Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg
Sam Sykes, UCAS Lead for Schools and Colleges
The UCAS January equal consideration date is approaching, and with many students submitting their university or college application before the Christmas break, they will be seeking support from their parents, carers, teachers and careers advisers.
Completed applications for all 2025 entry undergraduate courses, except those with a 15 October deadline, should arrive at UCAS by 18:00 (UK time) on 29 January 2025.
This is our ‘equal consideration date’, which means course providers must consider all applications received by this time equally. However, we do know that many schools and colleges set their own internal deadlines, to ensure there is sufficient time for your students to complete sections, and for you to add in references and predicted grades.
How best can I support my students in the run-up to the UCAS January Equal Consideration Date?
If your students are in the process of completing their UCAS application, my top tips to help them are:
Personal statements
Remind your students the importance of their personal statement. Writing their personal statement is an important milestone in a student’s higher education journey, and it’s a great opportunity for them to really reflect and think about the course or courses they are looking to study.
Our advice to help you support your students is to break down their statement into key areas: their experience, what excites them about the subject, any relevant work or personal experiences, and plans or ambitions for a future career.
References
Each student’s reference must be completed before the application can be sent to UCAS, if you are a UCAS registered centre, it is your responsibility to identify relevant referees, add, and approve references.
The reference doesn’t have to be written by the head teacher or head of sixth form – it’s more important that it’s written by someone who knows the student well enough to comment on their individual performance and circumstances.
Explore our latest guidance, FAQs, training, and real-life examples to help you write impactful references.
Qualifications
For your students who are studying the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales, make sure they have selected the correct qualification: WJEC Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales. This ensures that their chosen universities and colleges can make accurate offers.
To help ensure a smooth admissions journey, you can explore tips and latest guidance on completing the education section of the UCAS application here.
What about my students who will be completing their application after the Christmas break?
For some students, applying before the Christmas break just isn’t possible, and they will be looking to do this when they come back to school or college in the new year.
Ahead of the equal consideration date, you can join us for bespoke tips, and a chance to ask questions live to UCAS colleagues.
How can I support younger students who are discovering and exploring their options?
If you’re supporting someone who is at an earlier stage in the process – perhaps they have just created a UCAS account and are exploring their future pathways – you can encourage them to use UCAS’ Careers Quiz. This will help match them to their best-suited career options and suggest suitable university and college courses.
Your students could also discover all their options under one roof at a UCAS Discovery event. There are events taking place in Wales in April 2025, where students can learn more about undergraduate courses, apprenticeships, careers, and more.
- Newport 7 – 8 April, ICC Wales
- Carmarthen 9 April, University of Wales Trinity St David, Carmarthen Campus
- Aberystwyth 10 April, Aberystwyth University
At these events, your students can:
- chat to unis and colleges about courses and life on campus;
- speak to employers and apprenticeship providers about what an apprenticeship is like and the options available;
- speak to qualified careers advisers about their future;
- listen to talks from experts in their fields;
- Talk to our UCAS experts to get dedicated support about options.
You can learn more about these, and find your closest event here.
Alongside UCAS events, students can discover all their options using their UCAS Hub account. Students can use virtual work experiences and subject tasters to enable them to ‘try before they apply’- giving them access to explore, interact with, and sample university subjects, courses and work experience online ahead of making an application. This is not only useful for students exploring their options, but can also be referenced in their UCAS personal statement.
Finally, alongside the UCAS Adviser portal, you can stay connected with like-minded individuals and learn about UCAS updates, on UCAS’ new LinkedIn page- specifically for teachers and advisers.
Helping learners with the costs of applying and going to university
For the 2025 cycle, UCAS has removed the undergraduate application fee for any student who is or has received free school meals during their last years at school or college. You can find a step-by-step guide and further information on the UCAS website.