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University Deadlines

I've been looking to start university for a while now, but every time the deadline comes up in January, I seem to be too busy to notice that I have to apply and end up realising months later, like I have now.
I want to apply for a BSc in Computer Science at the University of Birmingham. I am a British Citizen with qualifications from a secondary school in Argentina which I need to find out the equivalency of.
Am I too late to apply now to start this upcoming September? I really don't want to have to wait another whole year.

Reply 1

CardiffUni Rep 2

Official Rep

Original post by iararicca

Hi there,

No, you're absolutely not too late - there are always opportunities to apply - it's just that it might be a little challenging now that it's past the January deadline. From my understanding, submitting the January deadline meant that you were subject to equal consideration from universities. After that, you can still apply, but it depends on competitiveness and availability. Universities are basically no longer required to treat every application the same. This article from the Complete University Guide explains it quite well.

Late applications have a deadline until 30th June. After that, you can still apply through Clearing. Some courses may have open spaces, and you are able to apply to these courses during the clearing period. This occurs 5th July to 17 October. UCAS has a great guide about this, in case you were interested.

Hope that answered your question, let me know if you had any more questions!

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

Reply 2

iararicca

Original post by CardiffUni Rep 2

Hi there,
No, you're absolutely not too late - there are always opportunities to apply - it's just that it might be a little challenging now that it's past the January deadline. From my understanding, submitting the January deadline meant that you were subject to equal consideration from universities. After that, you can still apply, but it depends on competitiveness and availability. Universities are basically no longer required to treat every application the same. This article from the Complete University Guide explains it quite well.
Late applications have a deadline until 30th June. After that, you can still apply through Clearing. Some courses may have open spaces, and you are able to apply to these courses during the clearing period. This occurs 5th July to 17 October. UCAS has a great guide about this, in case you were interested.
Hope that answered your question, let me know if you had any more questions!
~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

Hi,

Thank you so much for the reply. This clears up a lot. I still need to find out whether my qualifications are good enough to apply, but I definitely want to at least try before the year goes past because I’m already 21 and don’t want to continue wasting time!

So If I applied now, would they be able to not consider me? How many Universities can I apply to at once and am I only able to apply to one course per University or can I apply to a few and see which one I get accepted on?
I know there’s quite a few similar software engineering courses that I wouldn’t mind either.

Also, how does the clearing work? Is it just the vacancies they have at that time for any course or only for the one I am looking into? Will they be more capable in offering me a spot do you think, or is it the same as a late application?

Reply 3

McGinger

Birmingham - probably far too late for something as competitive as CS.
Other Unis, possible. You will just have to phone them all to find out and you need to do this as soon as possible.
Be aware that Título de Bachiller is not equivalent to A levels and most Unis will want additional qualifications.

Reply 4

iararicca

Original post by McGinger

Hey, so what do you recommend I do? I'm interested in lots of other courses so could potentially try something else.

Reply 5

CardiffUni Rep 2

Official Rep

Original post by iararicca

Hi,
Thank you so much for the reply. This clears up a lot. I still need to find out whether my qualifications are good enough to apply, but I definitely want to at least try before the year goes past because I’m already 21 and don’t want to continue wasting time!
So If I applied now, would they be able to not consider me? How many Universities can I apply to at once and am I only able to apply to one course per University or can I apply to a few and see which one I get accepted on?
I know there’s quite a few similar software engineering courses that I wouldn’t mind either.
Also, how does the clearing work? Is it just the vacancies they have at that time for any course or only for the one I am looking into? Will they be more capable in offering me a spot do you think, or is it the same as a late application?

I believe its still 5 universities maximum that you can apply to, but please someone correct me if I'm wrong! In regards to the first question, the Gov Education Hub summarises it really well: "The equal consideration deadline means course providers must consider all applications received by this time equally. Universities and colleges do not have to consider applications received after the deadline, although they can if they have spaces available once the on-time applications have been considered". So in response to your question - yes.

Yep! So courses may have vacancies due to rejections, people dropping out etc. They show on the UCAS website and you are able to search for courses on clearing. I will say that there is no guarantee for the university you wish for to appear on clearing, as it is dependent on space available on the course, it is good if you are trying to find courses in your degree subject. It's a process of calling the universities themselves, and spots are usually offered within 1-3 days. This blog has some of the things you might need to prepare for clearing, if thats any help.

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep