| 1.2 Introduction to UCAS UCAS is the world's largest central admissions service for higher education. Each year the Company processes more than half a million applications, from all over the world, for courses at UK universities and colleges. In addition to applications to full-time undergraduate courses, applications for postgraduate teacher training and to the music conservatoires are processed, respectively, via the GTTR and CUKAS systems. A new system (UKPASS), launched in 2007, offers an application service for postgraduate courses in the UK.
Choosing a course at university or college is a life-forming decision, and, in accordance with its mission statement, UCAS seeks to ensure that applicants are fully informed and that the process of application is responsive, flexible and trouble-free.
Also at the forefront of the Company's activities are recently-enhanced electronic processes, which ensure higher education institutions (HEIs) are able to admit students efficiently and effectively, on an equal and fair basis. This involves the receipt and transmission of large amounts of data, flowing from applicants to HEIs and vice versa, through UCAS' centralised application processing software.
The UCAS website is now one of the most popular in the UK and the most heavily used education website, demonstrating its value in helping applicants to select the right course at the right university or college. Importantly, it provides comprehensive information on individual courses as well as on student finance, fees and bursaries. Additional, more general, information relevant to life at university is provided through the newly-launched interactive 'yougofurther' website. A wide range of publications is also produced, aimed at helping students make informed choices about higher education, and guiding them and their parents through the application process.
The majority of potential undergraduate students now make their applications via the online 'Apply' service. This reflects a wider shift towards the use of electronic communication to which UCAS has responded by recently undertaking a major investment in updating its data systems. The investment is providing huge benefits in terms of the volume and accuracy of information handling, and the speed with which such data can be transmitted, putting UCAS in a far stronger position to respond to future developments and changing demands from both within and without the higher education environment.
In addition to its application services, UCAS organises conferences for HE admissions practioners, higher education fairs and conventions across the UK, as well as participating in the British Council Education UK overseas tours designed to assist UK institutions and the British Council in recruiting students from abroad.
In order to understand the needs of UCAS stakeholders as clearly as possible, the Company participates in major government enquiries and consultations affecting progression to higher education and, where applicable, offers solutions from its areas of expertise. Research is also undertaken, as well as consultancy and advisory work for schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers, together with the provision of continuing professional development courses and materials tailored to meet the needs of individual institutions or subject areas.
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