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The 2023 cycle toolkit

Help and training

Everything you need to prepare for the 2023 application cycle – all in one place.

What's on this page?

To help you support and guide your students, we’ve developed this toolkit to share key information about higher education, apprenticeships, and the UCAS application process.

It contains a wide range of resources, which can be used together or as part of a programme, as well as materials to share with colleagues and parents.

Adviser guide 2023 (6.94 MB) – this guide is for staff at schools, colleges, and other centres, such as careers offices and agencies, who advise potential undergraduate applicants to higher education (HE) courses in the UK.

FAQs on the new questions supporting widening access.

UCAS Hub: The application gateway and place to explore options

Every student who wants to apply for courses starting in 2023 needs to register and create an account in the UCAS Hub. From here students will be able to start their application and: 

  • explore dozens of subject guides and careers options to get inspired
  • favourite and shortlist courses direct from the UCAS search tool
  • use the personal statement tool to get a head start on their application
  • chat to current students with UniBuddy

Resources to introduce UCAS

Presentations 

  • Making the right choices presentation (55.95 MB) – gives an overview of the opportunities available and highlights future options, including the benefits of higher education.
  • Applying through UCAS presentation (33.62 MB) – for students who have decided they want to apply to higher education. It highlights where to start, key dates, and also gives an overview of the application and tracking process.
  • The 2023 Undergraduate application (23.31 MB) – screenshots for you to copy and paste into your own materials and guides to share the application journey with your students.  

Supporting tools

  • Discovery Days – at UCAS/Discovery students can explore all kinds of possibilities. Talk to subject and admissions experts, discover apprenticeships, get advice on personal statements, applying through UCAS, and more.
  • Virtual open days – we’ve created a centralised listing for upcoming uni virtual open days, and a handy video giving students tips on how to make the most out of them.
  • Unibuddy – a chance for your students to talk to current undergraduates, to find out what studying a particular course or going to university is really like.
  • The Careers Quiz – helping students discover their strengths and the type of jobs they may enjoy.
  • What can I do next? – information about the variety of post-18 options available to your students.
  • Applying for an apprenticeship: What your students need to know – find out how you can support your students to apply for a work-based option.
  • What are two-year degree courses? An introduction to the Government's proposed two-year degree courses, including why your students may want to consider this fast-tracked route.
  • Choosing the right subjects – give your students the tools they need to make informed decisions about which subjects to study at A level or equivalent.

Widening participation

Destination University: Widening participation post-18 toolkit – strategies and case studies from schools and colleges to support access to selective universities for young people.

 

UCAS Hub lesson plans

Covering everything from transferable skills to finding your purpose, these lessons below have been developed by expert careers advisers to help inspire, organise, and inform your students' future plans.

1. You don't know what you don't know... Make students curious about their possible future, and become motivated to research it.

2. How many hellos are you away from your dream job? Prepare students to communicate effectively, and make good connections for future opportunities.

3. Will you dare to live the life you want? Make students aware of the wide range of career options available, and get them thinking about what interests them. These resources focus on the sports industry as an example, to understand the abundance of opportunities available in the sector.

​4. Assumptions and influences – why you should challenge them regularly Encourage students to challenge assumptions and influences which may limit their choices.

5. What drives you to be who you are? Help students understand what motivates them in life.

6. Why shouldn't you be a water slide tester? Encourage students to consider career options across all industry sectors and to appreciate the different routes and outcomes of their choices.

UCAS Hub student packs

These short self-led tasks take students through the early uni research stages, encouraging them to explore their options on ucas.com and in more depth in the UCAS Hub.

They’ve been designed in Microsoft Word, so you can add them to learning apps or email directly to students to complete.

  • Turning the spotlight on yourself (743.73 KB) – in this pack students are encouraged to think about their interests and future options – encouraging them to start their research.
  • Thinking of going to uni? (577.75 KB) – we get students thinking about what they may want from higher education and share more about how the UCAS Hub will help with research. 
  • Choosing your courses (4.99 MB) – students are asked to start researching their courses and given pointers about what to research.
  • Researching apprenticeships (767.08 KB) – students can use this pack to kick-start their research about apprenticeships and explore all the jobs on offer. 

Information for parents

We know parents look to you for information on the UCAS process. That’s why we’ve developed resources for you to share with them:

  • Parent, guardian and carer guide 2023 (3.65 MB) – everything they need to guide and support a young person with their higher education choices.
  • UCAS parents' evening presentation (52.97 MB) – a presentation you can give to parents at open days or parents' evenings. It illustrates the benefits of higher education, outlines the application process, and advises parents on what they can do to support their child.

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