UCAS Undergraduate scheme. Supporting higher education providers at every stage of the applicant journey

Transcription

1 UCAS Undergraduate scheme Supporting higher education providers at every stage of the applicant journey

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3 UCAS has been at the heart of connecting people to higher education for over 50 years. While we ve evolved to meet our customers needs, our managed admissions services remain at the core of what we do. However, our commitment goes far beyond that. We pride ourselves on creating mutually beneficial opportunities for all of our customers. For higher education providers (HEPs), this means ensuring you have everything needed to navigate each stage of the applicant journey and run a successful admissions service.

4 The applicant journey: the four stages

5 Stage 1: Pre-application Enquiry to application Stage 2: Application Application to offer Stage 3: Post-application Offer to Confirmation Stage 4: Transition Confirmation to enrolment To support HEPs in the best way possible, we provide a number of products and services. These can be broadly categorised as: Operational Supplementary Additional Services we offer to support you in achieving your dayto-day admissions goals. Designed to enhance the UCAS experience for higher education providers. A suite of paid-for products and services available from our commercial arm: UCAS Media. For further information on any products and services outlined, please see the Contact us section.

6 Pre-application

7 Pre-application Operational UCAS website With over 50 million visits per year, ucas.com is the go to place for pre-applicants, advisers, and parents seeking information on higher education in the UK. In addition, there s a dedicated higher education provider area ( offering a wealth of information and data to support you through the admissions cycle, including: the UCAS admissions timeline interactive tool links to our analytical releases and statistics support and guidance on the admissions cycle updates on projects and their progress UCAS news alerts and searchable bulletin archive details on how to book training, or participate in groups, forums and events Supplementary Broader engagement and outreach To ensure that higher education is promoted accurately to pre-applicants as they make key decisions about their next steps. We engage in active outreach to schools, teachers, and advisers through dedicated training initiatives and bespoke professional development sessions. Course Collect Course Collect is a data collection tool for you to enter your course listings, from here they feed into our online UCAS search tool (search.ucas.com). You can also include details about your provider, as well as fees, support, and open day information it ll be seen by millions of potential applicants researching higher education. UCAS search tool Powered by Course Collect, the UCAS search tool effectively enables you to market your courses to pre-applicants researching higher education opportunities (9 million in 2013/14). This tool displays your course and university or college information in a comprehensive format everything an applicant needs to make informed choices about what and where to study. Data Collection Team To ensure your data is consistent and quality-assured, our specialist data collection experts provide advice and guidance on the best ways to manage your course information, and can advise you on using Course Collect. As well as providing day-to-day support, they will work with you to provide efficient course data reporting, and can impart their regional expertise to support you throughout the cycle. Higher education conventions There s no better way of reaching students than meeting them in person. Every year we hold around 50 higher education conventions and 20 conferences right across the UK. These events give you the opportunity to truly connect with pre-applicants and promote your courses. Pre-applicant opportunities We offer expert advice on attracting the attention of preapplicants, and can provide access to a variety of UCAS marketing channels including , online advertising and social media. We can also provide access to data for market research, direct marketing and advertising purposes. Additional

8 Application Supplementary Operational Verification services Our specialist team uses a number of tools to identify fraud in applications and similarity in personal statements and is available throughout the application cycle to answer your questions and offer advice, guidance, and support. Application management tools Our suite of link products enable you to manage applications effectively, allowing you to view a range of data and contextual information, make decisions and attach offer conditions. odbc-link and xml-link: Secure data transfer tools that enable you to manage applications through your own systems. web-link: An online product that enables you to manage and monitor your applications without a third party software supplier. Qualification comparisons and Tariff As the number of different applicant qualifications increase, we continue to provide you with updated information resources; including our Qualification Information Profiles (QIPs) and our Tariff service. Contextual data service To support your admissions and widening participation activities, we collate a range of contextual data, such as details of the school, college, or area that an applicant studied in. Application deadline reports To help you plan ahead and understand sector trends, we provide detailed national level analysis of applicants and applications at the October, January, March, and June deadlines. At the January deadline we publish further analysis on demand. As with all our published reports, you will receive information 24 hours before general release. Admissions data test files At key points throughout the cycle, we provide additional data test files to ensure HEP systems are fully operational in advance of critical periods. Essentially, we can help you ensure optimal integration before you need it. Apply: our online admissions portal Students make their higher education applications through Apply: our user-friendly, online admissions portal. For HEPs, it provides comprehensive and consistent information on those applying to your university or college. Track: managing replies and responses Applicants can use our online Track tool to monitor the progress of their applications and respond to any offers, or invitations to auditions and interviews that you make reducing the need for them to contact you directly. Application and Decision Tracker reports With live weekly reports of your application data and decisionmaking patterns you ll be able to compare your own university or college against other providers. You can segment data in a number of ways by subject level, faculties and courses to support your planning focus. While Level 1 Application Tracker information is free of charge, additional data is available on a subscription-only basis. Additional

9 Application

10 Post-application

11 Post application Viewing applications Once applicants have submitted their application, our secure data transfer systems (odbc-link, xml-link, and web-link) enable you to view your applicants choices, and make decisions on them. Operational Awarding Body Linkage We manage relationships with a number of awarding bodies on your behalf, matching over a million results per year to offers made by providers, ensuring that you get the information you need, when you need it. Professional publications To support you in using our systems and defining your admissions processes, we provide you with a range of professional guides. These include the Admissions Guide and Decision Processing Manual, which provides you with information and advice on best practice in admissions and detailed guidance on how to process your decisions. Supplementary Daily Clearing analysis Daily Clearing analysis gives you an up-to-date snapshot of applicants in Clearing; including those that have not yet found a place, as well as historical analysis allowing you to compare current information against previous cycles and segment data by country, age, and subject. Unplaced applicant marketing From February through to the end of Clearing each September, we can help you reach unplaced applicants using a range of products and services, including specific Clearing opportunities. All campaigns are tailored to your student recruitment needs and can encompass a number of media channels. Additional

12 Transition Supplementary Trend reports Insight is at the heart of any effective recruitment strategy. Our analysis reports, notes and statistical releases can help you identify trends in higher education admissions. And more and more of our releases, such as the releases on recruitment by entry years, are given to you at provider level so you can see where you fit into the national picture. Analysis products and services We offer a range of additional analysis products and services; our EXACT service lets you get behind our national reports to get highly detailed data to your specification and our STROBE services can give you detailed reports on admissions for groups of people you have been working with. Additional

13 Transition

14 Relationships account for a great deal in any business Higher education is no different. We take pride in offering you the products and services you need, and our customer experience is powered by people: those who provide you with ongoing support.

15 Ongoing support

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17 Ongoing support HEP Team Our experienced HEP advisers provide a dedicated contact centre service; offering advice on a range of topics, including how to use our systems, best practice in admissions, and advice on business rules and processes. They re also your first line of support on technical queries. Contact: hep_team@ucas.ac.uk Relationship Managers Our regionally-based Relationship Managers provide you with dedicated and tailored support throughout the cycle; on everything from admissions practices to policy changes. Contact: partnership@ucas.ac.uk Technical Relationship Managers Our Technical Relationship Managers provide support, guidance, and advice for your IT team across all UCAS services. They work collaboratively with a range of software houses and IT providers to ensure that your technical needs are met consistently. UCAS Media Account Managers Our regionally focused Media Account Managers provide you with support and consultation for all additional activity from constructing detailed data analysis to conducting broad reaching brand awareness campaigns. Wherever you need that additional assistance for marketing, admissions or market research, the team can provide insight, products, and services to fit your requirements. Contact: ucasmediaeducationteam@ucas.ac.uk Professional Development Our Professional Development Team provides monthly scheduled training sessions for HEP staff; both generic and bespoke packages designed to ensure that your staff can effectively navigate the admissions cycle and our systems. Contact: professionaldevelopment@ucas.ac.uk

18 Ongoing support International experts Our International Team supports you in your overseas student recruitment efforts. Through school and agent engagement and training, attendance at sector events, and strategic marketing campaigns, the team promotes UK higher education globally and provides meaningful insight into international admissions. Contact: UCAS groups and forums Groups and forums play an essential role in helping to shape our products and services. We hold a number of regional and practicefocused meetings across the year giving you an opportunity to discuss your area of expertise with other leading HE practitioners. Contact: groupsandforums@ucas.ac.uk On-demand communications Our dedicated HEP communications manager ensures that you are fully informed by providing regular communications such as the weekly bulletin, system updates and Yammer posts. Contact: communications@ucas.ac.uk Stakeholder relationships We work closely with the Student Loans Company and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to ensure that students have access to the most up-to-date information about funding and financial support. Working with partners We work with a wide range of government departments and higher education funders, regulators, and policy makers including HEFCE, SFC, HEFCW, DELNI, OFFA, HESA and other sector organisations to ensure that UCAS strategy, products and services take account of legislative, regulatory, and policy changes. Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) In terms of admissions UCAS supports, works with, and helps to fund SPA. SPA promotes fair admissions by researching and promoting good practice and advice across the higher education sector. To find out more about how the applicant journey fits into the wider Applicant Experience strategy, please visit applicantexperience or contact: enquiries@spa.ac.uk.

19 UCAS helps pre-applicants become your students.

20 Contact us You ll find a wealth of support and information on the Provider section of our website: This is a secure area so you ll need to log in with your username and password which you can obtain from the UCAS Higher Education Provider (HEP) Team. You can also contact the HEP Team for support on the application process, UCAS policies, or any technical issues. For general enquiries: hep_team@ucas.ac.uk For technical enquiries: hepservicedesk@ucas.ac.uk UCAS Media For information on any of the Additional products and services, please ucasmedia@ucas.ac.uk or call