Parents and Guardians Guide to Applying

It’s important for your child to do their research and find out more about what different universities are offering. With such a wide choice of programmes available in the UK, narrowing this down to 5 choices on their UCAS form can be a little daunting.

To see what we have to offer at Swansea University have a look at our Undergraduate course pages.

We also recommend using the UCAS search tools, here you can search for all universities who teach the subject you’re interested in.

Each year universities exhibit at local UCAS conventions. Here your child can speak to representatives from a number of universities and collect information from them including their current prospectus. Sometimes your child’s school will arrange a trip for all of the children interested in going to University. We would encourage your child to do their research before attending one of these events so they know which universities they would like to speak to.

You can help by encouraging your child to attend as many open days as possible before applying. Open days are either held on-campus or are held virtually. Both of these types of open day are a great way to find out more about the courses on offer, meet the lecturers, view the accommodation, explore the university and discover the local area.

At Swansea, we hold both types of open day throughout the year. Find out more and book online here.

Applications to a maximum of five institutions can be made online at UCAS.com between 1st September and the end of January (the specific date varies each year, please check the UCAS website for further details). We recommend that your child applies as early as possible. Most of the application process should be supported by your child’s school or college; however, it is worth checking the parents' section of the UCAS website regularly for key dates and to keep them on track.

Your child should have submitted their completed UCAS form by this date, usually the last Wednesday in January. Some very selective courses like Graduate Entry Medicine have much earlier deadlines, so don’t be afraid to check first of all.

At Swansea University, you can apply for the vast majority of our programmes once this deadline has passed.

You should also consider that many schools and colleges have their own internal deadlines which are earlier. This is to allow teachers to write a UCAS reference for your child so be sure to allow them enough time.

You can read more details about UCAS application deadlines on their website here: https://www.ucas.com/advisers/managing-applications/application-deadlines

Once your child has received offers or decisions from all of the institutions they applied to, they will need to choose a first (Firm) or second (Insurance) choice and decline all other offers. Some courses may also ask your child to attend an interview during this time.

The firm choice should be the university they want to go to most and the insurance choice should be the backup just in case they don’t meet the terms of their offer.

From February, your child can begin applying for their student finance. As a parent, you will need to produce supporting documentation such as proof of your household income.

If they live in England they will need to apply through Student Finance England.

If they live in Wales they will need to apply through Student Finance Wales .

Once your child has made their firm or insurance choice and applied for student finance, it’s time to start putting everything in place for September. Students will be invited to apply for accommodation online in January. We guarantee rooms to all students who firmly accept their offers from Swansea University by the end of June. Insurance students should also make their accommodation applications as early as possible to increase their chances of securing a place in university residences.

If your child meets the offer that has been made to them there is nothing more they need to do. We will automatically accept them via UCAS and enrolment instructions are sent at the end of August.

If your child falls short of the terms of their offer, then don't panic. We have a team of staff on hand to discuss their application: we're well aware that the last few years have been challenging and we always aim to be as flexible as possible.

Enrolment at Swansea University usually takes place in late September. The first week on campus is a chance for students to settle in, officially enrol on their course and select their modules. Lectures will begin the week after, and so does the hard work!