Parents and carers guide to university

Now is a good time for your child to put their UCAS application together. They can choose to apply for up to five courses on their application. This can be at one or more universities, but most students apply to five universities at this stage. There are some exceptions. Students can only choose four courses in dentistry, medicine or veterinary science, for example.

Your child doesn’t have to choose which university is their first choice until after they’ve submitted their UCAS application.

If your child is applying to universities with high entry requirements it's good idea for them to include a 'back-up' choice. A university that will accept lower grades is a good back-up, so that they can still be accepted onto a course if they don't get the grades they were expecting.

As part of their application, your child will need to write a personal statement. They can use our personal statement checking service to ensure that theirs really stands out.

If your child wishes to start university in September next year they will be able to submit their UCAS application the September this year. They should visit UCAS and apply online.

The official UCAS deadline date is usually in the last week of January. Universities will give equal consideration to any applications made on or before this date.

We recommend that your child meets this deadline to ensure they receive an offer to study before summer starts.

If they miss this deadline, they may find that places start to fill up quickly. But don’t worry too much if they don’t meet this deadline. Most courses accept applications all year round, so encourage them to apply as soon as they can.

Consider applying for student finance early. You can visit the government website for details of how your child can apply for a student loan.

If they apply for a maintenance loan towards living costs, you will be asked to submit evidence of your household income, so have your paperwork ready. 

If your child applied by the January deadline, universities have until May to decide whether they will make an offer. Visit UCAS to find the deadline date for this year.

Make sure your child has applied for their student loan. The deadline is usually in May. Visit the government website to get it sorted. Make sure they have responded to any further offers they’ve received before the deadline given.

If your child has received all their decisions by May, then they must reply to any offers by June.

The exception is if they're using UCAS Extra to find an extra place at a sixth option.

If your child doesn't reply to the offers, then they will be declined a place.

Any applications for September entry received after June will be entered into the Clearing process. This gives students an opportunity to secure any remaining places at universities across the country.

Clearing opens, enabling students to find remaining places on courses. 

A Level, BTEC and T Level results are released. If your child has received a conditional offer then the university will find out their grades before they confirm their place.

You can find out more about to expect on results day in our handy Parents' Guide to Results Day article.

If your child doesn't get the grades they were expecting, then they may still be able to secure a place at university through Clearing.