University and college admission

University admission or college admission is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution.

In many countries, prospective university students apply for admission during their last year of high school or community college. In some countries, there are independent organizations or government agencies to centralize the administration of standardized admission exams and the processing of applications.

Australia

As Australia uses a Federal system of government, responsibility for education, and admission to Technical and Further Education colleges and undergraduate degrees at universities for domestic students, are in the domain of state and territory government (see Education in Australia). All states except Tasmania have centralized processing units for admission to undergraduate degrees for citizens of Australia and New Zealand, and for Australian permanent residents; however applications for international and postgraduate students are usually accepted by individual universities. The Australian government operates the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (This has been replaced by the very similar HECS-HELP - Higher Education Loan Program) for undergraduate students, so admission is rarely limited by prospective students' ability to pay up-front. All states use a system that awards the recipient with an ATAR, and the award of an International Baccalaureate meets the minimum requirements for admission in every state. ATARs are awarded based on the level of attainment in each State's individual secondary schooling exams (such as the NSW HSC). For individuals without an ATAR, or recent secondary schooling certificate, the Special Tertiary Admissions Test is used as the standard test to provide an ATAR. The maximum possible ATAR is 99.95, indicating that the student has achieved better than 99.95% of their peers.

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory

The Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) processes applications for admission to most undergraduate courses at participating institutions, mainly in NSW and the ACT.

It also:

Northern Territory

The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre accepts applications for Northern Territory tertiary institutions. Year 12 students are awarded the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and must meet course requirements.

Queensland

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre accepts applications for Queensland tertiary institutions. Year 12 students are awarded an Overall Position, based on their performance in class subjects and their school's average result in the Queensland Core Skills Test, as well as meeting course requirements.

South Australia

The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre accepts applications for South Australian tertiary institutions. Year 12 students are awarded the South Australian Certificate of Education, and must meet course requirements. Their year 12 results are compared with students from the same year to determine their Tertiary Entrance Rank (T.E.R.).

Tasmania

Tasmanian school leavers applying for entrance at the University of Tasmania need to apply directly to the university. Tasmanian school students receive a Tertiary Entrance Rank on successful completion of the Tasmanian Certificate of Education. Students from interstate wishing to study at UTas may apply through either the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre, or directly through the University.

Victoria

The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre accepts applications for Victorian tertiary institutions. Applications consist of standardized test results and meeting institutional requirements. The standard certification for school-leavers is the Victorian Certificate of Education.

Western Australia

The Tertiary Institutions Service Centre accepts applications for Western Australian tertiary institutions. The standardized test for school-leavers is the Tertiary Entrance Examination.

Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium

Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium probably have the most liberal system of university admission anywhere in the world, since anyone who has passed the Matura may enroll in any subject field (or even several at no additional cost) at a public university. In Belgium as well, the only prerequisite for enrolling in university studies is to have obtained a high-school diploma. In both Switzerland and Belgium, medical studies are an exception, which have a numerus clausus system due to overcrowding. This liberal admission practice led to overcrowding and high dropout rates in the more popular fields of study like psychology and journalism, as well as high failure rates on examinations which are unofficially used to filter out the less-capable students. Following a ruling by the European Court of Justice issued on July 7, 2005, which forces Austria to accept nationals of other EU Member States under the same conditions as students who took their Matura in Austria, a law was passed on June 8 allowing universities to impose measures to select students in those fields which are subject to numerus clausus in Germany. Starting in 2006, the three medical universities (in Vienna, Innsbruck and Graz) did introduce entrance exams. There are no intentions to introduce a numerus clausus in any subject field.

Brazil

In order to enter university in Brazil, candidates must undergo a public open examination called "Vestibular", which lasts about 1 week and takes place once a year. Some universities may run Vestibular twice a year, for two yearly intakes instead of only one. This option is popular with private universities, while public universities usually run Vestibular only once every year (in November, December or January). Universities offer a limited number of places, and the best ranked candidates according to their overall Vestibular grade are selected for admission. Although the Vestibular format changes from university to university, it typically consists of a week-long examination on compulsory high school subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Portuguese language and literature, and a foreign language (usually English). Private universities usually "condense" this week-long examinations into a couple of days, but some public universities still require a week-long marathon.

Since public universities are completely tuition-free, competition at the Vestibular is usually fierce for a place in a public university. Due to high number of applicants, the Vestibular at some public universities may include a preliminary elimination phase (known as "Primeira Fase"), typically consisting of multiple-choice questions and held between one and two months before the subject exams. A minimum cutoff score is normally required at the elimination phase to advance to the second part of the Vestibular.

National Unified Admissions System

In recent years, university admission criteria have been considerably changed by the introduction by the federal government of a new national secondary school exam known as ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio) and the creation of a unified, national university application system known as SISU (Sistema de Seleção Unificada). Candidates in any Brazilian state can now apply for admission into courses available in the SISU system, even if the course of interest is offered by an out-of-state university. Places in any given course within the system are then filled based on the ranking of the applicants in descending order according to their overall grade in the ENEM. The application process is divided into three stages and candidates who fail to get a place in their course/university of interest in a given stage may re-apply either to the same or to a different course/university in subsequent stages.

In theory, any Brazilian university, either public or private, is free to join the SISU system and select their incoming freshman class based on ENEM marks. As of today, most public universities have joined SISU, but a few of them, most notably some of the most prestigious federal universities (e.g. UNIFESP, UFRJ, UFMG, UFRGS) have retained their own independent Vestibular exams, on top of the national ENEM, either for admission into all or part of their undergraduate courses.

Sometimes the ENEM replaces the old elimination Part I ("primeira fase") of the Vestibular. Alternatively, ENEM results may be used as part of the final overall grade in the Vestibular. More rarely, a few public universities have decided not to use ENEM grades at all and continue to base their admission criteria on the Vestibular only. Notable examples in the latter group include the highly prestigious federal military schools like ITA and IME and, as of 2010, the prestigious state research universities in the state of São Paulo (USP and UNICAMP). Resistance to the ENEM among some top public universities comes mostly from the perception that the national federal exam is less selective/rigorous than the older independent Vestibular.

Admission Quotas

Another important recent development in university admissions in Brazil has been the introduction in most federal universities of a quota system where a certain number of places are reserved a priori to applicants of a certain racial/ethnic background who have completed their pre-university studies in a public (i.e. state-funded) school. Candidates who qualify may apply to a course of interest under the quota system either through the national SISU system or directly at their university of choice ( in case that university uses both its independent Vestibular and the national ENEM exam to select applicants). Again as a notable exception, the selective federal military schools and the state universities in São Paulo have so far refused to use any quota system based on race or schooling background. USP and UNICAMP, however, have instituted a race-blind "social inclusion program" that gives a bonus in the final Vestibular mgrade to candidates who come from the public secondary schools, thus boosting their chances of securing a place in certain university courses of interest without necessarily using a pre-determined quota.

Canada

Undergraduate entry

In Canada, students applying from high school generally hear word back from a college or university between late March and late May, though offers of admission may be extended to high achievers (through GPA or other submissions) as early as November–January. Internationals/US applicants are likely to receive an offer or rejection by early April, depending on the original submission of documents. In some cases, an institution may offer admission in a high schoolers Grade 11 year, if monetary fees are sent in early.

Dual Admission

Many Canadian universities offer dual admission to students upon completion of their graduation requirements.

For example, grade 11 and 12 students at Columbia International College can apply for dual admission at Canadian universities such as York University, University of Alberta, Brock University and Cape Breton University.

College vs. university

Acceptance to any Canadian university or college requires completion of a high school diploma, such as the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Completion of pre-secondary education in Canada almost always means the student has:

In order to graduate, some provinces also require students to complete 40 hours of community service/volunteer work.[1]

In Canada, the difference between college and university is significantly different from the typical interpretation in the United States or even United Kingdom. A Canadian college is more similar to an American community college. In contrast, a Canadian university is comparable to an American university, and virtually all Canadian universities have endowments over $20 million, most frequently above $100 million. It should be noted that almost all Canadian post-secondary institutions are publicly funded (that is, government subsidized). The few private institutions that are not government-supported are not widely known at all, have generally only been established since the 1980s, and are mostly located in British Columbia.

In the Canadian education system, which varies from province to province, colleges are geared for individuals seeking more specific technical careers, such as engineering, graphic design or animation whereas universities are geared to individuals seeking more academic careers where a university degree is a prerequisite for entrance, such as medicine or law. There are other systems in place for students to enter traditional trades (called "skilled trades" in Canada), and some provinces have unique preparatory systems or schools, such as Quebec's pre-university college level.

Admissions requirements

Admission to colleges and universities in Canada has been a straightforward process since the 1970s. Students generally rank their chosen institutions in order of preference and submit their transcript to the institution or provincial application service for evaluation. In the majority of cases, acceptance is based entirely on marks, with potential for elevation depending on what province an applicant may be from. Applicants in-province typically have much less stringent grade requirements than out-of-province applicants. For instance, a student applying from an Ontario high school to a university in Alberta or Quebec is likely to require marginally elevated grades as opposed to applying to any school in Ontario itself, where universities and colleges have far lower requirements for their own province's high school graduates.

College

College requirements vary more significantly, though none have entrance requirements above 85% from a Canadian high school. In general though, many colleges (such as George Brown College, and Mohawk College) accept a very high proportion of students with averages above 70%, although they may place no limiting minimum for acceptance, and consequently take students with averages below 60%. Incidentally, even the newest Canadian universities have larger endowments than any Canadian college, with no Canadian college having an endowment above $10 million. See List of Canadian universities by endowment.

Special cases

Students with an IB Diploma can generally enter either college or university more easily than other Canadian high schoolers, due to the material covered in the program. Like students with AP credits, they may also clip courses in university with faculty consent.

In the case of more select university programs, and for almost all international students, an essay, statement of intent or personal statement of experience must be submitted directly to the faculty being applied for. Additionally, letters of reference, examples of extracurricular involvement, additional community service endeavours, athletic participation, awards and scholarships won and more may all be required for acceptance to some of Canada's top programs.

Comparability of admissions

There is an array of highly competitive programs within Canadian institutions, on par with some mid- to top-tier programs in the United States. In addition, a large portion (upwards of 30%) of university graduates in Canada continue on to pursue further education beyond an undergraduate degree.

Post-graduate entry

Post-graduate schools in Canada are, as with other parts of the world, restricted to universities (i.e. One cannot get a Masters degree from a Canadian college). Admission to any post-graduate program in Canada is difficult, with many universities having world-renowned programs, and Canadian graduate schools being the sites for many famous inventions and discoveries.

See also

Chile

In Chile university admission as a freshman are based on the Prueba de Selección Universitaria, PSU, scores and ranking of the applicant. Chilean Traditional Universities tend to put a strong emphasis on Prueba de Selección Universitaria while the majority of the private universities use their owns test or handle PSU scores in a different way than the Chilean Traditional Universities. Architecture, theatre, psychology and some medical schools do also often give high value to special tests.

Mainland China

In the People's Republic of China, the National College Entrance Examination (高考, gaokao) is given each summer and required for each student. The exam covers common school topics such as math, language, history, science, etc. Better institutions require higher scores for admittance. The required score also varies by province: students in more competitive provinces, like Jiangsu, need higher scores than students from less competitive areas such as Tibet. Conversely, wealthier cities have more universities per capita and hence lower university entrance standards than some poorer provinces. In 2006 for example, the minimum score to enter a key university for applicants from Beijing is 516 but the minimum score for applicants from Henan is 591.[2]

A popular trend in recent years is for students to forfeit the National College Entrance Examination for Western education programs in order to better prepare them for admissions into US universities. [3]

Finland

For Finland, see Numerus clausus in Finland

Some fields of study explicitly encourage applicants to judge their chances realistically. For example, a student may apply to only one medical school per year.[4] Therefore, choosing to apply to the more competitive medical schools is risky, if the student is not sure about their strength.

For universities of technology, there is a similar, but less strict mechanism. The students gain extra priority points, which may increase their points for the first choice by up to 12.5%.[5] If a student is admitted to several programs, he can't accept any other than the one with the highest priority.

Germany

In Germany prospective students who have passed the Abitur may decide freely what subjects to enroll in. Recently, however, in some of the most popular and most desired subject fields students have to pass a certain numerus clausus — that is, they cannot enroll unless they have scored a minimum grade point average on their Abitur.

One should distinguish two types of higher education institutions in Germany, the universities (including Technische Hochschulen) and the Fachhochschulen (polytechnics). A prospective students who has passed the Abitur is qualified for admission to every German university, with the exception of very few new degree programs, where additional entrance examinations were recently introduced. A Fachhochschule, in contrast, often requires from the student the completing of an internship to qualify for admission.

There is also a second German school leaving exam, which qualifies the prospective students for admission to higher education in Germany, the Fachhochschulreife, often called Fachabitur in colloquial usage. An internship is already part of the Fachhochschulreife itself, therefore a Fachhochschule requires no additional internship from the student. However, most universities do not accept this qualification for admission. An exception are universities in the German state of Hesse, who accept this qualification since 2004 for admission to Bachelor's degree courses, but not to the traditional German Diplom degree courses. But with Fachhochschulreife (university of applied sciences entrance qualification) you can visit any Fachhochschule (university of applied sciences) in Germany. You can see the difference between a University / Technische Hochschule and a Fachoberschule very quickly: A Fachhochschule has often the words "University of Applied Science" next to its name.

Greece

In Greece there are panhellenic examinations (πανελλήνιες, panelinies) after a student completes likio.

Hong Kong

All public universities in Hong Kong admit local students under the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS).

In the old system HKALE

The major criterion of selection is HKALE result, and to a smaller extent HKCEE result and interview performance.

In the new system HKDSE

The major criterion of selection is HKDSE result. To a smaller extent interview performances and to an even smaller extent secondary school performances.

Iceland

Both public and private universities in Iceland handle their own admissions. Students apply for a specific course of study and each programme has its own requirements. These are usually a matriculation exam but sometimes a minimum number of credits in certain subjects in gymnasium or even passing an entry test is needed. Foreign students must apply half a year prior to the first semester but the time limit for Nordic citizens is not as strict.

India

Most Indian universities participate in one or another centralized admission procedure. In summer 2011, an Indian institution was expecting 100% score for gaining admission, highlighting the crisis of confidence in quality of higher education in general and also limitations of admissions process.[6]2013 National tests and interviews are organized by an independent body composed of members of the participating organizations. Little weight is given to applicants’ past academic record and more to their exam results. Applicants are ranked by exam grades, and submit their preference of universities/programs based on their rank and choice. Some such common entrance tests are:

However, Things have now changed and the AIEEE is converted into JEE (MAIN). And the earlier JEE for IITs has converted into JEE (Advanced). All students first have to qualify JEE (MAIN) to be able to appear in JEE (Advanced) under certain criterion. Students need to be in the 20 percentile of their respective boards. Their score of JEE (MAIN) will be formulated by combining the 40% score of their BOARD Examination and 60% of their JEE (MAIN) paper's score. Only the pure JEE (ADVANCED) score will be considered for selection in IITs. JEE (Main) will be on the same pattern as earlier AIEEE. JEE (ADVANCED) will be on the same pattern as earlier JEE. Changes in system take place from 2012.

States have their own admissions exams and policies. For example, the state of Maharashtra uses the HSC test as a prerequisite for entering Degree level college and uses the SSC test as a prerequisite for entering Junior Level college as well as Diploma Level College.Apart from that 15% reserved for NRI / Foreign students

Indonesia

In Indonesia, University and College Admission is dependent on the University or College Status. Generally, Public Universities conduct their admission in unified system (as in 2012, as SNMPTN: Unified National Public Universities Admission). However, some public universities are conducting other selection mechanism on their own beside the Unified National Public Universities Admission. Meanwhile, Private Universities are usually done their admission before and after Public Universities Admission. Governmental Agency Institutes are done their admission independently (not included in Unified National Public Universities Admission).

Ireland

In Ireland, students in their final year of secondary education apply to the Central Applications Office, listing several courses at any of the third-level institutions in order of preference. Students then receive points based on their Leaving Certificate, and places on courses are offered to those who applied who received the highest points.

Israel

In Israel there is a test called The Psychometric Entrance Test (PET). The PET covers three areas: mathematics, verbal reasoning and the English language. It is administered by the Israeli National Institute for Testing and Evaluation (NITE). University admissions are typically based on a weighted average (the "mit'am") of the PET score and the GPA of the Bagrut (High School Completion Examination). In addition, some programs in science and engineering require that the applicant's bagrut includes the maximum number of units ("5 units") for mathematics.

Some programs have two cutoffs for the mit'am, a higher one for "guaranteed admission" and a lower one for "automatic rejection". Mit'am scores between the two cutoffs may be admitted on a space-available basis.

Palestine

In Palestine there is a National Center for Examinations and Evaluation.

In Palestine, students are required to undergo the Tawjihi examinations, which then allow the universities (In the West Bank) to consider each pupil.

Japan

In Japan there is a National Center Test for University Admissions.

Korea

In Korea there is national center for test which happens every year around october called su-neung. Many student prepares this test from beginning of middle school throughout their highschool. Very big thing in Korea, and you can choose which subject you are taking the test for.

Malta

In Malta entrance is done after performing well in examinations which are a local version equivalent to the General Certificate of Education.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, prospective students have to choose, two years before graduation, for a graduation type (e.g. natural science graduation type). Subjects at Dutch universities freely accept all students who have chosen the correct graduation type (e.g. to enroll in physics, the graduation type 'natural sciences' is required). All other students have to pass an exam to be enrolled (this is the exception). Popular subjects, such as medicine or dental medicine have a numerus fixus, meaning that a limited number of students may enroll for this subject at a particular university. To decide who is allowed, a lottery is held in which ones grades influence chances of being chosen (an indirect and incomplete numerus clausus).

Nigeria

In Nigeria, undergraduate admissions into universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education and agriculture is administered by a centralized federal government agency known as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB. The body conducts Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for prospective university, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education and agriculture students seeking entrance into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Norway

In Norway candidates are admitted to entry-level programs through the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service, that ranks qualified students based on a point scheme, that is based on grades and the degree of specialization and choice of study at upper secondary school, as well as age. At Master level admission is based on the grade average at the Bachelor level.

Pakistan

In Pakistan for undergraduate admissions the national universities have common entrance tests which are SAT based and are held according to provincial zones, the private universities hold their own entrance test which are also SAT based.

For postgraduate admissions some of the universities hold tests which are followed by interviews and others take interviews only. The Quota System in Pakistan is also used to give preference to students from rural areas.

For Medical studies there is huge competition as there are a few medical colleges. They require test as well as interview.

Portugal

In Portugal admission to higher education level studies requires the secondary school credential, Diploma de Ensino Secundário, which is achieved after completing the first twelve study years. Students must have studied the subjects for which they are entering to be prepared for the entrance exams. Also they are required to be previously specialised in a specific area at the secondary school, one of the following four: Science and Technologies, Economics, Languages or Arts. Students sit for one or more entrance exams, Concurso nacional for public institutions or Concurso local for private institutions. In addition to passing entrance exams, students must fulfil particular prerequisites for the chosen course. Enrollment is limited; each year the institution establishes the number of places available. For the public institutions the exam scores count for the final evaluation, which includes the secondary school average marks. Then the students have to choose six institutions/courses they prefer to attend, in preferential order. The ones, who reach the marks needed to attend the desired institution/course, given the attributed vacant, will be admitted. Some public university courses demands generally higher admission marks than most similar courses at some polytechnical institutes or private institutions. (see also Education in Portugal)

Russia

Traditionally, the universities and institutes conducted their own admissions tests regardless of the applicants' school record. There were no uniform measure of graduates' abilities; marks issued by high schools were perceived as incompatible due to grading variances between schools and regions. In 2003 the Ministry of Education launched the Unified state examination (USE) program. The set of standardized tests for high school graduates, issued uniformly throughout the country and rated independent of the student's schoolmasters, akin to North American SAT, was supposed to replace entrance exams to state universities. Thus, the reformers reasoned, the USE will empower talented graduates from remote locations to compete for admissions at the universities of their choice,[7] at the same time eliminating admission-related bribery, then estimated at 1 billion US dollars annually. In 2003, 858 university and college workers were indicted for bribery, admission "fee" in MGIMO allegedly reached 30,000 US dollars.[8]

University heads, notably Moscow State University rector Viktor Sadovnichiy, resisted the novelty, arguing that their schools cannot survive without charging the applicants with their own entrance hurdles. Nevertheless, the legislators enacted USE in February 2007. In 2008 it was mandatory for the students and optional for the universities; it is fully mandatory since 2009.[9] A few higher education establishments are still allowed to introduce their own entrance tests in addition to USE scoring; such tests must be publicized in advance.(see also Education in Russia)

Sweden

Admission in Sweden requires completion of secondary education, along with the proper specific qualifications (e.g. science in high school to study science in college). Prospective students are admitted based on their grade point average or SAT, although majors such as theatre and architecture may require some extra work.

Thailand

In general, Thailand uses the centralized admission system. In this system, student hoping to finish secondary school or its equivalent is expected to sit many examinations. The one required for nearly all universities is the Ordinary National Education Test (O-NET) aiming to test basic knowledge across the following subjects required under the Thai law:

Students then may use the O-NET test score to apply to particulat university through the direct admission system by taking tests conducted by particular university. However, most students still use the centralized admission system. In this system, they are expected to take another two aptitude tests, aiming at testing their ability to succeed in university. The first one is General Aptitude Test (GAT). GAT tests the reasoning ability and English proficiency of the candidates. It asks students to link and identity relationships between events. The English section is comparable to the TOEFL test, but is completely objective in nature. Both O-NET and GAT examinations are scored by computer.

The second examination is the Professional Aptitude Test (PAT). Students may choose to take the tests that are required by the program they are applying to. Therefore, they don't have to take all tests like the O-NET. The subjects offered are as follow:

The students are responsible to report all scores to the central admission system. They are required to choose a program or faculty that they want to study in. After that, different mathematical formula is used to weighed students' scores for that program. For instance, Pharmocology requires high scores on Sciences, while Economics requires high score in Mathematics. After the score is weighed, students are offered decision only according to their scores. Some exception might occur in program, such fine and applied arts as students are required to submit porfolio for consideration.

The only exception to centralized admission system and direct admission system is Medicine and Dentistry, which have their own admission system. Students will need to take the following tests to be eligible for consideration:

Students' scores are also weighed, and admission decision is made accordingly.

Turkey

Main article: Education in Turkey

In Turkey, the Student Selection and Placement Center ÖSYM is the responsible body for organizing ÖSS, the national level university admission examination.

United Kingdom

See also: UCAS

In the United Kingdom there are separate admission processes for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. There is also The Open University which has an open door policy.

Undergraduate entry

The application process

The United Kingdom has a centralised system of admissions to higher education at undergraduate level, UCAS. In general, students are not admitted to universities and colleges as a whole, but to particular courses of study.

During the first few months (September to December) of the final year of school or sixth form college (age 17/18) or after having left school, applicants register on the UCAS website and select five courses at higher education institutes (fewer choices are permitted for the more competitive subjects such as medicine and veterinary medicine). If the applicant is still at school, his or her teachers will give him or her predicted grades for their A-level, Highers or IB subjects, which are then used for the application. If the applicant has already left school, he or she applies with results already obtained. The applicant must provide a personal statement describing in their own words why they want to study that particular subject and why they would be a committed student,[10] and their school must provide an academic reference.[11] Some universities (e.g. Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, Imperial College, King's College London or University College London) and some disciplines (e.g. medicine) routinely require shortlisted candidates to attend an interview and/or complete special admissions tests[12] before deciding whether to make an offer. In the absence of tests and interviews, the personal statement and reference can be decisive, as many students are likely to apply to competitive courses with similar predicted and actual grades.

In general, applications must be received mid-January for courses that start the following Autumn. However the deadline is three months earlier, in mid-October, where the application includes a medical, dentistry or veterinary course, or any course at Oxbridge.[13]

For each course applied for, the applicant receives a response from the institution: rejection, conditional offer or unconditional offer. If a conditional offer is received, the student can only take up the place on the course if they later fulfil the stated conditions: normally the achievement of specific grades in their forthcoming exams. If no offers are received following the initial application, or the applicant does not wish to take up any of their offers, UCAS+ can be used. Applicants can then apply to one course at a time in order to try to find a suitable offer.

Following the receipt of offers, whether after the initial application, or through UCAS+, the applicant chooses two courses for which offers have been made: a first choice and a second choice. If the conditions of the first choice offer are later met, the applicant may attend this course. If the applicant does not fulfil the conditions of their first choice, but does fulfil the conditions of their second "insurance" choice, they can attend their second choice course. If they fail to meet the conditions of both offers, they may choose to go through "clearing". This involves ringing up or sending their application to different universities in the hope of finding a place on another course. Many students do successfully find places through this route.

Factors affecting admission

Whether to admit an applicant to a course is entirely the decision of each individual university. They will base their decision on a variety of factors, but primarily the grades predicted or already received in school leaver examinations. As more and more applicants are attaining higher and higher grades in the A level examinations, most universities also use secondary admissions criteria. These may include results at GCSE or Standard grade examinations (or equivalent), the references provided on the application and the information provided on the personal statement. The personal statement can often be the deciding factor between two similar candidates so a small industry has sprung up offering false personal statements for a fee. UCAS uses "similarity detection" software to detect personal statements that have been written by third parties or copied from other sources, and universities can reject applications for this reason.[14]

The personal statements generally describe why the applicant wants to study the subject they have applied for, what makes them suitable to study that subject, what makes them suitable to study at degree level generally, any work experience they have gained, their extracurricular activities and any other factors. This is the only way admissions tutors can normally get an impression of what a candidate is really like and assess the applicant's commitment to the subject.

In addition to the information provided on the UCAS form, some universities ask candidates to attend an interview. Oxford and Cambridge almost always interview applicants, unless, based on the UCAS form and/or admissions tests, they do not believe the applicant has any chance of admission. Other universities may choose to interview, though only in some subjects and on a much smaller scale, having already filtered out the majority of candidates. The interview gives the admissions tutors another chance to assess the candidate's suitability for the course.

Universities are increasingly being put under pressure from central Government to admit people from a wider range of social backgrounds. Social background can only be assessed by the type of school attended, as no information about income or background is otherwise required on the UCAS form.

Another important determinant of whether an offer is to be made is the amount of competition for admission to that course. The more competitive the course, the less likely an offer will be made and, therefore, the stronger the application must be. Applicants for medicine are often expected to have undertaken extensive work experience in a relevant field in order to show their commitment to the course. For the most competitive courses, less than 10% of applications may result in admission, whereas at the less competitive universities, practically all applicants may receive an offer of admission.

Ultimately, however, no matter how many extra-curricular activities and work experience have been undertaken, if the admissions tutor does not believe, based on the submitted exam results, the candidate is academically capable of completing the course, he or she will not be admitted.

A well qualified candidate applying under UCAS for five competitive courses to each of which only 10% of well qualified candidates could be accepted would have only a 40% chance of receiving at least one offer of acceptance. Alternatively, if five less competitive courses each having a 33% acceptance rate are chosen, the chance of receiving at least one offer is more than 85%. This implies that a strategy for improving the chance of receiving at least one offer, to perhaps 70%, is indicated even to well qualified candidates.

Postgraduate entry

All applications are made directly to the university or college, with no limit on the number of courses that can be applied for.

United States

In the United States of America, high school students apply to four-year liberal arts colleges and universities, which include both undergraduate and graduate students. Others attend community colleges, which almost always admit all students with high school diplomas, in preparation for transfer to four-year universities. Non-traditional students are usually students over the age of 22 who pursue studies in higher education. Students may apply to many institutions using the Common Application. There is no limit to the number of colleges or universities to which a student may apply, though an application must be submitted for each. Fees are generally charged for each admissions application, but can be waived based on financial need.

Students apply to one or more colleges or universities by submitting an application which each college evaluates using its own criteria. The college then decides whether or not to extend an offer of admission (and possibly financial aid) to the student. The majority of colleges admit students to the college as a whole, and not to a particular academic major, although this may not be the case in some specialized programs such as engineering and architecture. The system is decentralized: each college has its own criteria for admission, even when using a common application form (the most widely used is The Common Application).

Common criteria include ACT or SAT scores, extracurricular activities, GPA, demonstrated integrity, and a general college admissions essay. Further criteria, used to varying degrees, include athletic ability, legacy preferences (family members having attended the school), race, ability to pay full tuition, potential to donate money to the school (development case), desired class composition (especially diversity, which includes racial diversity, geographical and national diversity, and diversity of interests in the class), perceived fit, subjective evaluation of student character (based on essays or interviews), and general discretion by the admissions office. The importance of the various factors varies between universities, and selectiveness varies significantly, as measured by admissions rate (which depends both on selectiveness and number and type of applicants). The admissions rate can range from 100% (schools that accept everyone with a high school diploma) to under 10%.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "What do you need to graduate?". Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  2. ↑ http://gaokao.chsi.com.cn/gkxx/fsx/2006.shtml
  3. ↑ http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/how-chinas-new-love-affair-with-us-private-schools-is-changing-them-both/255154/
  4. ↑ http://www.med.helsinki.fi/peruskoulutus/docs/opiskelijaksi/hakuopas_2011.pdf
  5. ↑ http://studies.aalto.fi/fi/admissions/technology/bachelor/dia/
  6. ↑ "Indian University Admissions: The Crisis of Confidence in Quality". DrEducation.com. 2011-06-19.
  7. ↑ "Unified state examination still in debate" (in English, Russian). RIA Novosti, November 11, 2004. 2004. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  8. ↑ Kartashova, Larisa et al. "Priyomnaya komissiya - $ 30.00(Приемная комиссия - $ 30.000)" (in Russian). Rossiyskaya gazeta, August 18, 2004. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  9. ↑ "Russia makes stride in education reform". RIA Novosti, January 26, 2007. 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  10. ↑ "How to Apply - 2009 - Your personal statement". UCAS. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  11. ↑ "UCAS - Your reference". UCAS. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  12. ↑ "Admissions Tests". UCAS. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  13. ↑ "UCAS Students: Important dates for your diary". Retrieved 2009-02-02. 15 October 2008 Last date for receipt of applications to Oxford University, University of Cambridge and courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science or veterinary medicine.
  14. ↑ "Questions about the UCAS Similarity Detection Service". UCAS. Retrieved 2009-03-22.

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