UCAS Application

Subject Choice

UCAS is the UK's central application system for universities, equivalent to JUPAS in Hong Kong. Each applicant can select 5 subject choices from courses offered from different universities. However, among the 5 choices, each applicant can only apply for one course offered by either Oxford or Cambridge. The 5 subject choices should be similar, as you will be writing only one personal statement on the system, and the system will send this to all the universities you have applied to.

Note that if you wish to apply for Medicine, it is mandatory that 1 of your 5 choices is not a Medicine course. The intention of this policy is to create a safety net, as Medicine is a highly competitive subject.

Recommendation, Predicted Grades

Each applicant needs to submit one recommendation letter (usually from a teacher) and predicted grades from school. This should reflect the applicant's academic ability.

Personal Statement

Applicants need to write a 4000 character (~500 words) essay focusing on your interest in the subject: how you have come to develop an interest in the subject, why do you find it interesting etc.

The personal statement is not a CV, so tell a story that sticks to all the subjects you applied to within your 5 choices. It requires multiple drafts and careful editing, so start early and give yourself time.

The personal statement should have around 5 paragraphs, i.e. introduction, 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion. Before starting, outline the contents of each paragraph. Each body paragraph should be connected to tell a complete story of your passion in the subject.

After submitting the UCAS application before the 15 October deadline, the admissions process will begin.

Firm & Insurance Choices

After receiving all of your offers, you will be able to choose one as your firm choice (first) and another as your insurance choice (second). Offers will be conditional on your DSE grades.