References for 2022 entry

This is what you need to know to write a UCAS undergraduate reference. We also have specific guidance on writing UCAS Conservatoires and UCAS Postgraduate references.

The reference should be on the individual with focus on the information most relevant to the course being applied for and individual circumstances. 

It is strongly recommended that applicants applying for professional courses e.g. teaching, nursing, social work, and allied health professions receive a full and detailed reference as usual. 

Universities and colleges are being asked, when assessing and comparing applicants this year, to remember that the capacity of an applicant’s adviser to produce a full and detailed reference is not an indicator of that applicant’s potential. 

Full reference – sections 1, 2, and 3.

Alternative reference – concentrate on section 2. 

What to include

Contextual information about your centre could include:

• information about your school which may affect performance, such as significant staff changes, or damage to buildings  
• specific reference to COVID-19, such as:  
  • the amount of teaching time that was lost overall, and what alternative provision for remote education was delivered to students  
  • any disruption to your normal university application processes  
  • any impact on the information used to determine predicted grades, for example, the cancellation of internal assessments  

This information could be in the reference itself or, as previously suggested, create a web page with the information and put the URL address in the reference.

Note: The UCAS reference doesn’t accept hyperlinks so you will need to write the URL (web page address) in full. If it is easier, you could use a (free) service to shorten links such as https://bitly.com/ (one of many).

If you are new to writing references, please see our further guidance. 

Section 1: optional information to include about centre 

In the reference section, you will want to focus on the individual student, but we recognise that the wider context of the school or college can also offer context to the application. 

This information could be in the reference itself, or as previously suggested, on a web page specifically created – put the URL in the reference. The web page, ‘Information for university and college admissions teams’ could include: 

• any policies or processes used for predicting grades (e.g. internal assessments). This is an opportunity to articulate any policy about not predicting grades for qualifications where the school or college feels the assessment method or qualification structure is not suited to predictions (such as the Extended Project) – read our guidance and support for advisers when making predicted grades 
• your qualification provision, such as if you offer AS levels, what vocational qualifications you offer, or your position on bypassing qualifications as part of Curriculum for Excellence. It is also helpful to explain your rationale: for example, whether this was influenced by funding, or due to the pedagogical preference of the school for particular study methods 
• any other background information on the context of the school, e.g. performance, catchment area, intake, etc. 

Section 2: information to include about the applicant 

Detailed application information including: 

• suitability of their chosen subject and career path, plus their attitude, motivation, and commitment  
• skills and qualities like aptitude and enthusiasm, plus current or past achievements that will help with their chosen subject area 
• achievements, work experience, and extracurricular activities that relate to their chosen course(s) 
• if the student has undertaken any activities in preparation for higher education, such as widening participation and access outreach programmes, Gifted and Talented initiatives or Partnerships for Progression 
• Capacity to undertake independent working, and their ability to adapt to new situations and circumstances 
• Experience of digital working (many universities are likely to retain elements of hybrid working even if there are no social distancing or covid-related restrictions) 

Extenuating circumstances related to the individual could include: 

• individual circumstances – e.g. mature student, disability, serious, acute or chronic illness, significant adverse personal circumstances (with applicant consent)  
• context as to why there is a disparity between grades achieved e.g. at GCSE and predicted grades, where applicable. 
• specific reference to COVID-19, including:   
  • whether the student or a close family member was affected by illness or bereavement   
  • significant anxiety caused by COVID-19, relating to loss of job or other economic uncertainty in the household 
  • how individual students engaged with online provision, and whether there were any barriers – technical or environmental – which prevented or impeded this   
  • any relevant information about the student’s home learning environment (e.g. access to technology, space to work at home, access to other learning resources, support of family members or carers)   

Section 3: information to include about the applicant 

Specific contributions from individual subject tutors/teachers.

Don’t forget, the reference is not your only opportunity to provide information about your students, and the web page mentioned above does not replace direct engagement with universities and colleges. Universities and colleges welcome further dialogue with referees, and would urge schools and colleges to inform them of any changes to the applicant’s profile or circumstances that occur after the point of application. 

Guidelines

You can use up to 4,000 characters or 47 lines of text (including spaces and blank lines) – whichever comes first.

• You will need to write in English, unless the applicant is applying to Welsh universities or colleges and the rest of their application is completed in Welsh – in which case the reference may, of course, be written in Welsh
• If you’re writing a reference for an international applicant, please write in English. If their first language isn’t English, please comment on their ability to write and speak in English, and indicate if any of their studies were taught in English.

• When writing a reference for any applicant, including those outside the UK, please remember that – under the Data Protection Act 2018 – the applicant can ask for a copy of the reference and any other personal information we have about them.

• We recommend you write in a word processor first and then copy and paste into the online application (but watch out for the character and line count – the word-processor might get different values because it doesn’t count tabs or paragraphs).

• When you add into the online application, click ‘save’ regularly because it will time out after 35 minutes of inactivity.

• You can use some European characters in the reference.

• We recommend you save a copy of each reference you write for your records.

• Avoid repeating any of the information they’ve given in their application, unless you want to comment on it, and avoid mentioning any particular university or college.

• There must be a completed reference on the application before it is sent to us. Find out about application deadlines.   

References for independent applicants

Applicants who apply independently, rather than linked to a school or college, must ask for a reference from someone who isn’t a family member, friend, partner or ex-partner, and they can’t write it themselves. We ask them to make sure they have the agreement of their chosen referee before entering their details into their application.

If you’ve been asked to be a referee an independent applicant:

• you’ll receive an email from us with a password, which will allow you to input and submit your reference
• it’s best to read the whole application so you understand their intended career path, chosen courses, and preferred places of study

What you will include in the reference will depend on how you know the applicant, and how familiar you are with their plans and experience. It’s a good idea to speak to them about their application before you write the reference. 

Here are some ideas about what you could include about the applicant:

• the context of your relationship
• how prepared they are for university or college
• their suitability for their chosen subject and career path
• your experience of their attitude and motivation
• the skills and qualities they’ve demonstrated
• any achievements, work experience, volunteering, extracurricular activities or interests relevant to their chosen subject, or that demonstrate their personal or academic qualities
• any activities they may have taken in preparation for higher education, such as widening participation and access outreach programmes, Gifted and Talented initiatives, or Partnerships for Progression
• with their consent, the impact of any individual extenuating circumstances you feel are relevant
• any individual extenuating circumstances regarding COVID-19, such as being affected by illness or bereavement, or any significant anxiety
• any context around the applicant’s educational pathway and choices to date, and in particular why they may have undertaken their education outside a more traditional setting

Referee independent applicant sign in 2022

Other considerations

• If the applicant is on an access course, foundation course or other one-year course, you might not have known them long enough to write a full reference. In this case, please say so and explain that you’re providing a temporary reference (including as much detail as you can) and confirm you will provide a complete reference next spring. All supplementary references should be sent directly to all the chosen course providers, and should quote the applicant’s Personal ID.
• If the applicant is recertificating their maths or further maths AS or A level, you should explain that they’re recertificating rather than resitting the exam. Students taking AS or A level maths or further maths are advised by awarding organisations to recertificate these qualifications at the end of the course, so that the best combination of grades is awarded. So this would mean AS maths would be listed as both a completed and pending qualification.
• Science A levels in England will have an additional grade that provides an indication of an applicant’s practical ability. In Wales and Northern Ireland, the assessment of practical skills will remain part of the overall grade and students will not receive an additional grade. Find out more in our Science practical – quick guide.
• If a student differs from the typical school or college profile, explain how – this is especially important if you have provided details about the context of your school or college which shows. 

Predicted grades

As part of the reference, you will be asked to provide predicted grades for those qualifications entered as ‘pending’ – please see further specific guidance. 

If you are a referee and work in the school the applicant is applying from, the application will be available in the adviser portal, please see how to input the reference in the adviser portal.

Reference processes and terminology

Understand the reference processes and terminology for independent, centre-linked, and reference-only applicants.