What are the upcoming intakes to start university in the UK?
A number of universities in the UK offer pathway, undergraduate, pre-masters and postgraduate intakes alternative to the most popular traditional Autumn intake that occurs in September or October. Generally the second largest intake starts in the new year, where students will be able to start their courses in January (or February) and is known as a Spring intake. Some universities will also list programmes starting in other months such as March, April, May or June. While not all courses will be available in the specified months, courses you may choose to apply to are dependent on the university offering that programme and its course availability for that chosen start date. Often students will prefer September intakes over other month intakes as universities are offering their major courses during this time and there will also be a greater number of applicants but it is important to consider that other intakes can also be just as equally good for many programmes. For example, Kingston University and the University of Salford offer a number of courses available for their March intake whereas universities like Northumbria University have selected programmes in Mayas well as the University of Chester.
Which intake is right for me?
You may choose to opt for a different start date depending on your academic records, current study or work situation, academic marks/grades and/or your willingness to make a decision to study at university and start your programme. Deadlines also vary between each university so it is important to always check with a university or department on the deadlines in the course you are interested in.
For students wishing to pursue Medicine at university, you’ll need to keep your A-level options open in terms of subject and qualification. Entry requirements will vary depending on the university, but Chemistry is a common essential requirement that universities will ask for in the application process. Because medicine is highly competitive to get into, universities will request high marks i.e. A*AA, AAA or AAB at A-level.
Subjects you should include are first and foremost Chemistry, then Biology, Maths and/or Physics.
As well as this, universities often ask for one or more of the following admissions tests: UCAT, BMAT and GAMSAT
If you don’t meet entry requirements and are thinking about studying medicine, you may be eligible to apply for a foundation course that will prepare you to apply for medical school. A highly intensive one year programme covering essential core science subjects and mathematics, students should consider this programme if they would like to strengthen their application for medical school, do not meet academic requirements, have not studied Biology or Chemistry or did not pass the UKCAT/BMAT examinations.
Whether you’ve applied for a foundation, bachelor’s or master’s programme, it can take some time before you get a response from a university admission officer on the outcome of the university course you applied to. So when can you expect a university offer to come out? This depends on a range of factors and we’ve put together a rough guide on what you can expect after submitting your application.
Each university and college makes decisions at different times and there are deadlines that they have to adhere to. In certain circumstances, universities may be able to get back to you within a week but generally application decisions will be made depending when you applied. For example, students who applied during the mid-January deadline should expect responses to be made by early May or if you applied during the late-June deadline, you should expect responses by mid-July. According to the UCAS websitethey state information based on previous applications submitted in 2020, i.e. if:
You applied by 15 January 2020, you should expect a response by 6 May 2020
You applied by 30 June 2020, you should expect a response by 13 July 2020
You applied after 30 June 2020, there is a final deadline for universities to make decisions by 20 October 2020 – and if you’ve applied through Clearing
It’s also important to consider that every university has different procedures and methods when responding to course applications and some may require more time than others. For example, you may get invited for an interview and decisions may only be made when all interviews have taken place whereas some universities may make offers and respond as soon as applications are made. So while some universities may get back to you within a few weeks, some may receive an offer within a few working days.
