Ask the expert: Navigating the university application journey
Iwan Hopkins (BA 2009) shares how families can best support young people applying and preparing for university.
Iwan Hopkins (BA 2009) is a Senior Schools and Colleges Liaison Officer at Cardiff University and a Cardiff graduate.
Drawing on his experience working with students, parents, and schools, Iwan shares how families can best support young people applying and preparing for university.
When should families start thinking about university?
It’s never too early. Many courses have specific subject requirements, so ideally starting early research in Year 11 helps students make informed choices and gives them plenty of time to find the right course and university.
How early should students prepare UCAS applications?
Start early in Year 12. Applications involve researching courses, checking work experience requirements, planning finances, and writing a personal statement. Research and the personal statement take the longest in my experience, so spreading tasks out helps avoid it becoming overwhelming.
What should students consider when choosing a course and university?
We recommend the four Cs:
- Course: What do they genuinely enjoy and want to study in depth? Small differences between similar courses can be crucial, so thorough research is important.
- Campus: What kind of environment suits them: city-based or more self-contained? What facilities, sports, or societies matter?
- City: What lifestyle do they want, and how far from home works for them?
- Careers: Some students have clear plans; others don’t. Encourage them to think about what they hope to gain from their course – skills, experience, opportunities – to make an informed choice.
How important are Open Days, and when should they attend?
Open Days are crucial, allowing students to see a university’s campus, accommodation, teaching spaces, and the local area firsthand, as well as meet academics, tutors and current students. Photos and videos can be helpful, but visiting in person lets students and families judge whether it feels right. You also get a sense of whether the distance home is suitable.
Open Days run throughout most of the year, usually excluding summer and Christmas holidays. It’s never too early to attend. Although aimed at Year 12 students onwards, going in Year 11 is also useful. Try to visit a few to make comparisons easier.
What does the UCAS process involve, and when does it start?
UCAS applications open in early September, but most preparation should ideally be done beforehand.
Submission deadlines are usually:
- mid-October: Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Sciences, and Oxbridge
- mid-January: All other courses
The application is in sections, including personal details, education, employment and work experience, course choices, a personal statement, and a teacher or tutor reference. Completing it section by section makes it manageable.
How many universities can students apply to, and how should they decide?
Up to five courses, either at different universities or all at the same one. Students don’t have to use all five choices, but keeping options open is wise.
There are some exceptions, though. Medicine or Dentistry applicants can only apply to four courses; the fifth course (if used) must be a different subject. Students also cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge.
What are universities looking for in an application?
The exact criteria vary. It could be personal statements, relevant experience and grades, or interview performance. Ultimately, universities want students who are committed, enthusiastic and genuinely interested in the course.
What makes a strong personal statement, and how can parents support this?
Personal statements are important but can feel daunting. Parents can help by proofreading and reminding students of achievements or skills to include.
UCAS recently replaced the long personal statement format with three questions instead. Generally, the questions cover:
- Why the student chose the course.
- How their current studies and wider reading support this choice.
- What they’ve done outside the classroom to support this (work experience, sports, volunteering, or other activities that demonstrate transferable skills).
Together, the answers should show passion for the subject, as well as relevant knowledge and real world experience – both in and outside school – that strengthens their application.
What if predicted grades don’t meet entry requirements?
In most cases, if a student applies for a course with slightly higher entry requirements than their predicted grades, they may still receive a conditional offer. The university sets conditions the student must meet, and results day determines whether they secure the place. If they don’t meet the required grades, Clearing can help. If they exceed their predictions and meet the conditions, the place is theirs if they want it.
At very competitive universities, students whose predicted grades don’t meet requirements may not receive an offer. This makes checking requirements essential; applying to many courses with higher requirements can add pressure. Students should be realistic and know each course’s entry criteria.
Understanding the offer process also matters. After receiving offers, students choose a firm and an insurance choice. The firm is their top choice; the insurance is their safety net. It’s usually sensible to choose an insurance option with slightly lower requirements than the firm, as selecting both with identical requirements may mean missing out on both on results day.
What is Clearing and how does it work?
Clearing opens on A-level results day in August. For students who didn’t meet their grade requirements or declined all their offers, Clearing offers a chance to find a space in an unfilled course at universities across the UK.
Over 65,000 students used Clearing in 2025. Parents can help by staying calm, researching options, and supporting calls to universities. I missed the grades I needed the first-time round, and my parents spent results day calling universities with me to help me through a very stressful situation.
How do admissions tests and interviews fit in?
Lots of courses require tests or interviews, which you can find out online.
In most cases, courses like Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, or Physiotherapy require interviews. These courses have an earlier October UCAS deadline, so interviews usually take place around Christmas.
Other courses that don’t have the same October deadline may wait until the equal consideration deadline in January so interviews may not be until February.
Different tests will need to be taken at different times of year so always check online. For example, the UCAT test for Medicine and Dentistry must be completed in the year the student applies.
What costs should families expect beyond tuition fees?
Living costs are the biggest factor beyond tuition fees. Rent for accommodation or student housing as well as all the usual essentials like bills, food, laundry and university materials. There is then all the other things on top like going out, buying clothes etc. It’s also worth looking into the cost of living in certain places. Somewhere like Cardiff is great as it’s considered a more affordable city, so researching that sort of information can help inform students better.
What financial support is available?
There are loans to cover tuition fees as well as a maintenance loan to help with day-to-day spending. While tuition fees are the same for everyone, maintenance loans are means-tested and dependent on a range of criteria. The best thing to do is look up the Student Finance funding agency for your country as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own. The amounts can change each year, so it’s good to check fairly regularly.
Universities also have scholarships, bursaries and grants available every year so look on their websites to see what students could be eligible to receive.
Student finance applications open during each Spring in the year before entry, with deadlines around May. So, for university starting in 2027, submit finance applications in Spring 2027. All this information can be found on student finance webpages.
What should parents know about accommodation?
Research is key. Some universities, like Cardiff, can have a lot of options, whereas others may not have as much choice. It’s also important to consider what sort of accommodation students would want: self or part-catered, facilities, location. A great way to find out more is to view accommodation options on an Open Day.
A lot of universities guarantee first-year accommodation, which you may want to consider. Year 2 students usually then go on to live in a shared house with friends.
Costs vary widely. The average cost of accommodation can be found on university websites. Students will be told when they can apply for accommodation when they get their offers back from universities. Once they confirm their firm and insurance choices, students can apply for accommodation.
What support is available for Widening Participation students during the application process?
There is a lot of support through the application process for Widening Participation students. UCAS introduced the UCAS fee waiver a couple of years ago which waives the fee for anyone who has had a free school meal in the 6 years before they apply. Through the application process, UCAS can also help with financial assistance, mentorship programs and other things.
I would encourage you to look into Widening Participation as part of the research process to see how universities can help too. For example, Cardiff University’s Widening Participation and Outreach Team helps students with the application through opportunities like summer schools, subject-related workshops, and interview support.
How can parents support a child who wants to study abroad?
The most important thing is to make sure your child is very sure it’s what they want to do. It’s a big step to go to university, and an even bigger step to do that abroad. For a lot of students, it may be the perfect fit, so do as much research as you can with them to make sure they know all their options, and to better understand funding and costs.
What should parents know about university support services (mental health, academic, pastoral)?
Students have access to free mental health, academic, and pastoral support at all universities. We recommend that students look into the services online or on an open day to get a sense of what’s available.
Are foundation years or degree apprenticeships worth considering?
Yes, if it fits your goals. For me, university offered everything I wanted, from academics to all the amazing social opportunities.
Foundation years help students gain any missing knowledge or entry requirements. For degree apprenticeships, researching them online is essential to understanding commitments.
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