Innovations recently introduced by UCAS include:
- UCAS Hub – a personalised information and advice dashboard that provides students with the tools and information they need to start their journey to higher education.
- Decline my place – a service that provides students with total control over their application choices.
- Clearing Plus – a data-led system that intelligently suggests courses to students based on their preferences, circumstances, and achieved grades.
- ‘Historic entry grades’ tool – providing advisers insight into the grades students held when they were accepted on to courses during the 2017-2019 application cycles, enhancing transparency across the sector.
- The 2022 application – improved look and feel to the application interface to give students an enhanced digital experience.
As such, we welcomed the Department for Education’s consultation on UK HE admissions and the opportunity to focus on improving outcomes for students.
UCAS' Reimagining UK Admissions report
During the consultation period, we gathered feedback and insights from nearly 15,000 students, universities, colleges, and conservatoires; over 700 teachers and their representative bodies; and sector stakeholders, to create our new Reimagining UK Admissions Report.
This report highlights:
- the guiding principles for admissions
- our proposed post-qualification admissions model
- critical challenges that must be addressed – if these cannot be overcome, we recommend the continued implementation of a programme of student-led transformation and reform, building on the success of recent initiatives
Read the full report and press release:
Reimagining UK Admissions (1.51 MB)- Annex C (299.81 KB)
Annex C data files (1.36 KB)- Annex D (996.8 KB)
- Annex D data files (20.02 KB)
- Press release (158.56 KB)
UCAS' Formal response to the consultation
In May, we continued our engagement by hosting roundtables with Vice-Chancellors/Principals and leaders of organisations in the higher education sector to further discuss the guiding principles and critical challenges of reform.
All feedback was consolidated and integrated into our formal response to the consultation which we submitted to the Department for Education.
Next steps
Regardless of whether admissions reform goes ahead following the Department for Education’s consultation, we’ll continue to focus on improving our services for customers.
If you have any questions, comments or thoughts regarding potential reforms which you’d like to share with us, please email reform@ucas.ac.uk.