Information to potential applicants

The University publishes a range of materials on programmes available to study which is designed to be clear, informative and inclusive and is available on the university website, prospectus and in separate course literature. Information is also available to applicants who require additional support and applicants who may wish to find out more about the Additional Learning Support available at the University of Surrey should contact als@surrey.ac.uk or phone the ALS Office at 01483 689609.

Receipt of applications

All applications received by Admissions Services will be sent an acknowledgement email within 24 working hours of receipt of the application. Applications made through UCAS normally arrive on the day after submission, although some operational UCAS procedures may mean that some applications may take longer to arrive at the University of Surrey.

Consideration of Applications

Each application is considered on its individual merit by a trained and experienced professional. Most applications will be considered by the Admissions Services team and, in the majority of cases, an interview does not form part of the application process. In certain circumstances, notably where performance or Professional Body requirements demand, or in the case of mature applicants an interview or audition may be required. All decisions made as a result of interview will be recorded by the Admissions Tutor along with any reasons for rejection and supporting feedback which may be requested in line with the university feedback policy.

In all cases decisions are made in line with the University’s admissions policy.  All decisions are made subject to stringent quality checks with every offer subject to a rigorous double check by a member of the Admissions Services team.  Decisions will be made according to published entry criteria which is agreed in consultation with Admissions Tutors and approved by the University Senate.
The university does not normally require applicants to undertake additional admissions tests (e.g. LNAT) although the university does reserve the right to require applicants to undertake such tests, should a need be identified (e.g. to test numeracy or English). Any such tests are approved by the University Senate.

In the majority of cases actual and predicted grades will be the key indicator of academic potential for successful study at degree level.  Applicants will be required to demonstrate their commitment to their chosen course of study through their personal statement and a supporting reference will be required.

Fee status

If you have applied or are about to apply to the University of Surrey and you are unsure of your fee classification please visit the UKCISA website for further information. If the nature of the information you provide at the point of applications means that we are unable to determine your fee status we will send you a fee status questionnaire which must be completed and returned to Admissions Services within the defined deadline.

The Decision

Entry to the University of Surrey is highly competitive and unfortunately we are unable to offer a place to all applicants. Each application is treated individually and the length of time taken to make each decision will vary depending on the programme chosen. Initial decisions, including short listing for interviews, will be based on information submitted on the application form and incomplete information may result in an application being rejected.

Once a final decision has been made you will receive formal notification from UCAS and will be able to view decisions on UCAS Track. All queries relating to the conditions of your offer should be directed to Admissions Services at admissions@surrey.ac.uk.

If you have met our entry requirements you will normally be made an unconditional offer, although we will require copies of your certificates in order to verify them. Once you receive decisions in respect of all of your applications you will be asked to decide which (if any) offers you wish to accept, you will be able to hold a firm choice and an insurance choice. You will need to notify UCAS of your decision and this will be communicated to us in turn.

Should you choose to accept Surrey as either your firm or insurance choice and you meet our entry requirements, subsequently you will be guaranteed a place with us. It is worth bearing in mind that there is no UCAS process to change a firm acceptance once it has been made and we strongly encourage all applicants who have been made an offer to attend one of our Applicant Days where there will be an opportunity to meet with programme directors and discuss your options in detail.

Applicant Days

UK based applicants who meet our entry requirement, or who are to be interviewed will receive an invitation from their faculty department inviting them to attend an Applicant Day. Information about the day will be provided along with the invitation.  Non-UK based applicants are not expected to attend these Applicant Days but are welcome to contact the appropriate department if they wish to arrange a visit once they hold an offer.

Verification of results

Applicants who meet the published university entry conditions will be made an unconditional offer and applicants who are already in possession of their results will be required to supply these and any other non-academic requirements details in order to receive their unconditional offer of a place.

For many applicants UCAS will automatically send through results to the university and details of which results are supplied automatically can be found on the UCAS website. We will confirm our decision to UCAS as soon as we are able to, once we have received all the information we require to make our decision. All decisions will be communicated via UCAS.

The University of Surrey requires all applicants to have at least GCSE Maths and English at Grade C or equivalent (some courses may require higher grades) and you will need to send us evidence of your results.

Deferral requests

While the majority of prospective students apply during the year running up to their proposed start date, the University recognises the potential value of the “gap-year”.  Applicants wishing to apply for a deferment would normally be expected to indicate this to the Head of Admissions at the time of application. All requests for deferral should be made by email to the Head of Admissions at admissions@surrey.ac.uk. Making a request does not guarantee that this will be accepted and applicants may only defer for a maximum of one year.

In most cases, the intended year of entry is not taken into account in assessing an application. However, a deferral granted once an offer has been formally made may result in the conditions of the original offer being revised and the applicant will become liable for the fees applicable at the time of registration.

Places secured through Clearing, or Adjustment are valid for the current year only and may not be deferred.

Clearing

Should you find yourself in a position where your results do not meet the conditions set by us you may be able to seek alternative programmes through the Clearing process. All universities publish full lists of their Clearing programmes in the national newspapers and through UCAS. Please also visit the University of Surrey website www.surrey.ac.uk/clearing for further details.

Registration

Once you have received your unconditional place, you should accept your offer through UCAS Track. We will send details to all our applicants who hold an unconditional firm (UF) place advising them of the next steps, how to access our online registration system and how to set up your IT account. Once you have completed your online registration you will receive information about the university Welcome Week which includes your formal registration as a student of the University of Surrey.