How to Apply to UK Universities: UK university Admission Process for Undergraduate & Postgraduate Programs

How to Apply for Bachelors in UK?

Majority of undergraduate applications for UK universities are done via the UCAS application website. (University and Colleges Admissions Service), a central organisation in the UK that is responsible for receiving undergraduate applications and forwarding them to the respective institutions. UCAS allows you to apply to five Universities through a common form.

Let's see how to get admission in UK universities for Indian students and other international students for undergraduate programs:

Application Via UCAS

Follow these simple steps for undergraduate or bachelor's degree UK university admission via the UCAS website:

• Register with UCAS 

Register with UCAS and answer all the questions concerning how to apply for undergraduate study in UK. once you confirm that you will be studying on an undergraduate level, you will then be taken to the UCAS dashboard where you will see a title called “Your Application.” Simply click ‘Start’ to begin the process of applying to UK universities.

• Complete Your Details

You must fill in all your personal details correctly and as mentioned in the official documents. Here are some key points that you must remember to apply to UK universities for international students:

• You must complete all the mandatory questions. You can't skip any sections.
• Make sure your email address is always up to date.
• UCAS will ask you various questions about your residency status, information about personal circumstances, and how you plan to fund your studies.
• You can give a parent, guardian, or adviser nominated access if you'd like them to be able to speak to UCAS on your behalf.
  

• Add Your Education History

In this section, you are required to fill in all your educational qualifications from secondary education onwards. This helps the universities to understand if you meet their entry requirements. You must enter your education details even if you are waiting for the results or if you studied at the university or college but did not complete the course. Make sure you always enter the correct information.

• Complete Your Employment History

If you've had any paid jobs—full-time or part-time—here's where you can enter details for up to five of them. Include company names, addresses, job descriptions, and start/finish dates.

Any unpaid or voluntary work shouldn’t be included here. If you’ve not had any paid work experience, just leave this section blank, and mark it as complete.

• Select Your Course Choices

You can choose up to five courses (all now or some later). There’s no preference order, and your universities/colleges won’t see where else you’ve applied until after you reply to any offers you get.

• Write A Personal Statement

This is the only part of the application where you can write in your own style. This is your chance to tell universities and colleges why you’d like to study with them and why you are applying to your desired course, and what skills and experience you have. It’s got to be at least 1,000 characters long—but you have up to 4,000 characters/47 lines—whichever comes first.

• Submit Your Application

Once you’ve completed your application, you’ll be shown your full application—make sure you review it and make edits, if any.

You’ll then be asked to read and agree to the declaration—which allows UCAS to process your info and send it to your chosen universities/colleges.

• Get a Reference, pay your application fee, and send your application to UCAS

You need to get a reference or a Letter of Recommendation from your professor, advisor, or a professional who knows you academically. Everyone needs a reference unless you get permission from your chosen universities and colleges. You must have a completed reference on your application before it is sent to UCAS.

The application fee is £22 for a single choice or £26.50 for more than one choice.

You can further get details about the study in UK, popular courses, and top universities by exploring this interactive video.

Suggested: Everything you need to know about pursuing Bachelors in UK

Now that you know how to study in UK for undergraduate programs, let us check out the application process for masters programs. 

How to Apply for Masters in UK?

UK admission process for masters is different from undergraduates. Postgraduate students have to apply to universities directly via the university’s website.

Take a look at the steps that you must follow in order to study a masters in UK at the university of your choice.

• Look for a course and a university

This is the first and most important step in any application process. You must take a good amount of time to research and read about the best courses to study in UK, the best universities offering the course, and the eligibility requirements for applying to the university.

• Check if your university is accepting applications

After you have chosen a course and narrowed down a few universities, check the respective university’s website and see if they are accepting the applications for the selected course. If they are, start your application process as early as possible. Don't forget to note down all the important deadlines with regard to your application.

• Prepare the necessary documents

This is another important step in the application process. You will need to provide various documents like language proficiency test scores, your CV, your past academic records, etc. The required documents may vary depending on the university and course that you are taking. Check the respective university website for more details.

• Apply via the university website

Finally, you must look for the course information and how to apply for the same on your respective university’s website. You will typically have to create an account on the university website, fill out the application forms as per the instructions, submit the required documents and pay an application fee.

• Wait for the university to revert

If your application is accepted, you will get an acceptance letter or CAS letter from the university of your choice. It may take several weeks for the universities to process your request, depending on the number of applications the university has collected in that admission period.

• Arrange your finances

An important step in the UK university admission for international students is arranging finances. The average cost of living in UK can be around £1000 - £1200 per month. You are required to show proof of funds while applying for your student visa. There are many ways to fund your studies in the UK. You must get your finances in order in the period between waiting for a response from the university and applying for a student visa.

• Get your student visa

As an international student, you would need a student visa to study in the UK. The UK student visa is labelled as TIER 4 (General). After you have received your CAS letter from the university of your choice, you must apply for a UK student visa at the British embassy or consulate.

Suggested: Requirements for Studying in the UK

Now you know how many universities you can apply to UK. Let us next take a look at some of the important dates for intakes and deadlines for admissions.

How to Study in UK: Intakes & Deadlines

So what are the UK university admission requirements? Before starting the UK university admission process, it is important to familiarise yourself with the intakes and deadlines for the course you are applying to.

NOTE: Some universities (Cambridge & Oxford) and some courses (medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry) have much earlier deadlines. So, make sure you check with the university’s official websites.

Intakes to Study in UK

• The UK has mainly two intakes, September/October Intake and January/February intake. Some universities also provide April/May intake for a few courses.
• The intake in January/February is a supplementary one in terms of admission cycles in the UK, as not many courses are offered in this period. Main UK university admissions begin in the September/October intake. However, if you miss the September intake, you can always apply for the January Intake. This intake will give you the opportunity to work on your application.
• The September intake is considered the largest and most popular intake in the UK. Many colleges in the UK offer classes at the beginning of September.
• Which intake to choose from depends on the university you are applying to, your course, your past academic results and basically how long it takes for you to complete your application process.

Suggested: Universities in UK

Deadlines to Study in UK

As discussed above, depending on the two intakes in the UK, the deadlines are given below.

Intakes	Deadlines
January/February Intake	Between June - October
September/October Intake	Between February - May

Please note that the deadlines may vary depending on the university and course hence it is highly recommended that you check with your university first when it comes to deadlines and then begin your application process.

Suggested: Intakes and Deadlines for UK Universities

Important UCAS Deadlines

If you are an undergraduate student targeting the 2023 intake, here are some important UCAS deadlines that you must keep in mind.

• 19 April 2022: UCAS search tool displayed 2023 courses. 
• 26 April 2022: Adviser portal opened for 2023 entry. 
• 17 May 2022: UCAS undergraduate application 2023 admission cycle opened. 
• 15 July 2022: UCAS Conservatoires 2023 application opened.
• 6 September 2022: All the completed 2023 entry UCAS undergraduate admission applications can be submitted to the UCAS.
• 3 October 2022: 2023 entry/ admission application deadline for most UCAS Conservatoires music courses.
• 15 October 2022 (18:00 UK time): 2023 entry deadline for the b-schools like the University of Oxford and Cambridge, and distinct courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, or dentistry.
• 25 January 2023 (18:00 UK time): This is the 2023 entry deadline for all UCAS Undergraduate and Conservatoires applications, except for those courses with a 15 October deadline.

However, certain universities do permit students to apply even after the deadline dates. You must check with your dream university for the same.

Suggested: High-Paying Jobs in UK 2022

Studying in the UK can be an extremely valuable experience. Degrees from the UK are globally recognized and will definitely give you some leverage in the job market. Doing the application process correctly is just the first step toward an amazing opportunity that awaits you. 

However, the journey includes various other steps like finance, loans, grants, scholarships, profile building, etc. You can always get in touch with our expert counsellors by subscribing to Yocket premium. They will surely help you through the UK application process smoothly.