Higher Education

This all takes time so it is vital to plan as far in advance as possible. For some courses/places, you need to apply 12 months in advance.

If you want to take a year out before starting higher education, check that the university agrees. See our volunteering section for useful information.

If you're not sure where to begin, do you want a course which....

• is familiar to you
• is completely new to you
• is scientific
• is creative
• allows study abroad
• leads to a job
• is popular

Then, think about things more carefully. For instance a 'popular' course may have very high entry requirements and you may lose interest in a subject area which is too familiar to you.

If you have access or medical issues you may wish to consider the suitability of specific sites and the type of support available to you via the university. You can usually find this out via a university's website.

Deadlines

The main dates for 2012 entry are:

• 15th October 2011 - deadline for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, Oxford and Cambridge
• 15th January 2012 - deadline for other courses (NB some art courses are later)

After these dates, application forms are considered at the discretion of the university. 

• Vary between courses and institutions
• Check what's required for your level 3 courses (A-Level, BTEC National, Advanced Diploma) and level 2 courses (e.g. GCSEs) - you may need certain grades or points and certain subjects
• UCAS has a Tariff which explains what various level 3 courses are 'worth' in points

What next?

• Have a look at our Open Days page which will help you think more about where you want to go
• Familiarise yourself with the application process now by looking at the UCAS site
• Begin to think about what you'll want to include on your personal statement. This is one of the most important parts of your application form.