Latest from the blogs

What do you understand by ‘SEND’ or ‘special educational needs and disabilities’? There can be an assumption (probably an unconscious one) that learners with SEND will not be on a pathway to higher education, as they have ‘learning difficulties’. This is a misconception. There are many reasons why a young person is on the SEND register, many of which should not and do not mean that they don’t have the academic potential to access HE.

Take the young person with autism, who achieves highly in their chosen subjects but may find social interaction and change or transition challenging, and so is anxious about moving on to HE and doesn’t apply. Or the young person with a physical disability who communicates via eye gaze technology, but has exceptional ability in science (Stephen Hawking, anyone?). How about the young person who has recently been identified with dyslexia, which helps to explain why they have struggled to get their essays in on time – their potential in history...

If you’re thinking about reapplying next year, here are five reasons you may want to consider going through Clearing this year instead:

1. There are still thousands of Clearing places available. With so many options available, there’s still a place out there that could be right for you. Revisit all the research you did – whether that was open days, notes on league tables or modules on offer for inspiration. Those courses and unis were on your shortlist for a reason.
2. You can stick to your plan. Think back to why you applied to uni in the first place. You made a plan to experience a new place and meet new people this year. Uni is still a great way to discover new things and embrace some independence. You could use UniBuddy to chat to students currently at uni to get their insight into what they like about their course and where they study.
3. It is likely to be...

Here at UCAS, we know that this experience can be even more challenging when the pathways to access these different options aren’t always clear, and we are conscious that this is an issue facing many today. Our research into what influences the choices school leavers make found that two in five young people reported that more information and guidance would have led to them making better choices.

Information about apprenticeships needs to be provided equally to all groups of students

This same UCAS research found that, in particular, information on vocational and technical pathways is often lacking - almost one in three school leavers said they did not receive any information about apprenticeships from their school. Similarly, over half of the pupils we...

Whoever you are, whatever your motivations, hitting ‘submit’ on your UCAS application is a big moment. It is the culmination of months (sometimes years) of research, soul-searching, discussions about the right choices … not to mention the work that goes into crafting your personal statement. Everyone responds differently: some students feel absolute certainty in their decision, others feel more trepidatious. As the decisions roll in and the start of the course looms closer, anticipation and nervousness can set in because starting university or an apprenticeship can feel daunting – it marks a significant change in your life, after all. Ultimately though, it’s a time of excitement: there is the promise of a fresh start where you can be yourself and open yourself up to new experiences, both social and academic.

Higher education is about more than the academic side. Developing new friendship groups and support networks...