City and Islington College

You are here: Home > Higher Education > FAQ

FAQ

Higher Education Admissions Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Clearing?

A. Clearing is a service that operates between mid-July and September which helps people find vacancies on Higher Education courses. If you have applied this year, but have not gained a place or have declined your offers, you may be eligible for Clearing.You can take part in Clearing if you have already applied through UCAS and you are in one of the following categories:

  • You have not received any offers, declined all of your offers, or have not responded to your offers before the date specified by UCAS
  • You have not met the conditions of your offer (i.e. you have not achieved the required grades)
  • You have applied for one course which has been declined/unsuccessful and you have paid the full application fee (£21 for 2011)
  • You submitted your application via UCAS after UCAS closed on the 30th June

Q. Why are courses available in Clearing?

A. We may have places available through Clearing for a number of reasons; it may be that other applicants have not met the course entry requirements or that we have allocated additional places to meet demand.

Q. How do I find out what courses you have available in Clearing?

A. Contact us on 020 7700 9387, or email hedegrees@candi.ac.uk from 9am on Thursday 18th August 2011.

Q. What information should I have to hand when I contact City and Islington College?

A. You will need:

  • your contact telephone/mobile number
  • the name of the course you want to apply for
  • details of the qualifications you have

  • your UCAS personal ID number and Clearing number (if you are applying for a full time Foundation Degree). You will find these numbers displayed on the 'welcome' page and 'Choices' page in Track on UCAS. (“Track lets you follow the progress of your application after you've submitted it on UCAS. You can access Track once you've received your welcome letter from them, which will have your login details printed in the top right corner" )

    Once you log in to Track, you can see what's happening with your application in the 'choices' section.”

If you do not have a Clearing number please contact us and we will let you know what you need to do.

Q. I did not meet the conditions of my offer at City & Islington College and it was my only choice on UCAS. Will I be able to apply for the course again through clearing?

A. Yes you can apply again and be considered during Clearing. You can ring 020 7700 9387 or email hedegrees@candi.ac.uk from 9am on Thursday 18th August 2011.

  • If we make you an offer you will need to enter the course details on Track on UCAS to formally accept our offer. To do this, click on your 'Add Clearing Choice' button and enter the course details. If you did not pay the full £21 application fee when you initially applied, you will need to make the additional payment of £10 which can be done in Track using a debit or credit card.

Q. If I am offered a place at City & Islington College verbally through Clearing, how much time will I have to consider the offer before accepting it on UCAS Track?

A. You will need to accept the offer as soon as you are certain that it is right for you. Your place on the course will not be confirmed until you have accepted your offer on UCAS Track.

Q. I exceeded the conditions of my offer for my firm choice. I now meet the entry requirements for a course at City & Islington College. Can I apply to this college instead?

A. You may be able to use the Adjustment process to apply to do a course at City & Islington College. To be eligible to use Adjustment, your results must have met and exceeded the conditions of your conditional firm (CF) choice and you need to have paid the full application fee. The option to register will be displayed in Track for all applicants whose place has been confirmed, i.e. status has changed from conditional firm (CF) to unconditional firm (UF). However, you are only eligible if you have met and exceeded your original CF offer conditions.

Q. I accepted a place in Clearing but I have changed my mind and want to apply to City & Islington College instead. What should I do?

A. You will need to speak to the University or College whose offer you have accepted. If the University or College agrees to withdraw your offer, we can consider your application during Clearing.

Q. Do I need to be available during Clearing or can my parent/friend contact you on my behalf?

A. You will need to be available as we will want to discuss your application and qualifications with you personally.

Q. I didn’t meet the conditions of my offer from another University/College, how can I apply to study a course at City and Islington College.

A. If the course is a Foundation Degree you can contact contacting our Higher Education Admissions Team from 9am on 18th August.

Tel: 020 7700 9387

Email: hedegrees@candi.ac.uk

If the course is a HNC or HND course you will need to complete and submit an application form. Click here for details about how to do this. 

If the course you would like to apply for is not a higher education course, you can apply in person by attending our Open Enrolment days. Click here for information about this.

Some useful links

Q. What is UCAS?

A. UCAS is the organisation responsible for managing applications to Higher Education courses in the UK.

Q. What is the latest date that can I apply via UCAS?

A. For your application to be considered as part of the standard admissions cycle, UCAS need to receive your application by 30 June 2011.

Q. What happens if my application is received by UCAS after 30th June?

A. Your application will be entered into Clearing. More information about Clearing can be found at www.ucas.com/students/nextsteps/clearing/index.html

Q. Can I apply directly to City and Islington College for a Foundation Degree course?

A. For part time Foundation Degree courses you should apply directly to us using . Please go to How to Apply for Information about what happens once we have received your application form. 

For full time Foundation Degree courses you should apply through UCAS www.ucas.com.

Q. Will it cost me anything to apply through UCAS?

A. There is a fee for making an application through UCAS, the amount depends upon how many courses, universities and colleges you apply to.

The cost of applying for more than one course, university or college is £21

The cost of applying for one course at one university or college is £11.

* Payment is requested once the application form has been submitted, if you do not pay, UCAS will not forward your application to the relevant colleges/universities.

Q. Can I add courses once I have submitted my application to UCAS? 

A. You can add more course choices using UCAS Track later if you wish to. The Welcome Letter that UCAS will send to you once you have completed and submitted your application will explain how to do this.

If you have only paid £11 and choose to add further choices, you be required to pay a further £10.

The cost for applications made after 30 June 2011 is £21, and these applications will be entered into Clearing. More information about Clearing can be found at www.ucas.com/students/nextsteps/clearing/index.html

Q. What is UCAS extra?

A. UCAS Extra allows you to make a further choice after you have submitted your initial application. In Extra, you apply for one course at a time using Track.

 You can only apply through UCAS Extra for additional courses choice if you have applied through UCAS and:

  • have used all five choices on your application
  • have received decisions for all of the choices you made
  • and have not received any offers, or have declined all of your offers

UCAS Extra is open between the end of February and early July.

Q. What is UCAS adjustment?

A. Each year some applicants pass their exams with better results than expected. This may mean that they want to reconsider what and where to study. UCAS Adjustment has been introduced for these applicants and it enables these applicants to change their initial choice. More information about UCAS adjustment can be found at http://www.ucas.com/students/nextsteps/adjustment/

Q. Who should I contact regarding the progress of an existing application to study a Foundation Degree course?

A. Please contact our Higher Education admissions team at hedegrees@candi.ac.uk.

More information about the UCAS application process can be found on the UCAS website http://www.ucas.com