General
Terms which apply broadly across higher education and UCAS providers.
This range from qualifications and awarding bodies to UCAS systems and application decisions.
ABL
Awarding Body Linkage – awarding organisations have an agreement to let UCAS have exam results before their publication date.
For providers who have signed and agreed to the results embargo agreement, this allows them to make Confirmation decisions for applicants with pending exam results, in time for publication day.
Applicant Status list
A list showing the status of applications made to the provider or conservatoire
AQA
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
Area of Permanent Residence
The applicant’s usual home:
- The county or district for UK applicants
- The country for non-UK applicants
ASL
Additional and Specialist Learning
BTEC
Business and Technology Education Council (Pearson [Edexcel])
CATS
Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme
Changed course offer
Where the provider or conservatoire offers the applicant a course different to the one they originally applied for
Collection tool
The online database used to maintain provider, conservatoire and course information
CWD
When an applicant completely withdraws from the scheme
DBD
Decline by default – we decline an outstanding offer on the applicant’s behalf if they haven't replied by the relevant reply date
DBS
Disclosure and Barring Service – formerly Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)
DCF
Delayed Confirmation decision
GCE A Levels
General Certificate of Education Advanced level
- GCE AS – General Certificate of Education Advanced Subsidiary level
- GCE A Level Double Award – General Certificate of Education Advanced level Double Award
- GCE AS Double Award – General Certificate of Education Advanced Subsidiary Double Award
GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education
HECoS
Higher Education Classification of Subjects – a subject coding system which has replaced JACS (Joint Academic Coding System)
IBO
International Baccalaureate Organisation
IELTS
International English Language Testing System
ILC
Irish Leaving Certificate
JANET
Joint Academic Network
MOVEit
A managed secure file transfer service
NVQ
National Vocational Qualification
odbc-link
The technology service available to bulk send and receive data between a provider/conservatoire and UCAS
ODL
Outstanding Decisions List – a list of applicants who a provider or conservatoire hasn't made decisions on yet
OEQ
Other educational qualifications
Point of entry
The year of the course that the applicant wants to be begin at – referred to in the Collection Tool as their ‘entry point’
RBD
Reject by default – UCAS rejects outstanding decisions, not yet made by the provider, by the relevant deadline
REJ
Reject decision on application
Results embargo
The period when providers are supplied with exam results prior to their publication for applicants
School Code
A unique five-digit number allocated by UCAS to schools, colleges and careers offices – Apply centre registered as the ‘last educational establishment’
SQA
Scottish Qualifications Authority
TEF
The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework
TOEFL
Test of English as a Foreign Language
ucas-link
The collective name for web-link, odbc-link and xml-link – which are the methods of transmitting applicant information to and from UCAS
ULN
A Unique Learner Number (ULN) is a 10-digit reference number, used to access the Personal Learning Record of anyone over the age of 14 in UK education or training
W
Withdrawal decision on application
web-link
Our interactive web-based application management support tool that's available to send and receive individual applicant data between providers and UCAS. It's also used by smaller providers to manage decision processing.
xml-link
The technology service available to bulk send and receive data between provider and UCAS
Admissions tests
While this isn't an exhaustive list of admissions tests, here are some of the well-known ones:
- BMAT – Biomedical Admissions Test
- CAT – Classics Admissions Test
- ELAT – English Literature Admissions Test
- GAMSAT – Graduate Medical School Admissions Test
- HAT – History Admissions Test
- HPAT – Health Professions Admissions Test
- LNAT – Law National Aptitude Test
- MAT – Mathematics Admissions Test
- MLAT – Modern Languages Admissions Test
- MML – Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment
- OLAT – Oriental Language Aptitude Test
- PAT – Physics Aptitude Test
- STEP – Sixth Term Examination Paper
- TSA – Thinking Skills Assessment
- UCAT – University Clinical Aptitude Test
Amended decision
A change of decision, affecting the course, point of entry, year of entry, campus or conditions of entry – made after an initial decision has been processed
APEL
Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning
Application code
A four-digit alphanumeric application code for UCAS Undergraduate courses, chosen by the user, subject to the following validation rules:
- It can't have already been used in the collection tool by the provider and can't contain the letter E
- The code can't be changed once the course has been saved for the first time
Archived course
A course that isn't currently offered – which must also be closed to applications and not published in the collection tool
C
Conditional offer made to applicant
CD
Conditional offer, declined by applicant
CF
Conditional offer, accepted by applicant as firm choice
Change at Confirmation
Acceptance in Confirmation for an alternative course, campus, date of entry or point of entry
- Used usually when an applicant hasn't met the conditions of their original offer, but can also be at the request of an applicant
- The applicant can either accept or decline the offer
CI
Conditional offer, accepted by applicant as insurance choice
Clearing
The process for applicants without an offer of a place – including those who apply after 30 June – to look for a place on a course with vacancies at any university or college
Conditional offer
Offer made by a provider that depends on meeting specified conditions – which may include academic and/or non-academic conditions
Confirmation decision
Providers make a Confirmation decision on CF and CI applications when all exam results and non-academic conditions are no longer outstanding – to either accept or reject the application
Confirmation withdrawal
Withdrawing an Unconditional Firm (UF) applicant
Equal consideration deadline
Providers must consider all applications for each course on an equal basis if they're received on or before the relevant deadline
Extra
Gives applicants who've used all five choices, but are holding no offers, the opportunity of making further application(s), and receiving an offer, before Clearing opens
F
Full decision made against an application if the course has been flagged as full by the provider
INV
Invitation made to an applicant to attend an interview, audition, or provide a portfolio, essay or other piece of work
Invisibility
Principle where providers see only applications to themselves until after the applicant replies
Joint admissions entity
A joint admissions entity is created between or by existing providers to enable recruitment to courses offered by the entity and validated by the existing providers. Each entity has a separate entry in the UCAS search tool.
Joint course
A course with attendance at two different UCAS providers who have a formal agreement to share applicants’ choice information for enrolment purposes
Post equal consideration deadline
Applications for courses received by us after 18:00 on the equal consideration deadline and before 18:00 on 30 June inclusive
Pre equal consideration deadline
Applications for courses received by us up to and including 18:00 on the equal consideration deadline
Provider
A provider is an admissions entity represented in the UCAS search tool
REF
Referred
Release into Clearing
Releasing a UF applicant into Clearing
Reply swaps
Applicants have 14 calendar days to change their mind once about their replies to their offers
RPA
Record of Prior Acceptance
Search subjects
Providers can select Search subjects from a hierarchical list of terms, to help them classify the content of a course accurately
SFTP
Secure File Transfer Protocol
Stops
Adding a ‘Stop’ to an application will prevent a Confirmation reject by default – this is only available during Confirmation
U
Unconditional offer made to applicant
UCC
Confirmation decision with a change to either the course, year or point of entry
UD
Unconditional offer, declined by applicant
UF
Unconditional offer firmly accepted – applicant is placed
UFE
Unconditional offer, held firmly by applicant, but not with you – an applicant shown as UFE with you is placed elsewhere as a UF
Ul
Unconditional offer, held by applicant as insurance choice
Unconditional offer
Offer made by provider when the applicant has met specified conditions, or has already met entry requirements when they applied
ABRSM AH
Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Advanced Higher (SQA)
AP
Audition pending
Changed Course decision
Conservatoires can offer the applicant a course different to the one they originally applied for
CWD
Applicant completely withdraws from the scheme
GC offers and replies
Guaranteed conditional offer made to an applicant dependent on achieving specified grades in upcoming examinations, or meeting financial requirements
- GC1 – guaranteed conditional offer accepted by applicant as first choice
- GC2 – guaranteed conditional offer accepted by applicant as second choice
- GCD – guaranteed conditional offer declined by applicant
GU offers and replies
Guaranteed unconditional offer made to applicant when the applicant has already met all entry requirements
- GU1 – guaranteed unconditional offer accepted by applicant as first choice
- GU2 – guaranteed unconditional offer accepted by applicant as second choice
- GUD – guaranteed unconditional offer declined by applicant
LA transaction
Method by which conservatoires transmit an amended decision on an application to us
LC transaction
Method by which conservatoires transmit a course code correction to us
LD transaction
Method by which conservatoires transmit their first decision on an application to us
NC
Non-committed applicant – an applicant who has not accepted any offers
RA transaction
Method by which conservatoires inform us of a change of year or course for GU1 applicants
RD transaction
Method by which conservatoires confirm offers
RW transaction
Method by which conservatoires inform UCAS of a GU1 applicant’s withdrawal
VC offers and replies
Reserve conditional offer made to applicant dependent on achieving specified grades in upcoming examinations
- VC1 – reserve conditional offer accepted by applicant as first choice
- VC2 – reserve conditional offer accepted by applicant as second choice
- VCD – reserve conditional offer declined by applicant
VU offers and replies
Reserve unconditional offer made to applicant when the conservatoire is satisfied the applicant has met all entry requirements
VU1 – reserve unconditional offer accepted by applicant as first choice
VU2 – reserve unconditional offer accepted by applicant as second choice
VUD – reserve unconditional offer declined by applicant
UCAS terms
Collection Tool
UCAS online database used to maintain provider and course information – formerly called Course Collect
UCAS courses download report
All course details downloaded into a csv file, including the UCASCourseID and UCASProgID codes required by HESA for Unistats
HESA terms
Checkdoc
Check documentation – excel spreadsheet containing a summary of provider's course data
- Checkdoc 1 includes a summary of the provider’s input data
- Checkdoc 2 includes a summary of the course data alongside NSS, Graduate Outcomes, LEO and student data
Coding manual
Key technical documents on a webpage for each HESA collection, containing the data collection schedule, data specifications and submission formats
CourseID
Alongside ProgID – the critical paired course data fields required for the Unistats submission
Course list report
Displays the provider’s courses for the last three years of student data that are eligible for inclusion in the Unistats return
Data Collection System
Providers use this to send their data to HESA
Identity System
Governs access to HESA systems, including the Data Collection System, via assignment of the appropriate role – e.g. the KIS Submitter role allows access to submit data via the Data Collection System
ProgID
Alongside CourseID – the critical paired course data fields required for the Unistats submission
Record Contact
Member of staff at the provider who is the first point of communication for a collection. The role is administered by HESA and the role-holder is responsible for overseeing the provider's data submission, ensuring that deadlines are met and for managing colleagues' roles in the HESA Identity System.