A

Adjustment

– In an undergraduate application, this is one of the services you can use to look for alternative courses. This one’s in case you’ve met and exceeded your conditions, and you’d like to see if you can get on a course with higher entry requirements – all while still holding your original confirmed place.

B

Bachelor’s Degree

– A three or four-year course you can take in undergraduate higher education after you’ve finished further education – also known as a first or undergraduate degree.

C

Centre

– A school, college or organisation that can help students apply to higher education.

Changed course offer

– In your application, you might get one of these if you haven’t met your conditions, or if the university or college has made changes to the courses they run. It might involve a different start date or point of entry, or a different course altogether.

Clearing

– In an undergraduate application, ‘Clearing’ is another service you can use to look for alternative courses. If you didn’t get a place on a course – whether you didn’t receive offers, declined your offers, or didn’t get the grades you needed – ‘Clearing’ allows you to apply for courses that still have vacancies (pending actual grades achieved).

Conditional offer

– In your application, this refers to an offer of a place on a course, subject to conditions. To be accepted on the course, you’ll need to meet the conditions – usually related to your exam results. This is a common type of offer for students applying directly from further education.

Confirmation

– In your application, this is the outcome of a conditional offer you’ve accepted. If you meet the conditions, your place will be made unconditional (meaning you’ve got a place on the course) – otherwise, the offer will be declined.

Course provider

– A university, college, conservatoire or other institution offering higher education courses.

D

Deferral

– In your application, this is what you do if you’d like to carry an offer over to start it in the following academic year.

E

Entry requirements

– This is what the course provider recommends you need to do/have to get on the course – from qualifications and specific subjects or grades, to interviews, admissions tests, and medical requirements. You aren’t guaranteed an offer if you meet or already have these.

Extra

– In an undergraduate application, ‘Extra’ is a service you can use to apply for alternative places if you do not hold an offer from your first five choices.

F

Firm choice

– In your application, this is an offer you accept as your first choice.

Further education (FE)

– The level of education you complete at school or college before you start higher education. In Malaysia, this would mean SPM, STPM, A levels, IB, or pre-university courses.

H

HEI

– A higher education institution – a university, college or conservatoire.

Higher education (HE)

– The level of education we can help you apply to – from undergraduate courses when you’ve finished further education, to postgraduate courses you can move on to after graduating from an undergraduate degree.

I

Insurance choice

– In your application, this is an offer you accept as your second choice – just in case you don’t meet the conditions of your firm offer.

Invitation

– In your application, you may receive an invitation from a university or college asking you to attend an interview or audition, or to provide a portfolio, essay or another piece of work.

L

League tables

– Rankings of course providers – these can be an overall ranking, or listed by reputation, courses or departments.

P

Personal ID

– In your application, the 10-digit number you get when you register to UCAS Apply – printed in a 123-456-7890 format on every letter UCAS sends you.

Personal statement

– A piece of text applicants write to show why they’re applying and why they’d be a great student for a course provider to accept.

Point of entry

– In your application, ‘point of entry’ refers to the year of the course you start at – for example ‘2’ means you’d start in the second year of the course.

Postgraduate

– Higher education study for graduates who have already completed an undergraduate course.

R

Referee

– In your application, someone who provides a reference for you.

Reference

– In your application, a recommendation on an applicant’s application form from a teacher, advisor or professional.

S

Sandwich course

– A course with an additional year where you work in a profession you’re studying for.

T

Tariff

– The Undergraduate Tariff is the system for allocating points to the different qualifications you can use to get into undergraduate higher education. Not all qualifications will be included on the Tariff.

Track

– The name of the UCAS online tracking system where you can see how your application is progressing. Here you can reply to offers and make amendments like changing your email address and more.

U

UCAS

– The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in the UK. This includes the main UCAS undergraduate application, as well as the other schemes UCAS run, e.g. CUKAS (performing arts), UTT (UCAS Teacher Training), and UKPASS (postgraduate).

Unconditional offer

– In your application, an offer of a place on a course with no conditions – the place is yours if you want it.

Undergraduate

– The first level of study in higher education. If you graduate from an undergraduate degree, you can move on to postgraduate study.

Unsuccessful

– In your application, either you haven’t been made an offer or you haven’t met the conditions of a conditional offer.

Source: www.ucas.com