1.1Contact with the Admissions and Access Service for Applicants

Arrangements for August/September 2013

1.1Contact with the Admissions and Access Service for Applicants

All applicants holding firm and/or insurance offers with us through UCAS will shortly receive a letter (Appendix 2) and full information this year will again be provided on our website at A pdf of the guide, Admissions Guidance Notes 2013, which includes details about opening hours and contact numbers, can be downloaded, should you wish to retain a copy. You will note that telephone lines will be open on Saturday 17 August and will be operating for longer than normal office hours. Information about accommodation and other relevant matters has also been provided to applicants and the closing date for accommodation applications will be 1 August. 2

Enquiry Forms Based on feedback from Schools, Colleges and applicants, and also our experience of the last few years, we will not hold applications, where the grades have not been achieved for the original choice, to allow applicants to approach us about being considered for an alternative degree programme at Queen’s. This will enable applicants to be placed at their insurance choice or enter Clearing more quickly, which is important given the anxiety they experience at this stage of the cycle.

The Enquiry Form, which is available to download from the website, can be used if applicants wish to be considered for an alternative course at Queen’s and also for Adjustment (where an applicant is UF at another institution) and Clearing enquiries.

It is expected that the use of the form will reduce the need for telephone calls if applicants follow the instructions provided. Requests are processed more quickly and easily if multiple enquiries are not made on behalf of an applicant, ie, by the applicant, school, parent etc.

The Enquiry Form should be used for a request for a change to a different course within Queen’s, rather than the Adjustment Process, which only applies if applicants wish to change to a course at another university. It is essential for applicants who receive changed course offers to reply as quickly as possible. If they fail to do so within five days, UCAS will decline the offer on their behalf.

Open Session in Whitla Hall (Monday 19 August 2013 – 2.00 pm start) It is important to realise that this session is intended for applicants who may wish to discuss possible options within Queen’s or admission in 2014. It is not intended for applicants who have already been unsuccessful and who wish to appeal a decision. Unfortunately, we cannot reverse these decisions. It would be helpful to us therefore if only those who might benefit from the open session are advised to attend since numbers are large and we have only a limited number of staff available to handle the enquiries.

A separate information session for Medical and Dental enquiries will be held in the Larmour Lecture Theatre at 2.30 pm. This will provide an update on the position for 2013 entry and guidance regarding re-application for 2014 entry for those we are unable to accommodate this year.

1.2Examination Results in August

The University will receive the majority of examination results direct from UCAS. Where results are missing for any reason, we will contact applicants direct. We have stressed in our information to applicants that we do not accept module results or marks and must have evidence of the overall grade. Your support in reinforcing this message would be appreciated.

I would also remind you of the importance of double certification where AS-level results have not previously been cashed in and may be of relevance to us, eg, in the case of applicants taking four full A-levels and who have been made an offer for Medicine, Dentistry or Actuarial Science and Risk Management on the basis of three A-levels plus one AS-level.

1.3 Access/Foundation Course Results

In order to ensure that such applications are dealt with by the normal deadline, applicants are asked to arrange for details of their final results to be sent to the Admissions and Access Service by

19 July, using the form which is available to download from the New Students website. This should be countersigned by the college. For those undertaking Access/Foundation courses validated by Queen’s University or the University of Ulster, a clear statement of the overall result and the percentage mark obtained in each module is required. In the case of those completing an Access to Higher Education Diploma, validated by QAA, details of performance in each Credit and its level should be provided.

Confirmation decisions will be processed as soon as possible after results are received, though ‘near miss’ decisions cannot be made until it is clear if we will have vacancies, ie after publication of A-level results.

Each year we receive enquiries from some Access course applicants, who were unsuccessful at conditional offer stage, about the possibility of reconsideration through Clearing. Unfortunately, in many cases this will not be possible because the reason why they were unsuccessful initially would still apply. The University’s policy is as follows:

Applications from students undertaking Access/Foundation Studies courses and who have had a break in full-time study (normally a minimum of two years) are welcomed. Each application is considered individually on its merits. Where offers are made, these are based on completion of the full qualification, which is normally available on a one year full-time or two year part-time basis.

This ties in with the purpose of Access courses in that they are designed to meet the needs of students who have been away from full-time education for some time and do not have the necessary qualifications for entry to higher education.

1.4Interpretation of Conditional Offers

Conditional offers are expressed in terms of specific grades or marks in A-levels and AS-levels or other qualifications. In order to be guaranteed admission, applicants must precisely meet the conditions of the offer. There were an additional 190 places available for NI and EU students for 2012 entry and approximately a further 100 extra places this year. It is therefore expected that there will be some flexibility, in terms of grades accepted, for a number of our degree programmes. Where it is necessary to adjust individual School intake targets, this will reflect the demand for places, if possible.

While alternative offers based on 3 A-levels plus a fourth AS-level have not been made this year, additional subjects will be important in borderline cases. As in previous years, even a relatively low grade in a fourth AS-level subject may make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful decision.

In the case of BTEC and OCR qualifications, please note that offers have been made in terms of performance in individual units (rather than the overall grade(s) achieved) and confirmation decisions will also be made on this basis.

1.5Unit Grade Information and A* grades at A-level

Details of the grade obtained in each A-level and AS-level module will be available to the University in August and may be used to distinguish between applicants in tie-break situations during the Confirmation and Clearing period. A* grades may be used in borderline cases also.

1.6Re-grades

Decisions on applications will not be delayed pending the outcome of a request for a remark. However, if as a result of a request for re-grading, A-level/AS-level results are changed by an examination board, it is essential that the applicant notifies the Admissions and Access Service as soon as possible. The University takes no action on the basis of re-grades received from UCAS, since the applicant may not wish to change course at that stage. It must be emphasised that it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the Admissions and Access Service with documentary evidence of the grade and not simply marks or modular results. It should also be clearly understood that the University is not bound to honour re-grades but it does so up to 31 August and after that, only if places are available.

1.7Deferred Entry Applicants

Requests for deferred entry will be considered in August and September though, for Nursing and Midwifery, we would point out that this is not normally allowed unless approved for Medical reasons by the University’s Occupational Health Service.

Applicants who had previously applied for deferred entry but who wish to commence study this year will be permitted to do so, subject to the availability of places. 4

1.8 Tuition Fees and Scholarships for 2013 Entry

Full information about arrangements for tuition fees and related matters is available at The Student Finance Framework section provides details of the basis of the determination of residency status for fees purposes, ie, NI, GB or EU.

Queen’s offers a range of scholarships and prizes for new students and details can be found at

1.9 Medical and Dental Applicants

As you are aware, if vacancies are available, we have always tried to accommodate some of those who initially applied to Queen’s for Medicine or Dentistry but were not made a conditional offer, provided they are not holding an offer, conditional or unconditional, with any other Medical or Dental School, through UCAS, prior to the start of the Confirmation period. The normal academic criteria - A(Chemistry) AA at A-level and A in a fourth AS or A1A1(Biology and Chemistry) A1A1A1B2 at Higher Level in the Leaving Certificate - must be achieved.

Given the uptake of offers this year, it is anticipated that the number of vacancies available will be small and lower than in recent years. Reconsideration in August will be based on interview ranking and therefore this possibility will only be available to those who were originally interviewed. Applicants do not need to make contact with us since, as vacancies become available, we will approach those eligible for consideration to offer them a place.

1.10 Nursing & Midwifery Applicants

As you know, applications to Nursing and Midwifery programmes have been through UCAS for the first time and, apart from the scoring of the personal statement and the interview process, responsibility for handling admissions has been centralised.

In view of the strict control on the number of places and the implications of overshooting because of the bursary position, we were cautious in making offers, and a reserve list has been set up. Applicants whom we were prepared to include on the reserve list (assuming they were not committed to another university) were asked to confirm that they wished their name to be added to it.

There will be vacancies to be filled in most of the fields of Nursing (though probably not Midwifery) and we will also be reconsidering applicants who were made an offer, but not for their preferred field of Nursing, for one of their higher choices. This is to ensure applicants are accommodated on the highest preference for which they are eligible.

1.11 UCAS Adjustment Process

The Adjustment Process worked well last year though, as you will know, the numbers involved were very small. Clearly, it can be a useful option for applicants to whom we were initially unable to make conditional offers, who achieve the grades we require and also meet and exceed the conditions of their conditional firm (CF) choice. However, unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate Adjustment requests from applicants committed to Medicine or Dentistry at another university.

I would remind you that, applicants who were made a conditional offer on the basis of three A-levels, and who achieve these, will not be eligible for Adjustment if they have an extra grade in an additional A-level or AS-level. As an example, if the offer was ABB and an applicant has achieved ABBB, they are considered not to have met and exceeded the conditions of the offer.