UCAS

1. UCAS Is your son or daughter applying to higher education?

2. Where we are at • Where to start • UCAS website • Course search • University websites • www.unistats.com • Open days

3. These sections should be completed soon! • Applying • Register √ • Log on √ • Personal details • Education GCSE’s, BTEC’s and AS levels • Employment • Personal Statement

4. The personal statement (see school website) • 4000 characters (including spaces) • Roughly 48 lines • 70% academic • 30% personal • What and why you want to study this subject • The future • What can you offer

5. 5 choices • 1or 2 aspirational choices • 2 or 3 choices at predicted grades • 1or 2 insurance choices

6. The tariff • A* and BTEC Distinction* = 140 points • A and BTEC Distinction = 120 points • B = 100 points • C and BTEC Merit = 80 points • D = 60 points • E and BTEC Pass = 40 points • AS levels not studied to A2 (half example B = 50 points)

7. What to do next……. • Pay (£23) • Send to referee – Cheryl Fleet • Check (return – resend……..) • Referee adds reference and sends to UCAS

8. Deadlines • Early applicants Friday 11th October • Other applicants Friday 15th November

9. How you can help now…… • Interviews (November onwards…) • Likely questions Why here? Why this course? What can you offer? What do you want to do later? Questions from the personal statement • Parental involvement and assistance Mock interviews Accompany your child to interviews

10. www.ucas.com • Register as a parent for a monthly newsletter • Become familiar with the website

11. What happens next….. • OFFERS (within 24 hours to 3 months) • Decisions – depends on when the applicant receives their last decision from the universities • Replying to offers • No offers (Extra)

12. In the UCAS Parent Guide…. • Replying to offers If we have received decisions from all of your son's or daughter's choices and they have at least one offer, we will email them to let them know there has been a change to their application, and ask them to look at Track. If they haven't provided a valid email address we will send them a letter which will ask them to reply to their offers.They reply to each offer in one of the following ways: • Firm acceptance (CF) Their firm acceptance is their first choice - this is their preferred choice out of all the offers they have received. They only have one firm acceptance. • Insurance acceptance CI) How far away? Have you visited? Is it a realistic alternative? Drop out rates • Decline Once they have decided which offer to accept firmly, and which to accept as an insurance, they must decline all other offers. If they don't want to accept any of the offers, they can decline them all. They will then be eligible to use Extra or Clearing, depending upon their circumstances.

13. Accepting offers • CF (conditional firm) • CI (conditional insurance) • Make sure CI has lower minimum grade requirements than CF • Visit both places

14. FAQ’s www.ucas.com • Applying • Our son wants to apply to university but we are concerned about the finances. What advice can you offer? • Our son left school last year to work. Now he wants to go to university. How does he apply? • Our daughter wants to study design. Foundation courses have been mentioned. Can you explain what they are? • My daughter's friends have started getting offers. When is she going to hear something? • I'm not listed as a proxy, but can I check the progress of my son's application? • Our daughter was ill during her AS year, so we're worried neither her predictions nor results will get her the offers she really deserves. Can we do anything? • My daughter is thinking about applying to university but I'm not sure how much debt she is likely to get into? • Changes • We aren't happy with the universities our son has chosen. What can be done about it? • My son is considering taking a gap year before starting university and may want to defer his entry. How can I best advise him? • Our daughter is working abroad this year. She's holding a place at university but is having doubts about the course. Have you any suggestions? • Our daughter has received better exam results than she needs for her conditional firm choice. What can she do? • My daughter has accepted a deferred place, but would like to start the course this year. What can she do? • Options • My son is away travelling. Can I reply to offers on his behalf? • My daughter's first choice wants a B in maths. What would happen if she got a C? • My daughter is desperately unhappy at college and says she wants to come home. We want her to stay, but can she reapply if she leaves? • Our daughter has suddenly started mentioning that she'd like to study in another country. Where can we get some pointers? • My son has been turned down for medicine. Can he apply through Extra or Clearing?

15. Thursday 15th August 2013 • RESULTS • Preparing for results • What happens next

16. How to be independent…. • STARTING UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE • Preparation • Settling in • Managing Money

17. Student Finance • Power point on school website

18. STUDENT FINANCE • Apply January – May 2013 • The Student Loans Company is a non-profit making Government-owned organisation set up in 1989 to provide loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK. • For an independent view of what it costs and what the new student finance arrangements mean for you, visit www.moneysavingexpert.com

19. What will my contributions be? • www.gov.uk • Student finance calculator

20. Loans and Grants • Overview • The main student finance package includes: • a Tuition Fee Loan • a Maintenance Loan for living costs (eg accommodation, food, books) • a Maintenance Grant for living costs • There is also funding for: • medical students • social work students • teacher training students • students in special circumstances, eg if you have children or are disabled • Many universities and colleges also give out extra funding.

21. 4 Where will you live while studying? • At home with my parents • Away from home, outside of London • Away from home, in London

22. 5 What's your household income? • This is your parents' or partner's income plus your own. It affects how much Maintenance Grant for help with living costs you get. • £ Gross income

23. 6 Do you want to check for additional grants and allowances? • Choose ‘yes’ if any of the following are true: • you’re doing a teacher training, medical or social work course • you have children or an adult who depends on you financially • you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition • you’re on a low income • Yes • No

24. 7Do you have any children under 17? • No • 8Does another adult depend on you financially? • No

25. 9 Do you have a disability or health condition? • This includes a mental health condition or learning difficulty eg dyslexia. • Yes (extra funding available) • No

26. 10 Are you in financial hardship? • For example, if you’re from a low-income family or you find it hard to pay for basics like food and accommodation. • Yes • No

27. 11 Are you studying one of these courses? • Teacher training • Dental, medical, or healthcare • Social work • None of these

28. How much? • Loans for everyone: • Tuition fee loan up to £9 000 • Maintenance loan up to £5 500 • Grants depending upon HOUSEHOLD income • Maximum £3 354 (less than £25 000) • Minimum £0 (more than £62 125)

29. Full-time student Maintenance Loan • Living at home up to £4,375 • Living away from home, outside London up to £5,500 • Living away from home, in London up to £7,675 * • You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad up to £6,535

30. You could also get: • You also qualify for extra grants and allowances: • Disabled Students’ Allowance • NHS Bursary (NHS funding towards your fees and living costs) • You could also get extra bursaries or scholarships from your university or college. • Student loans have to be paid back - grants do not.

31. Grants for courses from September 2014 Free money (scholarships and bursaries) Check the individual university websites as these constantly change (£AAA Engineering etc) National Scholarship Programme

32. Repayments – based on annual income • < £21 000 nothing/month • < £22 000 £7/month • < £25 000 £30/month • < £30 000 £67/month • < £35 000 £105/month • < £40 000 £142/month • 9% of income above tax threshold • Debt wiped out after 30 years!

33. No penalty for early repayment • What will the interest rates be?