How to complete your UCAS application

1. First things first, you need to spend some time considering what you’d like to study at university – think about what you enjoy most at college or sixth form, and what job you’d like to do when you’re older. It’s important to get your subject choice right, as you’ll be studying it for at least the next three years. It’s also worth doing some research to see if your dream career requires a certain degree, so your university choice can get you to where you want to be.
2. When you’re ready to start your application, you’ll need to register with the UCAS Hub to create your account, through which you’ll be making your application. You’ll need to choose which year you’d like to start at university, and that you’re looking to study an ‘undergraduate’ degree, which means your first degree at university.
3. When you log-in to your UCAS Hub account, you’ll be taken to your dashboard, where you’ll see a tile called ‘Your Application’ – if you click ‘Start’, you can begin your application.
4. Next comes the longest part of the application process (which you might want to do in stages over a number of days), where you’ll need to fill in all of your personal information. This covers your:
   Personal Details – name, date of birth, gender etc. (make sure your name matches your official ID)
   Nationality – where you were born and your current nationality
   Address – where you live and spend most of your time
   Contact Details – including your phone number and email (make sure your email is correct, as it’ll be used to share key information with you)
   Supporting Information – whether you, your parent or partner has worked in the EU, EEA or Switzerland
   Finance and Funding - how you plan to pay for your degree
   Diversity and Inclusion Information – covering your personal beliefs and preferences
   More About You – covering any additional needs, so you can be supported throughout your education
   Education - including all of your relevant qualifications
   Employment – any previous paid employment
   Extra Activities – useful for noting any additional responsibilities you have taken on
5. Next comes your personal statement – made up of three key questions, this is your chance to demonstrate your passion, enthusiasm, skills and experience relating to your subject, explaining why you’d be a great fit for the course and university that you’re choosing.
6. Then, you’ll need to add your references – you need at least one, who knows you well, and they can’t be your family, friend, partner or ex-partner.
7. Now comes the exciting part – making your choices! You can initially choose up to 5 courses from as many universities as you’d like – you can apply to five different universities, or just one, it’s your choice!
8. You’ll need to make a small payment to submit your application, which for 2026 entry is £28.95, although if you received free school meals at any point during your time at secondary school, you can apply to have this fee waived.
9. Once all this is done, you can hit submit, sit back and wait for your offers to come in! Universities are likely to make you conditional offers, which rely on you getting certain grades – when you’ve received your offers, you can then choose a first (firm) and second (insurance) choice.

A UCAS application is the method you’ll need to use in order to apply to study an undergraduate degree at any university in the UK. 

You will need to register and create a UCAS Hub account, through which you can apply.

You need to consider what you enjoy most, and what career you would like. Some roles require certain degrees, like Law, Nursing or Engineering. You should also compare the entry requirements with your expected grades, to make sure you know what you are aiming for.

UCAS charges an application fee of £28.95 for up to five university choices for entry in 2026, although if you’ve had free school meals during secondary school, you can apply to have this removed, allowing you to apply for free.

For those starting university in 2026, applications can be submitted from September 2^nd 2025.

For most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, the deadline is October 15^th 2025.

The deadline for the majority of other courses is January 14^th 2026 at 18:00.

If you miss the 14th of January deadline, you can still apply until the 30th of June - the vast majority of our programmes will still have spaces

Your reference is really important in supporting your application, giving us a rounded picture of you as a person. It'll help us reach a decision that suits you as best as possible

Your referee should comment on your ability, attitude and approach to learning. They may also mention your activities and work experience. They will also list any predicted grades to help university staff work out whether you will cope academically on the course. You should speak to your referee beforehand to get all your key points across, and to make sure they represent you well.

Your reference should be written by someone who knows you well in a professional or academic sense. If you are at school or college, this is likely to be a teacher, tutor or head of sixth form. If you left education some time ago, ask an employer, supervisor or trainer.
You shouldn’t ask family, friends or partners – if you do, your application may be cancelled.

Everyone needs a reference. If you are unable to get a reference you must get permission from your chosen institution(s) before you submit your application.

When you register to apply through UCAS you will be allocated a ten-digit number, this is your Personal ID. This number will be included in any correspondence you receive from UCAS.

Once you have submitted your application, you can track the progress by logging into the UCAS Hub. You'll be able to sign in at any time with the Personal ID you received in your welcome email, along with the password you used when applying.

It is a good idea to get your application submitted before the January deadline. At Swansea University, most undergraduate applicants should hear more from us within three weeks of applying - either with a decision, or a request for additional information that'll help us reach a decision. Sometimes though, this can take longer - if you've applied for a very competitive course, for example. Applicants should log into UCAS to check the status of their application.

When your chosen university has seen your application, your status will change from ‘submitted’ to ‘acknowledged’ on the UCAS website. Your chosen university may need to interview you to further establish whether you are right for the course.

When a decision has been made on your application, you will receive notification that something has changed on your application form. You will either have an offer or your application will be marked as unsuccessful.

Once you've had a decision from all of your choices, you can accept any offers via your UCAS Hub. You won't be able to do this until you've heard back from each of your choices.

UCAS Tariff points are a way of measuring the relative value of all post-16 qualifications in the UK. Each qualification is worth a certain amount of points, which increase for higher grades/awards.

You can check the tariff points you have from your qualifications using the UCAS calculator.

Clearing is the process that UK universities go through on and after results day.

t is the next step for those who perhaps have not done as well as they expected, and have not made the conditions of their offers. This is by no means the end of the university journey, as many students secure their place through the clearing process instead, and still go on to have an enjoyable time at university and a successful career.