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UCAS application fee and deadlines

It costs £17 to apply through UCAS, or £7 if you only apply for one course. If you're applying through school or college, your teacher or lecturer will tell you whether you need to pay online with a card or bring in a cheque. If you're applying online as an individual, you can pay by credit or debit card.

For most courses, you’ll need to get your application to UCAS by 15 January in order to be considered ‘on time’, However, you must apply by 15 October if you're studying medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or veterinary science, or if you're applying to the universities of Oxford or Cambridge.

The deadline for some art and design courses is 24 March.

Whichever course you're applying for, UCAS advises students to apply well before the deadline.

• Important dates for your diary from UCAS Opens new window

Personal ID and password

Once UCAS has processed your application, you get a Personal ID. You can use this, in combination with your username and password, to track the progress of your application. You also get a welcome letter in the post.

What happens next?

Once you've made your UCAS application, you can apply for financial help as soon as student finance applications open. You don't need to wait for an offer.

See ‘Student finance' for more on financial support, and the ‘Guide to higher education admissions through UCAS’ for details on what happens once you’ve sumitted your application.

• Student finance
• A guide to higher education admissions through UCAS