University Admissions Policy
Approved by: Senate, 3rd December 2012
Updated: 28 January 2013
Review Date: December 2013
Responsibility: Admissions Committee
Admissions Policy Statement
Glasgow Caledonian University is committed to providing a rewarding Higher Education opportunity and experience to applicants with the potential to benefit from, and contribute to the GCU experience, mission and values. Our vision is to be a successful international university delivering access and excellence, with a strong commitment to the common good.
The university is committed to delivering a high quality service to all applicants to our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that is welcoming, efficient and fair.
This policy encompasses all aspects of undergraduate and postgraduate admissions and is underpinned by Glasgow Caledonian University’s strategies, codes of practice and policies on; Articulation, Data Protection, Disability, Equality and Diversity, Widening Participation, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy.
This policy follows the principles of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), Quality Code: Information for Prospective Students, Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) and those outlined in the Schwartz Report on Fair Admissions (2004).
Aims:
Glasgow Caledonian University aims to offer equality of opportunity for all applicants. Students are selected on the basis of their individual merit, abilities and aptitudes and we recognise that not all students will have had equal opportunity to demonstrate their full academic potential. We aim to operate an admissions system that ensures fairness, transparency and equal opportunities to all applicants.
Glasgow Caledonian University leads the way in widening access to higher education. As part of the University’s mission to promote the common good, we work with schools, children and families in the local community to raise educational aspirations in young people and their families. We will continue to actively encourage applications from groups currently under-represented in higher education, including applicants who are first in their family to attend university, applicants from areas of social deprivation, applicants from schools and colleges which record low progression rates to university, and mature students.
The University aims to increase the diversity of the student population. We believe that diversity is academically and socially desirable in a modern society, and contributes to our mission to create successful global graduates. Therefore we will seek to attract a wide range of applicants from different social, cultural and educational backgrounds, and to offer opportunities to those with the potential to succeed in their chosen area of study.
The University will endeavour to offer clear advice and guidance to all applicants and their support stakeholders to enable them to make informed choices, and to apply to programmes appropriate to their interests, academic qualifications, prior learning, and potential.
Admission to all programmes is subject to the availability of places. Where there are restrictions on the number of places the University can make available, due to Scottish Government funding availability, teaching or placement capacity, competition for such places can often be high. The University therefore reserves the right to amend selection procedures to support the principles outlined above dependent on the subject area.
1. Roles and Responsibilities
The University’s Admissions policies and practices are overseen by the Admissions Committee, which reports to the Executive Board and the Academic Policy Committee, and provides co-ordination, oversight and analysis of student admissions. Membership of this committee includes the Vice Principal and PVC (Learning &Teaching), Head of Global Admissions, Director of Marketing, Director of Policy and Planning, Director of Student Experience, Director of the Graduate School, Students Association Vice-President ‘Education’, Greater Glasgow Articulation Partnership Manager, and academic representatives from each Academic School (one each for undergraduate and postgraduate study areas).
The Admissions and Enquiry Service is responsible for ensuring that policies and procedures in relation to student recruitment and admissions are operated fairly, consistently, and in line with the University’s strategic aims and objectives, incorporating all relevant legislation.
The University’s Academic Schools are responsible for setting entry requirements for their programmes, with advice and assistance offered by staff in the Admissions Office, with full oversight, and annual review by the Admissions Committee.
Admissions decisions, for all undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, are made by a central team of appropriately qualified and fully trained Admissions Officers, who base decisions on agreed criteria as set by the University’s Academic Schools. Specific advice may be sought from the relevant programme leader in exceptional or borderline cases.
Admissions decisions, for all research programmes, are made by academic staff in the relevant Academic School, using a range of methods, including panel selections and interviews.
2. Transparency and Consistency
The University aims to administer its admissions process in a fair, consistent and transparent
manner, and is committed to providing clear and accurate information which is accessible for all stakeholders.
The University will therefore aim to:
Publish minimum entry criteria for all programmes on the University’s website: (www.gcu.ac.uk), and in its prospectuses. For undergraduate programmes we will also publish on the UCAS website, (www.ucas.ac.uk), and on the UNISTATS website: http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/
Assess each application on an individual basis, acknowledging the context in which qualifications have been achieved, and fully considering a range of alternative equivalent qualifications and achievements as part of selection process.
Ensure all applications are treated equally, and in line with the University’s equal opportunities values and policies.
Ensure that all staff involved in the admissions process are qualified, and trained to ensure they undertake their duties in a clear, consistent and appropriate manner.
Ensure that information about the admissions policies and criteria, are accessible to both internal and external stakeholders, which will be subject to annual review by the Admissions Committee.
3. Selection
For all programmes the selection process will take into account:
· Achieved and pending academic qualifications
· The academic context in which qualifications have been achieved
· Relevance, depth & breadth of previous study and evidence of progression
· Stated interest, commitment and motivation for study
· Where relevant prior informal learning through work or other non-formal learning experience
· Academic and /or professional references
· Where required, an applicant’s performance at interview
· Where required, an applicant’s research proposal, or sample of written work
· An applicant’s English Language proficiency
In addition, for undergraduate applicants progressing from Scottish Schools, we will also consider the four stated “capacities” and the evolving learner journeys as outlined in, Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) “Beyond the senior phase”:
· Successful learners
· Confident individuals
· Responsible citizens and
· Effective contributors.
Admissions decisions will be made as quickly possible. Expected timescales will be made known to applicants on receipt of their application, and applicants will be notified if any unexpected delay in our decision response is anticipated. Due to the large volume of applications received, and in particular during the undergraduate UCAS admissions cycle, in some cases it may take longer for decisions to be reached.
For admission to some programmes, a full or partial ‘gathered field*’ approach will operate. All potential students whose applications are part of a gathered field approach will be notified by the University on receipt of their application to explain the process, and confirm the expected date of decision notification.
Admissions decisions will be communicated to applicants in an appropriate and timely manner. Any conditions attached to an offer of a place will be clear and specific. In some cases where the University is unable to make an offer for an applicant’s programme choice, an offer for an alternative programme may be made.
*A full or partial ‘gathered field’ approach is where decisions about individual applications may be delayed until some time after the UCAS closing date for undergraduate applicants, or at a set date for postgraduate applicants whereby interviews or assessment testing may take place. Applications will then be reviewed together within a full or partial group, by a relevant academic selection panel, decisions will then be communicated to applicants.
4. Application Procedures
Undergraduate full-time applications are processed through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Applications are made online at: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/
Undergraduate part-time applications should be made directly to the university using our online application system or by downloading an application form via our website;
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/howtoapply/
Postgraduate applications, full-time or part-time, including research, should be made directly to the university using our online application system or by downloading an application form via our website; http://www.gcu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/howtoapply/
International applications, international applicants can choose to receive advice and support with direct application submission services offered by our overseas representatives. Details can be found on our International webpage: http://www.gcu.ac.uk/study/internationalstudents/yourcountry/
5. International Applicants
If an applicant has previously studied outside the UK, we would normally accept the equivalent qualification/level of qualification from a recognised school or university. If applicants are uncertain about their qualification equivalency then they should contact the relevant Admissions Team who will provide advice on specific country equivalences.
Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed by the UK Border Agency, (UKBA) to sponsor successful international applicants who wish to enter the UK for the purposes of full time higher education study. Any student, who wishes to come to the UK to study on a full-time programme, must therefore apply for a Tier 4 Student Visa under the UKBA Points Based System. International applicants will be required to submit additional documentation, including valid passport details, during the admissions process to ensure that GCU complies with the appropriate Tier 4 regulations.
A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statement will be issued to international applicants, once all conditions of offer have been met and necessary deposits received. An international applicant will be unable to apply for a Tier 4 student visa without a valid CAS statement. Full details of the UKBA Tier 4 PBS Scheme can be found here:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/studying/adult-students/
6. Widening Participation
The University is committed to increasing opportunities for widening access, social inclusion and providing opportunities to students from disadvantaged backgrounds as measured by the HESA Performance indicators*. The University will therefore employ a model of contextualised admissions, which considers the educational and social context in which an applicant has studied by taking into account the context in which qualifications have been achieved, and considering alternative indicators of ability.
The full details can be found in the University’s Widening Participation Policy, which can be found at; http://www.gcu.ac.uk/guidelinesandpolicies/
*The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education. Performance Indicators provide comparative data on the performance of institutions in widening participation, student retention, learning and teaching outcomes, research output and employment of graduates. They cover publicly-funded higher education institutions in the UK.
7. Mature Applicants
The University is committed to, and encourages applications from mature students. Currently 47% of students studying on undergraduate programmes at Glasgow Caledonian University are mature students. The entry requirements for mature students (anyone over the age of 21) are not as fixed as for school and college leavers. Each school or programme will publish entry requirements in relation to mature students, and will take into account other factors, including but not exclusively:
· Evidence of ability to study at university level
· Evidence of experience and interest in chosen subject area.
· (RPL) Recognition of Prior Learning in the workplace, or prior qualifications*
Mature students may also be invited for interview as part of the selection process. Further details can be found on our website: http://www.gcu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/informationformaturestudents/
*Mature students seeking to gain entry to, or credit within programmes at GCU on the basis of prior informal or formal learning should refer to the RPL Policy (Section 10 below).
8. Applicants with Disabilities
Applications from disabled students will be assessed on the basis of standard academic and non-academic selection criteria. Information provided by applicants in regard to their disability, is not used as part of the academic selection process, but purely to ensure support needs are identified.
On receipt of an offer of a place, a student with a declared disability will then be contacted by our Disability Service to establish if the University can provide for their special educational needs.
Students may be advised at this stage if the nature of their disability means that they might be unable to fulfil the academic or professional requirements of their chosen programme. Equally it may not be possible for the University to make reasonable adaptations to enable an applicant to undertake a particular programme. Should this be the case, the University will respond positively and advise the applicant on alternative programmes.
9. Articulation
The University has a firm commitment to widening participation through articulation and the strengthening of our college partnerships. Articulation represents an important pathway to degree achievement for many learners, (both home/EU and overseas), and contributes to the University’s mission to ‘provide a high quality, accessible, inclusive and flexible learning and teaching environment’.
Articulation is a form of credit transfer and is defined as direct entry/progression onto Years 2 and 3 of undergraduate degree programmes on the basis of agreed qualifications, such as Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs). Articulation pathways can also offer direct entry into postgraduate programmes from an agreed graduate diploma route or pre-masters preparation route. Full details of our Articulation Policy can be found here: http://www.gcu.ac.uk/quality/handbook/Documents/GCUArticulationPolicy.pdf
Help for college students to find articulation progression routes to GCU programmes can be found here: http://www.gcu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/informationforcollegestudents/entryroutes/findyourprogressionroute/index.php
10. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
The University recognises that knowledge and skills can be acquired from a wide range of learning experiences, both formal and informal. Students at Glasgow Caledonian University should enter a programme at a level appropriate to their prior learning and qualifications. The University therefore encourages the Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning, or Credit Transfer, and the Recognition of Prior Informal Learning as a means to providing entry to, or credit within, all of its programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Such recognition will take place within the context of the Scottish Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Applicants seeking to apply for RPL consideration should ensure, where possible this is noted in their initial application.