Higher Education

Higher Education means studying for a degree, Higher National Diploma (HND), Higher National Certificate (HNC), Diploma or Certificate in Higher Education (DipHEs / CertHEs) at university, college or Institute of Higher Education.

Before You Apply

People go to university or college for a variety of reasons:

To study a subject which they have enjoyed at school.
To study new subjects, for example, Geology, Psychology, Sociology.
To gain entry to a particular career, such as Law, Medicine or Teaching.

There are thousands of courses on offer. What is important is selecting the course options that are best for you.

Find out more about courses available in our Course search.
Alternatively, you can download the Scottish Guide 2009 from the UCAS website.
You can also find out about courses by researching your chosen job or course and clicking the Education and Training tab in any specific job.
Contact Further Education colleges and Universities.

Find out more about What Do Graduates Do? Scotland 2008 (PDF 5MB) after University to help you with your decisions.

Things to Think About

Do you want to study new subjects?
Do you want to study a ‘vocational’ course e.g. Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Interior Design?
Do you want a course which includes either a period of work experience or the chance to study abroad?
What are the entry requirements?
How is the course structured and which teaching methods are used?
What career opportunities will be available to you when you graduate?
Do you want to study near home?
If you are staying away from home, what accommodation is available and what will it cost?

Things to do

Research your ideas thoroughly in your chosen job or course or the Course search
Attend University and College Opendays
Attend Higher Education Conventions
Read about What Do Graduates Do? Scotland 2008 (PDF 5MB)

Applying to Higher Education

If you want to study at a university or other Higher Education Institution in the UK:

You must apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
You can use their online system to apply for up to 5 courses
For most courses the closing date for applications is 15 January
Full details of the courses and the application process are available from UCAS

If you want to study for a Higher National Certificate or Higher National Diploma at college:

Apply directly to the institution
Many HNC/HND courses link with degree courses so you may be able to gain entry to a degree course after successfully completing your HNC or HND

Please note the following:

Medicine, Dentistry & Veterinary Medicine/Science

The closing date is the 15 October.
You may only apply for 4 choices for Medicine/Veterinary Medicine/Dentistry; you can use the remaining choice for an alternative course.
The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) is now used as part of the selection process by the majority of UK Medical and Dental schools.
You can use your remaining choice(s) for any other subject. For example, if you have made 4 choices for medicine, you could still make 1 choice for veterinary medicine.

Nursing and Midwifery

Nursing and midwifery degree courses - apply through UCAS.
Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE) courses in Scotland - contact CATCH.
Diploma courses in England - contact the Nursing & Midwifery Admissions Service.

Art Colleges

There are two ways to apply to Art and Design courses:

Route A - is the normal UCAS application procedure with a closing date of 15 January.
Route B - has a later closing date of 24 March and is used for application to most studio based Art & Design courses. The Scottish Art Colleges use Route B for the majority of their courses.

The most important part of the selection process is the portfolio. Guidance notes, produced jointly by the four Colleges, are available from each institution.

You must apply for a course through its correct route: this information is clearly detailed on the UCAS website (Course Search facility) and within each College’s website.

Teaching

For undergraduate degree courses apply via UCAS.

Oxford and Cambridge

Apply through UCAS by 15 October of the year prior to the course start date.
You can only apply to Oxford or Cambridge, not both.
This will take up one choice on your UCAS form.

For more information visit the University of Oxford and Cambridge University websites.

Music

Applications to music courses at the following conservatoires are via an online system, CUKAS (Conservatoires UK Admission Service).

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Birmingham Conservatoire
Leeds College of Music
Royal College of Music
Royal Northern College of Music
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Trinity College of Music

This system enables you to create a single electronic application which is submitted simultaneously to up to 6 conservatoires.

The deadline for application is: 1 October
Conservatoires are able to consider late applications until 31 May

Drama

For Drama courses at universities - apply via UCAS.

For all Drama courses at Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama - apply directly to the Academy.

If you think you may need help to make the most of your skills and strengths when you are applying for Higher Education, visit Additional support needs in education and training.

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