How to apply - your step by step guide

HOW TO APPLY - YOUR STEP BY STEP GUIDE

Follow our guide to complete your UCAS application with confidence.

Embarking on your university journey starts with finding the perfect course for you. Explore our range of undergraduate courses.

Once you've settled on what you’d like to study, it's time to begin your UCAS application.
Follow this guide to complete your UCAS application with confidence.

1. Make sure that you register on UCAS well before the deadline

Create your UCAS Hub account with plenty of time to spare until the application deadline (29th January 2025) and then provide your personal details such as your name and age, and contact information. Remember to use an active email address to stay updated on your application progress.

Create your UCAS Hub account

2. Choose the courses you want to apply for

You can apply for up to five courses, these do not need to be ranked in order of preference. Be sure to check each programme’s requirements thoroughly.

Find a course at Aston

3. Add your education history

You should list all relevant qualifications and institutions you attended along with the years you studied there. Be sure to include both those qualifications you have already completed, and those for which you are currently awaiting results.

4. Highlight your work experience

Any paid jobs you’ve held full-time or part-time should be documented here. Highlight your key responsibilities and experiences as they can present skills relevant to your chosen course.

5. Write a personal statement

This is your opportunity to really demonstrate why you are passionate about the course, and to describe how you would excel at university. Draft your statement early, review it, and proofread for a polished finish. We’ve created a handy guide for writing your personal statement to help you get the ball rolling.

Read our personal statement guide

6. Review and confirm

Carefully check that the details you’ve provided in each section of your application are accurate. Once you have checked and marked all of your sections as complete, you will be able to read and agree to the declaration.

7. Provide a reference

Ask a teacher, adviser or professional who knows your academic abilities to write you a reference, covering your suitability for higher education and chosen study area.

8. Pay and submit

Submit your application along with the appropriate UCAS fee. Once submitted, Aston’s admissions team will review your application carefully.

9. Apply by 29th January 2025

If you are looking to start an undergraduate course in September 2025, you need to submit your application to UCAS by 29th January 2025.

Aston University's Institution Code: A80

Use our UCAS institution code - A80 - when filling out your application to ensure it reaches the right place!

After your application

Types of offers

Unconditional Offer

You’ve already satisfied the entry criteria so we’ve guaranteed your place on the course.

Conditional Offer

You’re just what we’re looking for, but you still need to fulfil certain criteria (e.g. grades) before you can be accepted on the course.

Alternative Offer

You don’t meet the entry requirements for your chosen course, but we really like your application so have made you an offer for an alternative course.

Contextual offers

We have a long-standing commitment to social mobility, so applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds may be made a lower conditional offer.

Find out more about our contextual offers.

And then...

When you’ve received decisions for all your applications, you’ll need to reply to your offers via your UCAS Hub.

If you’ve received an unconditional offer that you’d like to accept, your place is confirmed. If you’ve received multiple conditional offers, you can choose one course as your firm choice and one as your insurance (second) choice. You’ll need to decline any other offers you’ve received.

Interviews

Some of our courses require you to attend an interview as part of the application process. If you’re invited to an interview, you will be notified by the Admissions team in advance and we will send you information in regards to this (including any pre-interview tasks to complete) to make sure you have enough time to prepare and know what to expect.

Some interviews take place on campus and some are conducted online using Microsoft Teams. If you have been invited for an interview, please note this is a compulsory element of the application process. You can find out if an interview or multiple mini interviews (MMIs) are required on our individual course webpages.

Your exam results

Your exam results (such as A-levels) will be published in August and can be viewed on your UCAS Hub. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you!

Remember, if you don’t meet the requirements for either your firm or insurance choice, you may still be accepted onto your course or be made an alternative offer. And whatever happens on the day, you’re welcome to get in touch with one of our advisors and see how we can help.

Clearing

If you don't receive any offers, or you don't achieve the results you need to get into your the university of your choice, don't panic! UCAS Clearing is the period during summer when universities advertise remaining places on undergraduate courses.

You can apply for a Clearing place if you want to study at university, but are not holding a place and/or have not met the conditions of your offers.

Find out more about Clearing.