References for UCAS application

I am currently a foundation year student at university, but my university will not provide me with a reference for my UCAS. My college will, but I’m worried this might impact my application? Or is it okay that my college are providing my references

I am currently a foundation year student at university, but my university will not provide me with a reference for my UCAS. My college will, but I’m worried this might impact my application? Or is it okay that my college are providing my references

Why will your current university not provide a reference? A reference from your old college is better than nothing, but universities may well want to know why your existing university will not provide a reference. It's not really a good look.

Which university are you at that is refusing to provide an academic reference?

Did they give a reason for refusing?

It’s the uni of Huddersfield and my tutor said he doesn’t know me well enough to give me a reference

References of up to 4,000 characters (including spaces, headings and line breaks) or 47 lines of text, whichever comes first, comprising the following sections:

Section 1: Provide an overview of your relationship with the applicant (mandatory).
Section 2: If applicable, enter any information about extenuating circumstances which may have impacted the applicant's education and achievement.
This could include: 

individual circumstances – e.g., mature student, disability, serious, acute, or chronic illness, bereavement, significant adverse personal circumstances (with applicant consent)
context as to why there is a disparity between an individual’s grades achieved throughout the school or college (e.g. at GCSE/ Scottish national 4/5 equivalent and predicted grades, where applicable)
factors which have limited the individual’s choice of subjects or load of study at school or college
support the university or college should consider putting in place to ensure the applicant can thrive on their course (with applicant’s consent)
You must be clear whether any of the circumstances outlined in section 2 have already been considered by the student’s examination boards or awarding organisations for the qualifications taken.

Section 3: Outline any other supportive information specific to the applicant and relevant to the course(s) applied for that you think universities/colleges should be aware of
It is not necessary to craft the perfect paragraph here; providing short, clear, factual statements helps universities and colleges digest the information.

Applicants are encouraged to share details of their application with you so you can, where appropriate, comment on their chosen subject.

Useful information could include:

evidence of suitability for the course(s) applied for which may include performance and academic ability in relevant UK level 3 or equivalent qualifications, relevant work experience, cases where an applicant is the strongest performer in their cohort or extracurricular achievements
any barriers the applicant has faced in accessing work experience opportunities only where relevant to the course applied to
Ticking ‘no information to enter’ for this section will highlight to universities and colleges that no information has been supplied under these headings.

Speak to your head of year - the guidance for an academic reference shouldn't require anything more than access to your results and work so far and a 15 minute meeting with you to discuss your reasons for applying elsewhere.

https://www.ucas.com/advisers/help-and-training/guides-resources-and-training/writing-references/changes-undergraduate-references-2024-entry#reference-guidance


It's the sort of thing a tutor should be able to provide as a matter of course and shouldn't take more than an hour to provide