Key Higher Education organisations

With the amount of information available online it is important to find accurate and impartial advice about Higher Education, funding, the admissions processes, and also about key terms that you'll encounter but may not be familiar with.

Below is a list of key higher education organisations that you will hear about or deal with while you are supporting your child to apply to university. 

• UCAS
  UCAS (the University and Colleges Admissions Service) is the service that students use to apply to university for their undergraduate studies. These courses could be HNC, HND, BA, BSc, or degree apprenticeships, for example. 

Students don't apply to individual universities – they submit one application through UCAS who then distribute it to the student's university choices. It is a simpler way to manage your choices, respond to offers, or to change choices in the Clearing period if you need.

• Student Finance England
  

  Student Finance is the organisation responsible for providing Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans to students at university.

  There are different organisations depending on which region of the UK you reside in: Student Finance England, Student Finance Northern Ireland, Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS), and Student Finance Wales.

  It is important to note that you can apply for Student Finance as soon as you have made a university application. Funds will not be released until the applicant has enrolled as a student and began their studies.

  To apply for Student Finance the applicant will need to apply to the country where they live, not where they will be studying.

  For example, a student from England planning to study at the University of Edinburgh would still apply through Student Finance England.

• Student Loans Company
  

  The Student Loans Company (SLC) is a government organisation that organises the repayment of Student Loans.

  They work alongside HMRC to collect Student Loan repayments in line with graduates' salaries, please see our fees and finance resources for more details and support.

• University Admissions Department

  Each university has an admissions department that provides offers to applicants once the applications have been reviewed. 
  You may not need to speak to the university admissions department if you have applied via UCAS and met the conditions.
  However, if you do have any detailed questions, issues, or courses requiring interview scheduling, for example, you can contact the University of Bolton undergraduate admissions department here.

What is #UniAsItShouldBe? A University that puts its students and their needs first through a supportive learning environment. Welcome to the University of Bolton.