If your child is starting Year 12, university applications may still feel some way off. If they are starting Year 13, UCAS may suddenly feel much more immediate.
The application itself is only one part of a longer process. Before anything is submitted, there are courses to explore, entry requirements to check and choices to narrow down. Afterwards come university decisions, replies to offers and, eventually, confirmation of a place.
Understanding how those stages fit together makes it easier to know what is happening now, what comes next and what is going on behind the scenes.
The roadmap below gives you the UCAS journey at a glance.
Start with exploration
There is no single point at which every student needs to start thinking about university. By Year 12, however, it is useful to start looking more closely at the options.
UCAS provides course information through its search tool, including entry requirements and application deadlines. Looking at this early gives students time to explore what is available before they need to make any decisions.
Year 12 is a time to explore the options, not to have all the answers.
That exploration can take different forms. Opportunities beyond the classroom can help students explore their interests and find out more about subjects they are considering.
As the options begin to narrow, families are also likely to encounter university rankings and the Russell Group. Understanding what different league tables, labels and measures actually tell you makes them more useful when comparing options.
Open days provide a chance to look beyond course information and get a better sense of the university and the experience of studying there. By the summer before Year 13, students can return to what they have found and begin narrowing the options.
