UCAS Jargon Buster: A Glossary of Terms Every UK Applicant Should Know
- Camille Lucas
- Jan 20
- 5 min read
Let’s face it — applying to uni can feel like learning a whole new language. There’s a lot of talk about offers, deadlines, and systems you’ve probably never used before. This guide is here to help break it all down.
Whether you're the one applying, or you're helping someone else through it, this A–Z explains the key terms you’ll come across in a way that (hopefully) makes sense.
A
● Adviser: Someone at your school or college (usually a teacher or careers person) who helps you out with your application. They’ll be your go-to if you get stuck.
● Agent: A person (often based abroad) who helps students apply to UK universities — especially international students. Sometimes you have to pay for their help.
● Adjustment: If your results are better than expected and you’ve already accepted an offer, this lets you look at other courses you might now qualify for — without losing your current place. It’s not used as much these days, though.
● Application Deadline: The latest date you can send in your UCAS form. For 2025, it’s 15 October for Oxbridge and medicine, and 29 January for most others.
● Application Fee: The cost to apply. For 2025, it’s £28.50 to apply for up to five courses. If that’s a bit much, you might be able to get it waived.
B
● Buzzword: A code your school or college gives you when you start your application. It links your form to them, so they can offer support and keep an eye on things.
C
● Centre: Just the school or college you’re applying from. That’s it, really.
● Changed Course Offer: When a uni comes back to you with an offer — but not for the exact course you applied to. They’re offering you something similar instead.
● Choice: Each course you apply to is one “choice”. You can pick up to five.
● Clearing: If you don’t get any offers (or change your mind), Clearing helps you find unis with spaces left. It kicks off in July and runs through summer.
● Clearing Plus: UCAS gives you course suggestions during Clearing, based on your grades and what you’ve shown interest in. It’s meant to make the whole thing easier.
● College: Could be part of a university, or a separate place offering further or higher education. It depends.
● Conditional Offer: An offer that depends on you getting certain grades. If you hit the conditions, the place is yours.
● Confirmation: Once your results are in, unis check if you’ve met the offer conditions. If you have, they confirm your place.
● Conservatoire: A specialist college that teaches music, drama, or dance. Think performance-based courses.
● Course: The subject you want to study — like Psychology, Engineering, or English Lit.
D
● Deferral: You’ve got an offer, but want to start the course next year instead. Usually fine if you let the uni know in time.
E
● Entry Requirements: The grades and subjects a course asks for. If you meet them, great. If not, there might still be options.
● Extra: If you’ve used all five choices and didn’t get any offers, Extra lets you apply for other courses — one at a time. Runs from Feb to early July.
F
● Firm Choice: The offer you want the most — your first choice. If you meet the conditions, this is where you’ll be going.
● Fresher: A nickname for a first-year uni student. Expect to hear it a lot during your first few weeks.
G
● Gap Year: A year off between school and uni — often for travel, work, or just taking a breather.
● Graduate: Someone who’s finished their degree. Mortarboard optional.
H
● HE (Higher Education): Education after secondary school — so, uni, or higher-level college courses.
● HEP (Higher Education Provider): Any place that offers uni-level courses. Could be a uni, a college, or a conservatoire.
● HNC (Higher National Certificate): A one-year course, kind of like the first year of a uni degree. Very practical.
● HND (Higher National Diploma): Usually two years. Like a longer version of the HNC — and sometimes leads on to a full degree.
I
● Insurance Offer: Your back-up offer. If you don’t meet the conditions of your firm choice, this is your plan B — often with slightly lower grade requirements.
L
● League Tables: Rankings of universities or courses. Can be helpful, but don’t base your whole decision on them — they don’t tell the full story.
M
● Module: A specific topic or subject you’ll study as part of your course. You usually take several modules each term or year.
● MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication): A security step used when logging into your UCAS or uni account — usually a password and a code sent to your phone.
P
● Personal ID/UCAS ID: A ten-digit number UCAS gives you when you register. Handy to keep safe — you’ll need it when contacting unis or UCAS.
● Personal Statement: A short write-up (about 4000 characters) where you explain why you want to do your chosen course and what makes you a good fit. Bit of a pain to write, but important.
● Point of Entry: Usually year one of a course — unless you’ve already done some relevant study and are joining later on.
● Postgraduate: A course you do after your undergraduate degree — like a Master’s or PhD.
● Predicted Grades: Grades your teachers think you’ll get. Unis use them to decide whether or not to offer you a place.
R
● RBD (Reject By Default): If you don’t reply to an offer in time, it’ll be marked as rejected automatically. Don’t miss the deadline!
● Reference: A short statement written by a teacher or adviser backing you up. Part of your UCAS form.
● Results Day: The day your final results (A-levels, BTECs, etc.) are released. Big day.
T
● Tariff: A way UCAS turns different qualifications into points. Some unis use it to help decide who gets in.
● Track: The part of the UCAS Hub where you can check your application progress and see your offers.
● Transcript: A list of your academic achievements — usually needed if you're applying to further study or jobs.
U
● UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service): The system you use to apply to most unis in the UK.
● UCAS Conservatoires: A version of UCAS just for performing arts schools.
● UCAS Extra: If you didn’t get any offers from your five choices, this lets you apply to more — one course at a time.
● UCAS Hub: The online platform where you manage your application, search for courses, and get updates.
● UF (Unconditional Firm): An unconditional offer you’ve accepted as your firm choice. That’s your place secured.
● Undergraduate: Someone studying for their first degree — or the degree itself.
● Unconditional Offer: A uni place with no conditions — you're in, regardless of your results.
● University: A place you go to for higher education — and hopefully leave with a degree (and maybe some good memories).
Z
● Zero Offers: If none of your five choices offer you a place, you’re eligible for UCAS Extra or Clearing. It’s not the end of the road.
Final Bit: Take It One Step at a Time
No one expects you to know all this stuff straight away. The UCAS process can seem complicated at first, but once you break it down, it’s not so bad.
And if you ever get lost, double-check things on the UCAS website, or ask your adviser or teacher — they’ve seen it all before.
Good luck. You’ve got this.
Comments