As students move through their academic journeys, there will naturally be countless new hurdles to overcome – perhaps in the form of tougher exams, or even new terminology. There can be lots of new terminology when students are first learning of what they must to do apply to universities – it can be a very stressful time! An example of this is the UCAS status code – many of us will have heard of UCAS, but not a lot of younger students know what their status code is! With that in mind, what is the UCAS status code and where can it be found?
A UCAS status code is a unique code assigned to each applicant when they apply to UK universities; it consists of a four-digit and sixteen-digit code. It plays a big role in tracking your application’s progress and accessing updates on your application. In order to find your code, all you have to do is log on to UCAS Hub – an online platform – or through your email notifications. This code also allows you to set up a student bank account, so don’t lose it!
While this may have given you a very brief overview of what exactly the UCAS status code is, it’ll be helpful to read on in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding.
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What is the UCAS status code?
In short, the UCAS status code is the unique code given to each student through their university applications – and is absolutely crucial to find updates to your application and view its status.
It is made up of a four-digit code, as well as a sixteen digit one. They are both numerical, and keeping tabs on them is quite crucial.
Your UCAS status code is also used to provide evidence for you being a legitimate student. One such case may be where you are planning on opening a student bank account, and the bank needs evidence that you are a student – even if you haven’t actually started classes yet!
In lieu of a student ID, it’s required to show your UCAS ID so your bank can open your student bank account.
The UCAS status code reflects the different stages of your application – “received”, “processing”, “conditional offer”, “unconditional offer”, “rejected” or “withdrawn”.
It’s important for students to regularly check the UCAS status code in order to stay informed about their application status so there aren’t any nasty surprises!
To read more about the UCAS status code, check out this article from Brighton University’s blog!
If you notice any inconsistencies in the codes provided, you should make sure to promptly contact your university to sort it out!
Where can you find the UCAS status code?
Students will receive their UCAS status code via email at the beginning of their application. Otherwise, their codes will be available on the UCAS Hub.
The UCAS Hub is an organiser created by UCAS to help guide students smoothly through their applications to university. Below are its features:
- Explore tool: to search up subjects and explore the courses through UCAS
- Notepad: allowing students to organise their thoughts and goals
- Apprenticeship finder: looks up vacancies locally and nationally
- Personal statement builder: it allows students to structure their personal statements with the help of UCAS and introduce students to universities
- Tariff calculator: to tally up UCAS points to see if students meet the entry requirements for a particular university or course
If you would like to read more about the UCAS hub, check out this handy guide from UCAS by clicking here.
If you have difficulty accessing or finding your UCAS status code, you should contact UCAS directly for assistance.
What is a UCAS number?
A UCAS number, contrary to the UCAS status code, is a ten-digit long number assigned to each student with their application to universities. This number is unique to the student and is therefore used as an identification number for students.
Since thousands of students apply to universities each year, it’s therefore very likely that there are many people who share your name – an identification number makes the process a lot smoother!
It’s very easy to find – it should be displayed when you log into the UCAS website. A buzzword will be given to you by your school, allowing you to set up your UCAS account.
You need to start your application to receive a UCAS number – without it, nothing will generate.
It must be quite confusing for students to keep track of all these new terms, so it might be helpful to take a look at the glossary for UCAS terms from the UCAS website, by clicking here.
If you would like to read more about you UCAS number, check out this article from Think Student for a helpful guide about finding your UCAS number!
When is the UCAS application deadline?
Actually, the deadlines really depend on what course students have applied for and which year their course starts.
For courses starting in 2024, the deadline for courses at Cambridge and Oxford (as well as a lot of courses for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science) concluded on the 16th October 2023. However, the deadline for most courses otherwise was 31st January 2024 at 18:00 GMT.
For courses starting in 2025, the UCAS application deadline for the majority of courses is in January 2025. For Oxbridge, medicine and veterinary courses the deadline is the 16th October 2024. The application has to be submitted before 18:00 in order to be considered.
To read more about UCAS deadlines, check out this article from Think Student, and to read more about deadlines in general check out this helpful guide made by UCAS!