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YOUR APPLICATION

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contents page

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? 04

REPLYING TO AN OFFER 05

key dates for your diary 07

interviews and selection visits 08

applicants’ day 09

portfolio surgeries 09

faqs 10

find out more 11

Over the next few months you will be deciding where you wish to study for the next few years. You’ll want to ensure that you choose a university that helps you to gain the knowledge and qualification that will enhance your career prospects when you graduate. But it’s not all about study, you’ll want to have fun and enjoy your student experience. Between now and then, a lot of time will be spent considering your options and deciding if Robert Gordon University is the right university for you. Your application is the first step on this journey and this guide gives you some idea of what to expect along the way.

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taking the first stepARE WE THE ONE FOR YOU?

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

You’ve sent your application to UCAS, so now what happens?

Considering your applicationOur Admissions team will assess each application and decide whether or not an offer can be made.

Track your applicationRemember you can track the progress of your application using UCAS Track.

Invitation to Interview, Selection Visit or Applicants’ Day Some courses may require you to attend an Interview or Selection Visit. For all other courses you will be invited to an Applicants’ Day. Please see pages 8 and 9 for details.

Offers of admissionWe make every effort to respond to your application as quickly as possible. However, if your application arrived close to the main deadline (15th January), it can take a few weeks before you begin to receive correspondence from us, as we manage the post-Christmas surge of applications.

UCAS will inform you of our decision on your application. If you have applied for more than one course you will receive a separate decision for each course. Generally there are three possible decisions:

Unconditional Offer This means you have already met the requirements for entry to the course.

Conditional Offer This means your place is dependent on certain additional requirements, usually exam results or submission of a portfolio or written work.

UnsuccessfulThis means you unfortunately have not been offered a place on your chosen course.

Making your decision

When you have received a decision from each of your choices, UCAS will send you a ‘statement of decisions’ and you will be asked to accept or decline your offers. You must notify UCAS of your decision by the stated date.

REPLYING TO AN OFFER

You may want to wait to receive all your offers before making a decision on deciding where to accept. However, if you feel Robert Gordon University is right for you, and you are certain you want to accept your offer, you can cancel all outstanding decisions from other institutions and reply to the offers that you have received through UCAS Track.

You can accept one offer as your firm acceptance (often called your UF choice if the offer was unconditional or your CF choice if it was conditional). If your firm acceptance is a Conditional Firm, then you’ll also have the option of putting one course down as your insurance acceptance. This can either be unconditional (UI) or conditional (CI), but you must decline any other offers. A Firm acceptance means you are selecting that institution as your first choice institution. Your Insurance choice acts as a back-up to your Firm choice.

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KEY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

January15 January UCAS application deadline for university applications

to all courses (except medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and veterinary science courses and for all courses at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge).

February25 February ‘UCAS Extra’ opens. If you have not received any

offers or declined any you’ve received, then you can make an ‘extra’ application to any courses with vacancies between now and the end of June.

May

5 May If UCAS receive all university decisions by the 31 March, then this is the date you need to reply to any offers by (except for a university application through Extra or if you live outside the EU).

June7 June If UCAS receive all your university application

decisions by 6 May you must let UCAS know which offer(s) you wish to accept. If you don’t respond by this date, UCAS will decline them on your behalf.

30 June Final date for receipt of post 15 January applications. If your university application arrives after this UCAS deadline you will be entered into clearing.

July6 July Last date for applicants to apply through UCAS Extra.

August4 August SQA results are published and the Scottish Clearing

vacancy information service for university applications begins.

18 August GCE and Diploma results are published and the full Clearing vacancy information service for university applications starts.

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INTERVIEWS AND SELECTION VISITS

Selection criteria will differ from course to course and while most of our decisions will be based only on the information you have provided, admission to some of our courses may require you to attend for an interview or selection visit.

Interviews/Portfolio Assessment An interview is often required when we need to assess a skill or attribute that cannot be demonstrated from your application, for example, artistic ability. Interviews normally take place in April for Art and Design courses.

Selection VisitsA selection visit involves groups of applicants demonstrating their personal skills, qualities and ability to work as part of a team. Selection visits will take place between February and April.

Selection visits are compulsory for:Diagnostic RadiographyNursing and MidwiferyOccupational TherapyPhysiotherapySocial Work

Advanced Entry ApplicantsApplicants who apply for advanced entry to some of our courses may be invited to attend an interview as part of the selection process. The Admissions Office will contact you if this is required.

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APPLICANTS’ DAYS(for courses not requiring an interview or selection visit)

If we make you an offer for a course that does not requirean interview or selection visit, you will be invited to attend an Applicants’ Day. These days take place in February and March and are organised by our individual academic departments/Schools. They will include tours of the facilities and more detailed information about the course(s) you have applied for. There will also be lots of opportunities to ask questions and meet our staff and students.

Attendance at these events is not compulsory but is recommended to ensure that you make an informed decision about your choice of university and course. If you receive an offer of admission, you will automatically be invited to register for an Applicants’ Day. If you register in advance, we will send you a full programme of activities approximately 2 weeks before the event. For further information please visit www.rgu.ac.uk/ugapplicants

We receive a lot of feedback from applicants about how they have found the day, and many agree that they are very relevant, interesting and extremely helpful to them in making their decision about whether or not to come to the University.

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Portfolio Surgeries For our Art and Design courses, portfolio surgeries will allow you to view our facilities and meet our friendly staff as we guide you through the process of portfolio preparation. This will include: • A presentation/illustrated talk on portfolio preparation.• Constructive advice and guidance on the development of

portfolios Portfolio Surgeries will take place in February and March. Please note places are limited. We will contact you in January with details of how to register. You should bring your current portfolio with you. Please note these sessions are for advice and guidance and the decision on your application will be made after your official interview which is likely to take place in April/May.

FAQS

How are offers made? Offers are made by our Admissions Office, who ensure that your application meets the entry requirements. If your application doesn’t fit into the set criteria, it will be referred to an Academic from the School/department and/or the Head of Undergraduate Admissions for consideration.

How do I accept my offer from Robert Gordon University?If you decide that we are the right choice for you, login into UCAS Track and select Robert Gordon University as your Firm (F) choice.www.ucas.com/students/track

Terms ExplainedUF – Unconditional Firm. You have accepted an unconditional offer as your Firm choice.CF – Conditional Firm. You have accepted a conditional offer as your Firm choice.CI – Conditional Insurance. You have accepted a conditional offer as your Insurance choice.UI – Unconditional Insurance. You have accepted an unconditional offer as your Insurance choice.

When do I need to decide by?You must login to UCAS Track to find out when your reply date is. Your offers will be declined if you do not reply by the date given. The reply date you are given is based on when you received the last decision from those universities and colleges you have applied for.

Please remember that you may have a different reply date to any friends or family who may also have applied for university this year.

Can I visit the university before making a decision?Yes you can. We will be holding Applicants’ Days in February and March, which is a great opportunity to see our facilities and meet our staff and students. If you haven’t been invited to an interview or selection visit, you will be invited to an Applicants’ Day.

When I receive my exam results, how will I find out if my place is confirmed?When we receive confirmation of your exam results, we will inform UCAS of the outcome of your application. Please check your UCAS Track account to find out whether your offer has been confirmed.

What should I do if I don’t meet the conditions of offer?If you don’t get the grades you were expecting, don’t panic. Wewould recommend contacting us to see whether or not we are stillholding your place.

What happens when my place has been confirmed?In August we will send you details of how to enrol. Most courses will have their induction sessions during Freshers’ Week (19-24 September 2011) with teaching starting Tuesday 27th September 2011.

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FIND OUT MORE

Course InformationIf you would like more information about the course(s) you have applied for, you can download a course guide from www.rgu.ac.uk/ugapplicants

Talk to our Admissions TeamT: 01224 26 27 28E: admissions@rgu.ac.uk

Contact UCASApplicants can contact UCAS at enquiries@ucas.ac.uk or using the following contact details:

T: 0871 4680 468 if you are calling from the UKT: +44 870 1122211 if you are calling from outside the UK

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