UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS
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At Tallis, we do our very best to support every student to make the right progression choices – and in the current climate, with fees set at £9535 a year for most courses, this has become more crucial than ever. Even in this uncertain climate – or maybe as a result of it – most of our year 13 students still choose to go to university. It is therefore vital that the information, advice and guidance that we give them is first-rate.
In the summer term of year 12 all students take part in our Progression Week programme, which offers a range of workshops on careers, courses, the application process, personal statement writing – all led by a team of Tallis staff and professionals, as well as former students, who offer their own experiences of student life. The programme also includes day trips out to universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, UEA, Kent, Sussex and Greenwich. The UCAS team offers a bespoke service, and we spend time with each and every student, doing our best to ensure that we match their strengths, skills and passions to the right course for them. As a result, this year, 100% of our students were made offers, and on results day, every single one of them won a place at university – this in the most competitive era for places ever. As fees increase, competition for places has also become more acute – and the grades universities are asking for are raised. In the most recent cycle, most offers made to our students were for at least three C grades at A level, or the equivalent in 'UCAS points' - see the UCAS Points Tariff table below – the days of scraping into uni with a couple of so-so A levels are no more. Many of our students achieve the highest grades, and progress to Russell Group and other prestigious universities, while others achieve their higher education ambitions through the route of a foundation degree, which offers those students who need a little longer to get there an extra “foundation” year to do so. The team’s mission is to support every student to achieve their ambition through the appropriate progression route for them. Download the file below for our guide to completing the UCAS application 
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What about Contextual Offers?You may have heard about universities making 'contextual offers'. These are offers made offers with reduced entry requirements to students that meet certain Widening Participation criteria. These are usually to with a student's educational or home background.
Universities all use their own criteria to decide on who they will make a contextual offer to, meaning some have more stringent requirements than others. The University of Bristol, for example, has a list of 'aspiring state schools', and if your school is on the list, you will be eligible for a contextual offer. Tallis are on the list this year, meaning that all Tallis applicants that Bristol wish to make an offer to have received a reduced contextual offer. This is unusual as most universities require 2 or 3 criteria to be met, which may include: attending a state school or school with below average attainment; living in a postcode with low rates of progression to higher education; being eligible for Free School Meals; living in a low-income household; being in the first generation of a family to attend university; being care-experienced; being a refugee. Click these links to see some examples of eligibility criteria from The University of Leeds and UCL. In most cases applicants don't need to do anything extra, as the university will use information from the UCAS form to decide whether to make a contextual offer or not. This is another reason why completing the form accurately is important! Leeds is one exception, as students must make an additional application to Access to Leeds. | ||
Progression Presentations for parents - September
The following resources were used to inform parents and carers about the university and arts college applications process at a recent Progression Meeting for parents.
Exemplar statements:
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If you've used all five choices on your application, and you're not holding any offers, you could still find a place using Extra – it's free!
Read about it here, or speak to a member of the UCAS team 
Clearing is how unis and colleges fill any places they still have on their courses.
You can apply for a course using Clearing from 5 July – 21 October, if you’re not already holding an offer from a university or college, and the course still has places. The main day for using Clearing is A Level results day. You can read about the process here, or speak to a member of the UCAS team | ||||||||||||||||||