2 APPLYING TO UNIVERSITIES IN THE UK

Applications are sent through UCAS which stands for the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

All universities in the UK are listed in the UCAS website: www.ucas.com

This is the best, most accurate and up to date information for your course and university search.

Applications are sent through the UCAS HUB which is completed by the student. Student applications are linked to the school through a special buzzword which is provided by UGC when UCAS is activated for the application season. There are several sections to be completed by you in order to apply.

These are -

1. Personal details

You will need the following information for this section -

• Passport details - make sure your passport is valid for at least a year. Note: the name on your passport must exactly match the name on your IGCSE certificate, IB exam certificate and school transcript.

• Permanent family address in English

• IGCSE Certificate

• TOEFL/IELTS certificate (For certificate number and scores)

2. Finance Arrangements

(Usually students select ‘Private Finance’). No financial details are required at this stage when applying to the UK.

3. Course Choices

(Up to five universities). UK universities do NOT look favourably on applications to the same university for two or more different courses.

4. Education

This section includes all IGCSE grades and pending IB courses. You can also add ABRSM, Duke of Edinburgh International Awards, IELTS and TOEFL here.

5. Employment

This section is not relevant to students who are still at school, as it is full time paid employment details that are required from mature student applicants.

6. Personal statement

4000 characters maximum including spaces. The Personal statement is written with guidance from your UGC. The first draft policy applies. This means we will not send applications with Personal Statements which have not been written in stages by the student in collaboration with advice from their UGC.

7. Reference

Your UCAS reference is created by your HL teachers and your tutor at the end of Year 12. Unlike US Letters of Recommendation, you do not need to request it. Once teachers and your tutor have completed their sections, the UCAS reference is edited into the correct format by your UGC. The school reference remains confidential.

8. Payment and Sending

Once the student has paid the fee (GBP 26.50 in 2021) the application is ready to send. The UGC sends the application. At NLCS Jeju, the final checking, payment and sending are completed together with your UGC.

Predicted grades - You will be informed of your PGs in September and they must be entered on to the UCAS application by UGC when you apply. It is important to be aware that once final PGs are released in September 2022 they CANNOT BE CHANGED at a later date.

You may apply to a maximum of 5 universities.

*For Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science a maximum of 4 applications is permitted by the UK. See your UGC for more information.

Interviews

• In addition to Oxford and Cambridge, the following UK universities may invite you for an interview as part of the admissions process: Imperial College London, Warwick University and Manchester University.

• Inform your subject teacher if you are applying to a university which interviews applicants. Your teacher will arrange a series of practice interviews for you.

• Students applying for art-based subjects (including Architecture) or for Music may be invited for an interview as well as being required to submit a portfolio.

IMPORTANT: There is a separate timeline for Oxford University, Cambridge University, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and Medicine. Please see below

TIMELINE FOR REGULAR APPLICATIONS TO THE UK FOR THE CLASS OF 2023 (ENTRY TO UNIVERSITY IN 2024)

May 2023 - Register with UCAS during a UGC session. Your application is linked to NLCS Jeju with a buzzword.

September 2023 - Final predicted grades released.

24 November 2023 - Final sending day for UCAS Regular applications from NLCS Jeju.

May 2024 - Deadline for students to make Firm and Insurance choices.

July 2024 - IB results released. If conditions are met, your university place is confirmed by the university and documents are provided by the university for your visa application.

WHAT IS AN OFFER FROM A UK UNIVERSITY?

UK universities will make an offer of a place to those students they are willing to accept.

The offer will be communicated through the individual student UCAS account. Offers are usually conditional. This means that if a student meets the conditions of the offer, the university place is secured if it is a Firm choice.

An offer may be set out like this -

38 IB points with no lower than 7,6,5 at HL.

Offers are usually very specific to the course and may include TOEFL/IELTS requirements or additional tests such as the STEP examination.

• Once all 5 universities have responded to the application, the student can only choose 2 offers.

• One is accepted as FIRM - this is the one you want to attend.

• One is accepted as INSURANCE and is typically one with a lower offer which you are happy to attend if you don’t meet the Firm offer conditions.

• The other 3 are declined.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IB RESULTS ARE RELEASED?

When IB results are released around 5 July 2024, they will be sent directly to UCAS if you have completed the request for release of results form provided by the DP coordinator.

The Firm choice university will change its offer to UNCONDITIONAL and you can then begin the enrollment process (visa, accommodation, finances etc) with guidance from your new university.

If you do not have the IB points for your firm offer, contact your UGC immediately for further advice.

APPLICATIONS TO OXFORD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY, DENTISTRY, VETERINARY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE

1. You can apply to either Oxford or Cambridge.

2. You may apply for only one course at either Oxford or Cambridge.

3. For medicine, veterinary science and dentistry, you may apply to only 4 universities plus one other application in a related subject, for a total of 5 applications. BMAT or UCAT exams are required for Medical school applications in the UK. Check the websites of the universities for entry requirements.

TIMELINE FOR OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE, DENTISTRY, VETERINARY SCIENCE AND MEDICINE

August September 2023

Choose your course

Choose a college or open application

Check admission assessment arrangements

Early September 2023

Register for the relevant test. Further details will be provided by UGC in early September 2023

Complete UCAS application

9 October 2023 Final sending day for NLCS Jeju applicants mid October 2023 - Cambridge University pre assessment tests - at school

20 October (Approximately)

For Cambridge only: complete the Supplementary Additional Questionnaire (SAQ) by the deadline provided by Cambridge. You will need a good quality passport size photo

First week in November

Submit written work requested and/or take admissions assessment test

Mid November to mid December

Oxbridge interviews take place. These have been online for the last two years (Medical school interviews usually take place from November to March)

Mid to Late January 2024

Oxbridge decisions released

OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE - WHAT MAKES THEM SO SPECIAL AND COMPETITIVE?

Academic Excellence

The University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford are two of the world’s greatest universities, consistently rated at the top of national and international league tables. They provide a challenging, flexible and individual learning experience. Their teaching staff include many national and world subject leaders, so students have the exciting opportunity to be taught by experts in their field.

The Collegiate System

Both Oxford and Cambridge universities are made up of individual colleges, as well as different subject departments. A college will be a student’s home and their central focus of teaching for much of their time at university. Each college will have a range of students — usually including both undergraduate and graduate students — studying across a spectrum of subject areas.

The college system offers the benefits of belonging to a large internationally renowned institution, and also to a smaller, interdisciplinary academic college community. You will have access to their college’s facilities, such as an extensive library and iT provision, as well as the resources of the wider university. College choice does not matter. Each college offers the same standard of teaching and has the same very high academic standards. Both universities work hard to ensure that the best students are successful in gaining a place, whichever college they’ve applied to. This means that you may be interviewed by more than one college and you may receive an offer from any of them. You can also make an open application which will be sent to any college.

Teaching

The teaching methods are very similar at both universities as students will attend lectures, classes and laboratory work as appropriate for their course. Unlike at many other universities, students at Oxford and Cambridge also benefit from highly personalised teaching time with experts in their field. The only difference is in the name: Oxford refers to these sessions as “tutorials” while Cambridge calls them “supervisions”. Students are required to prepare an essay or other piece of work in advance for these sessions and then meet with their tutor to discuss the work, perhaps with one or two other students. Tutors are often world experts in their field, so this time is extremely valuable to students in developing their understanding of the subject.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR CAMBRIDGE APPLICANTS 2023-2024

These are worth checking for those interested in applying for 2024. There are resources available for each subject and each college. Here are a few places to begin your research:

General information Cambridge www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk

General information Oxford https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide

Unibuddy - https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/chat-our-students

Current students and staff are available on unibuddy sites for many universities.

Webinar Series - https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/chat-our-students

Subject Masterclasses - Cambridge https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/events/masterclasses - These are events that have run previously in person and they have been opened up to international students. There is a cost to attend these events (£12.50 in 2021) and the time zones may mean that students can’t attend live but everything will be recorded and there is the option to pre-submit questions.

Beyond the curriculum resources from Cambridge/Oxford University: www.myheplus.com