1. 6th Form
  2. UCAS

UCAS

Choosing a subject you’ll enjoy and will help you reach your goals.

Deciding which courses to apply for

You can apply for a MAXIMUM of 5 courses on your UCAS form.

You need to think carefully about your own personal preferences:

  • What grades does the course require?
  • How far away from home do I want to go?
  • What reputation does the University have for my subject?
  • What are the facilities like for my subject?
  • What have previous graduates gone on to do?
  • Will I get accommodation in my first year?
  • Will I have to cook my own meals in my first year?
  • Does the University have a good night life?
  • Is it a campus University?
  • Do I want to live in a large city?
  • Will I get the opportunity to go abroad as part of the course?
  • Is it a sandwich course?
  • How will I be assessed – continuous assessment? End of course/module exams?
  • How much will the fees cost me and what financial support (including bursaries) will be available?
  • How much will my accommodation cost?

The first activity you can do to decide which courses you should be considering is going to www.ukcoursefinder.com. This questionnaire consists of a series of multiple choice questions; your answers will determine courses suitable for you. It should take approximately 30 minutes.

It will ask you to estimate your final grades in UCAS tariff points so that it can make realistic course suggestions. Use this table to work out how many points you will have.

Remember that you do not get points for AS results in subjects you are continuing to A2 because they are included in your final A2 grade.

If you have completed an AS and gained a grade but are not taking the subject to A2 level those AS points apply separately.

AS

Grade A B C D E
UCAS Points 60 50 40 30 20

A2

Grade A* A B C D E
UCAS Points 140 120 100 80 60 40

Note: The system of points will be changing for applications to university in 2017.

Once you have completed the whole questionnaire you will be presented with a list of possible suitable subjects. You can then click on any which appeal to you and it will list the universities which offer courses in that subject. If you click on a particular university it will provide basic information about it including a direct link to the website address.

UCAS Application Toolkit