In addition to the general advice on the UCAS application, these are some extra points you may wish to consider if you are applying to university as a mature student.
1) Writing about your circumstances in your personal statement
- If you are returning to learning after a significant break, think about your motivations for applying to university at this stage in your life
- You may be applying to university because of a planned career change. Consider why this might be and be sure to reflect on the employment experiences you have developed over the years
- Make sure you talk about your transferable skills, how they are relevant to the course you are applying for and try to think how they distinguish you from other students e.g. 18 year olds entering university immediately after school/college
- Think about your qualifications, where relevant, and how they could relate to the course you have applied for. You might be pursuing an Access to HE qualification, but you might also like to talk about professional qualifications/accreditations if they positively add to your personal statement
2) Advice on a suitable UCAS referee
- A teacher or tutor would be the most obvious choice of referee if you are studying at college, or recently completed a qualification
- UCAS also accepts references from those who know you in a professional capacity such as a colleague, a line manager, a careers adviser or a counsellor. This is particularly helpful if you have been out of education for a long time
- Please note that UCAS does not accept family members, friends or neighbours as referees!
You can check out further useful advice about applying as a mature student in this guidance put together by UCAS.
If you have any further questions, please contact the SHU Progress team at SHU-Progress@shu.ac.uk or (0114) 225 4777.