Parents’ guide to applying for university

BTECs are an alternative to A-levels. They are vocational qualifications, rather than traditional academic courses like A-levels. The main difference between these courses is that A-levels are assessed through examinations with some providing coursework modules, while BTEC courses are entirely coursework based with some practical assessments or work experience.

Your young person will need to apply for their place at BU, or any other UK university, directly through UCAS. As well as the application portal itself, UCAS has a number of useful videos and how-to guides to help them complete their application.

Encourage your young person to apply as soon as they have made a decision about which course they’d like to study. This will make the process much less stressful for them and you, as it will give them more time to finesse their application. We'd recommend they use their personal email address rather than a school/college one when making their UCAS application. This will ensure they receive any important emails regarding their application.

This is also a good time for your young person to tell us if they have a disability or will need any additional learning support. Our Additional Learning Support team can advise them of what support is available and how to access it once they enrol at BU. 

One of the things they are likely to find hardest to get right is their personal statement - we’ve created a guide to writing a personal statement to help them get started.

There are a few dates that you may want to put in your diary, so that you can remind your young person to get their application in on time.

September 2026 entry

Applications for undergraduate courses starting in September 2026 opened in May 2025 with completed applications able to be submitted from 2 September 2025. The first application deadline for the majority of courses is 14 January 2026.

If your young person has missed this year’s deadline, don’t worry - they may still be able to apply for their course up until 30 June 2026. What's more, UCAS Extra opens on 26 February 2026 and lets your young person add a further choice if they hold no offers or if they decline the offers they do have. Not all courses will be available through UCAS Extra, but many courses continue to accept applications through this service. Applications made after 30 June 2026 enter Clearing.

Not all courses will be available through UCAS Extra, but many courses continue to accept applications through this service. If your child can make applications using this service, it will automatically appear as an option when they log in to their application on the main UCAS website and UCAS will contact them with all the information they need about how to submit additional applications.

September 2027 entry

Applications for undergraduate courses starting in September 2027 will open in May 2026 with completed applications able to be submitted from 1 September 2026. The first application deadline for the majority of courses is 13 January 2027.

If your young person has missed this year’s deadline, don’t worry - they may still be able to apply for their course up until 30 June 2027. What's more, UCAS Extra opens on 25 February 2027 and lets your young person add a further choice if they hold no offers or if they decline the offers they do have. Not all courses will be available through UCAS Extra, but many courses continue to accept applications through this service. Applications made after 30 June 2027 enter Clearing.

Not all courses will be available through UCAS Extra, but many courses continue to accept applications through this service. If your child can make applications using this service, it will automatically appear as an option when they log in to their application on the main UCAS website and UCAS will contact them with all the information they need about how to submit additional applications.

Once your young person has submitted their application through UCAS, the organisation will process it and contact them directly if they need to provide any further information. Your young person can log in to their UCAS Hub at any time to see how their application is progressing. 

Our Open Days will give them and you a chance to see facilities specific to the course they’ve applied for and the opportunity to talk to academics and current students. Open Days are optional and have no bearing on your young person's application.

Your young person may also be invited to attend an interview as part of the selection process. This will affect their application, so it is important that they attend. 

Once we have made a decision on your child’s application, they will receive one of the following:

• Unconditional offer - This means they have already met the entry requirements and have been offered a place.
• Conditional offer - This means they have a place on the course, provided that they meet the requirements laid out in the offer. Usually these will refer to their current qualifications (such as A-levels, or your English language proficiency) and will state what they need to achieve in order to be successful.
• Rejection - This means that they have not been offered a place on the course. 

It is then up to your young person to reply to our offer. Be aware that there are deadlines associated with replying to offers.

What is Clearing? Clearing is the last chance for your young person to find a uni place This may be because they may have missed the grades they needed, or they may have changed their mind about what or where to study or they have only just decided to go to university for the forthcoming September after the 30 June deadline has passed. Read our guide to Clearing to find out how it works.