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DofE = UCAS points?

Hey,

Long story short, I've been told that you can get UCAS points through doing the Duke of Ed award, which I'm currently in the process of completing (Gold award)
Any how, there is no tariff table under UCAS tariff points for it, which makes me wonder if you can actually get UCAS points for doing the DofE...

It's not a huge deal, I didn't do the DofE specifically for UCAS points, but it would be nice to know if you do get any points!

So, if it hasn't already been made an obvious question, DO YOU GET UCAS POINTS FOR COMPLETELY THE DofE AWARD? (And how many?)

Many thanks,
Steve!:biggrin:

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Nope; if it's not there you don't get points for it.
Unfortunately the Duke of Edinburgh award does not give you any UCAS points, but it's worth mentioning in your personal statement as an extra-curricular.
Reply 3
Avatar for Not Guilty
Not Guilty
3
haha if you actually did DofE just for UCAS points. Of course it doesn't give you any extra - what a completely unfair advantage it would give.

Plus the good university's look at grades not UCAS points.
Reply 4
Avatar for inglewoody
inglewoody
Nope - as it isn't a formal qualification. It is invaluable though for the personal statement and to give you something extra-curricular to chat about at interview. Universities know what a Gold Award means, and emphasising it on your personal statement shows you've had a breadth of experience and have 'stickability', like trying new things, can work in a team etc... even if you haven't completed it, put it down as 'in progress'.
Original post by Not Guilty
haha if you actually did DofE just for UCAS points. Of course it doesn't give you any extra - what a completely unfair advantage it would give.

Plus the good university's look at grades not UCAS points.


Not necessarily - Some of the not so good universities give offers in points and, with the amount of points I've got from grade 8 music exams I could get into them without actually having any A levels. I don't see why DofE shouldn't given that music and drama exams are both awarded points and are purely vocational.
Reply 6
Avatar for DarkWhite
DarkWhite
17
No UCAS points, but it's worth mentioning normally :smile:
Reply 7
Avatar for StevenKnott
StevenKnott
OP
Cheers guys, all comments have been helpful :smile:
Basically, your paying to walk and then tell people you did it. Nothing else.
Original post by hothedgehog
Not necessarily - Some of the not so good universities give offers in points and, with the amount of points I've got from grade 8 music exams I could get into them without actually having any A levels. I don't see why DofE shouldn't given that music and drama exams are both awarded points and are purely vocational.


Not true, universities specify the points must come from A-levels or equivalent qualifications e.g. BTEC Certificates. You won't get into university with just music grade UCAS points alone.
This rumour was going around when I did it (2006) . . . I see it hasn't died yet! Unfortunately, no, it doesn't attract UCAS points, but it can be mentioned in your PS, particularly if you've done something particularly relevant to your course e.g. volunteering in a nursing home for medicine.
Original post by SpicyStrawberry
Not true, universities specify the points must come from A-levels or equivalent qualifications e.g. BTEC Certificates. You won't get into university with just music grade UCAS points alone.


Depends on the uni. Some say '220 points with 180 points from AS/A2 exams' so the music grades would bump up. Anyway, it was more of a throwaway 'I have so many UCAS points from music exams that theoretically I could go to uni on them' comment. Anyway, as it is I'm in my 4th year so this whole point is a bit moot!
Original post by hothedgehog
Depends on the uni. Some say '220 points with 180 points from AS/A2 exams' so the music grades would bump up. Anyway, it was more of a throwaway 'I have so many UCAS points from music exams that theoretically I could go to uni on them' comment. Anyway, as it is I'm in my 4th year so this whole point is a bit moot!


Yeah no worries, I was just saying because we don't want people who are new to the UCAS system thinking they don't need to go to college to do A-levels/BTEC/Access etc. in order to get to uni!
Reply 13
Avatar for Biffanny
Biffanny
2
have to say that it wouldn't give an unfair advantage, the DofE award involves a lot of hard work and should be commended. I find I quite rude that you say it would be unfair, you get tariff points for dance qualifications, why shouldn't you get them for DofE? also, sidenote, just because a Uni looks at UCAS points, it does not automatically mean that they are not a good university. I think that this negative commenting of yours is unnecessary. Applying to a university is stressful enough without people like you making snarky comments.
Original post by Biffanny
have to say that it wouldn't give an unfair advantage, the DofE award involves a lot of hard work and should be commended. I find I quite rude that you say it would be unfair, you get tariff points for dance qualifications, why shouldn't you get them for DofE? also, sidenote, just because a Uni looks at UCAS points, it does not automatically mean that they are not a good university. I think that this negative commenting of yours is unnecessary. Applying to a university is stressful enough without people like you making snarky comments.


Some voccational qualifications do give UCAS points, however these are usually exams with a standardised assessment procedure. They will also usually only be counted towards specific courses, e.g. music exams towards music, BHS exams towards animal related courses and so on. In general, taking these exams shows a comitment towards a specific area of study, where as DofE is much more general and you can't really say that all people with DofE show the same standard skill set.

I think everyone on this thread is purely trying to be helpful, not making snarky comments, and you should probably calm down a little.
(edited 10 years ago)
When filling out your UCAS forum along side your grades you can add your DofE's and they will appear along side your A levels and GCSE-it's just an extra thing to add to your form!! Also other stuff like LAMA, ECDL, Music Qualifications (I think above grade 6) ect.
Reply 16
Avatar for CMgr
CMgr
Poor reply. You need to know how to answer a request for help. MBA (Distinction Graduate)
You get ucas points for dance qualifications and music grades why is that or getting them for D of E unfair? If you put the extra effort and time in you deserve the reward.
Hi, I manage the DofE Award for a local authority and this crops up quite frequently, enough to warrant this in the forthcoming DofE magazine:
The DofE is a personal development programme where participants set their own objectives and programme goals and it is not formally accredited by any external body. However the DofE remains one of the most sought after and looked for achievements on a young person's personal statement. As a basic comparison it is generally agreed that a Silver Award is equivalent to a GCSE A*-C and a Gold Award is equivalent to an A-level.
The comment about external bodies is the significant one. There is research (http://www.dofe.org/en/content/cms/about-us/our-impact/) about the wide reaching benefits of DofE and why it is internationally recognised, but however good a vehicle it is, it doesn't qualify for UCAS points. Just to counter the earlier comment about it just being about paying for a walk, the 5 sections at Gold and the minimum 12 months required to undertake it require a lot more effort and commitment than just the training, practice & qualifying walks required for the expedition section. A lot of people think the DofE is just about an exped, but that section is the shortest of all by a long way and thus this view is not accurate. I hope that helps anyone else that finds this thread (since OP was ages ago!).
For everyone saying that mentioning DofE in your application is "helpful" - so many applicants talk about their DofE experiences and achievements that it really offers very little advantage (and in many cases it is a disadvantage because it takes up space in a PS that would be better used talking about subject specific extra curricular activities) - especially if you consider that the activities are generally not related to academic study or the topics or types of study you'll be required to do in a degree.

Do not take DofE to help your university application. Take it because you want to do it and think it would be interesting and enjoyable.

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