​APPLYING THROUGH UCAS

• 15 October 2011 for all Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry programmes
• 15 January 2012 for all other Plymouth University courses
• The normal closing date for UCAS to receive applications is 15 January 2012. UCAS will, however, continue to accept late applications (until 30 June 2012) and forward them to universities.
• At Plymouth University we consider all late applicants, but there is a risk that some degree programmes may already be fully subscribed.

TUITION FEE LOAN AND OTHER FUNDING

Once you have submitted your UCAS application, it is important to complete your tuition fee loan application at Direct.Gov 

Put down your preferred choice institution on the form, as your institution name can always be amended at a later date.

You can apply for the following:

• a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your tuition fees in full
• a Maintenance Loan for living costs like rent (full-time students only)
• a Maintenance Grant if your household income is less than £42,600 (full-time students only)
• scholarships and bursaries from colleges and universities
• extra financial help if you have a disability or children or adults depending on you

Once you've submitted your application

Once you have submitted your application to UCAS they will send us a copy of your application so that we can consider whether to offer you a place to study at Plymouth University. We will send you a confirmation email to let you know that we have received and are processing your application – so please check your email regularly for important updates. For our standard courses (all courses except those in the Faculty of Health, Education and Society, and some Faculty of Arts courses that require a portfolio or audition) you will receive a decision about your application within 14 days.

To help us make a decision, we will:

• check whether you have/are studying towards the correct qualifications for entry, and your predicted grades meet our requirements for the course
• read your personal statement
• invite you to an interview (for certain courses only).

Once we have made a decision, you will also be notified initially by UCAS via their ‘Track’ system. For more information visit the UCAS website.

If an offer is made we will invite you to one of our Preview Days. These days are normally held from December to April and they give you a chance to spend time with current students and academics, and get more in-depth information about the course before you make your final decisions.

​HOW TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION

The personal statement is your opportunity to tell an Admissions Tutor why you’re the right student to be offered a place on their course. We don’t interview all our applicants so this is your one chance to sell yourself for courses that don’t require an interview. If you do apply to a programme which invites candidates to interview, your personal statement may also form the basis of your interview.

The personal statement supports your academic qualifications because we don’t just want students who can meet our entry requirements; we will also consider whether the applicant is suitably motivated to complete their chosen programme of study. We want to know whether you will enjoy the course content (this is where ensuring you’ve researched the course you’re applying for really comes in to play).