The Essential guide to UK Universities
 UK Universities
 Things to consider
 Oxford and Cambridge
 Art and Design
 Medicine / Law
Overview of UK Universities
 Ancient Universities
 University of London (1836)
 Civic Redbrick Universities (Latter part of 19th
Century)
 Plate Glass Universities (1960s)
 New universities (1992)
What do I need to consider?
What are you studying / proposing to study at HL in IB?
 HL courses determine types of degree courses
Predicted grades?
 Determine the universities you can apply to be realistic as you only have 5 choices
 Students will do 3 HLs, university offers generally
based on these.
Research excellence
What is the significance of these universities?
 Research intensive
 Very competitive
 Students need to demonstrate independence
 Fewer contact hours with professors
How to get in?
 Strong academic grades
 Comprehensive study plan
 Strong reference letter
Average UCAS points
Value of IB scores:
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IB 40 = 611 UCAS points
IB 39 = 589 UCAS points
IB 38 = 567 UCAS points
IB37 = 545 UCAS points
IB 36 = 523 UCAS points
IB 35 = 501 UCAS points
 Scores are combined with SL and HL – be realistic with
your expectations, average IB score around the world
has consistently been 30 for 40 years.
IB score distribution
Highest number of applications
Applications per place
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LSE – 11.5
Edinburgh 8.6
St Andrews 8.4
King’s College London 7.8
Bristol 7.7
UCL 7.7
Warwick 7.4
Imperial 6.6
Oxford 5.5
Cambridge 4.7
Post 1992 Universities (Teaching
Excellence)
 Specialise in teaching (vocational courses)
 Many academics have industrial or business
experience
 More contact time with professors
 Research suggests that new universities are
academically more effective at teaching (Quality
Assurance Agency QAA)
 Build industry links and promote internships
How to choose the right
course/university?
 Predicted grades? (SL exams will give an idea)
 What do you want to study?
 What is more important, course or university?
Choosing the right course:
 Use UCAS search
 List entrance requirements
Result of UCAS search for Economics
 Birmingham require 38 points – minimum 665 with 6 in maths
 Cambridge require 39-42 points minimum 776 with 7 in maths
 Durham require 39 points – minimum 665 with 6 in maths
 Leicester require 34 points – minimum of 5 in all subjects at HL
 Leeds require 34 points – minimum of 5 in all subjects at HL
 UCL require 39 points – minimum of 766 with 7 in maths
Oxford or Cambridge
 Can only choose one
 Will be expected to get highest grades possible –
“If you wish to apply for an undergraduate place at
Cambridge, you need to be in the top one or two per cent of
your year group, and doing very well in the subject area
you'd like to study.”
 Application deadline is 15th October
 Complete SAQ (supplementary application
questionnaire), sent via email
 Attend interview
 English Language – Minimum of B in GCSE or 5 in SL IB
Oxbridge Interviews
 Does this person show outstanding ability in their subject?
 Have they the potential to bring something new to the
field?
 Would this person gain academically from my tuition at
the college?
 Is this a person I would enjoy teaching?
 Would this person enjoy life at Oxbridge?
Likely to be asked questions that need consideration.
Potential tutors will want to see how you react to ideas for
team work or general guidance
Art and Design Programmes
Specialist schools for fine art include:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Slade School of Art (University College London)
University of the Arts, London (Central St Martins)
Edinburgh School of Art (University of Edinburgh)
University for the Creative Arts
Glasgow School of Art
Foundation programmes are not specified, but students have a
better chance of acceptance at the above institutions if they
have done one.
Art and Design Programmes
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Many of the 1992 universities offer these programmes and
are very good at preparing students with vocational skills.
In terms of art and design, courses on offer include:
Product Design
Shoe / Clothing & Fashion Design
Car Design
Graphic Design / Computer Games
Ceramics
Animation / Illustration
Photography / Media
Art and Design deadlines
I.
There are two deadlines for Art and Design
Programmes, 15th January and 24th March.
II. You can apply for 15th January courses and 24th
March courses later on same application
Medicine / Dentistry
 Deadline 15th October
 You can only apply to 4 institutions, the 5th programme
must be something different
 Applicants must take UKCAT (most common) or
BMAT (Oxbridge / Imperial / UCL) – Can be done in
Taiwan
 Medical Interview
 International places = 7½% of available places
UKCAT and BMAT
Can do once a year, check for test dates on respective
websites
UKCAT / BMAT test:
1. Verbal Reasoning
2. Quantitative Reasoning
3. Abstract Reasoning
4. Decision Analysis
Each of the sections are marked and an average score is
taken. UKCAT score up to 900 – 650+ = a competitive score.
BMAT score up to 9, 5 is average, 6 is seen as competitive.
 Both tests are 2 hours long and multiple choice
Other Tests
Leading universities need the LNAT test (National
Admissions Test for Law), universities include:
Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, Glasgow, King’s College,
Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, UCL
 2¼ hours
 42 multiple choice questions - measure reading,
comprehension and logical reasoning skills (Oxbridge
forums state 18+ on multiple choice is good).
 Reading
 40 minute essay question
What are the best universities?
There is no “best” university, they all have different
missions. This is highlighted in the following that shows
which universities have the best recruitment record:
The University of Surrey
96.9
Harper Adams University College
96.5
The Robert Gordon University
95.9
The University of Cambridge
95.2
King's College London
94.6
Choosing a course
How to choose your course:
 What are you interested in?
If you are not sure you can check online careers
guidance at http://www.fasttomato.com/
or more detailed Centigrade test (£30 for international
students) http://www.coa2.co.uk/centigrade/?pagename=index
 Check the UCAS site for important dates (deadlines)
Personal Statement – Why
universities should choose you
 Why do you want to study the course? Can link
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skills/experience
Check spelling and grammar
Keep sentences short (12-20 words)
Each sentence should add something new, not increase word
count
Quality of writing reflects quality of thought
Don’t be too formal or familiar
80% of statement should focus on course for competitive
universities
Be honest – the statement can be used as basis of interview
Get someone to check your statement
Completing the Application
 Payment – £23 for 5, or £12 for one
 Reference
 Submission to UCAS
UCAS EXtra
If you've used all five choices and are not holding any
offers, you may be able to use Extra to add another
choice if:
 you've received decisions from all five universities or
colleges, but want to change course
 you weren't accepted or you declined any offers you
received
Offers and accepting offers
 Conditional / Reject?
 Deadline to accept (set when all universities have
made a decision)
 Accept Firm / Insurance
 Wait results
 Unconditional (?)
Clearing and Adjustment
Clearing
Adjustment
 Universities know grades
 If you did better than
before students do
 If grades are lower and
university has not accepted
you, need to go into clearing
 Check UCAS to see what
courses are available. Contact
university.
 Be careful, if you accept a
course, cannot continue
looking
expected, can apply for more
competitive course.
 Like clearing, call university
and see if they accept you
 Won’t lose course at original
firm
Q&A
Still confused? Need more help?
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More Information:
Jack Shull – TES University & Careers Counsellor
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from 10am to 7pm, Monday to Friday
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