Admissions Next Steps:

Detailed below are instructions and further information regarding the elements of your offer that you will need to complete prior to starting your course. Please note that failure to meet these offer conditions prior to the course starting could lead to you losing your place or the release of financial support being delayed.

Proof of qualifications checks

If your qualifications are listed as an outstanding element on the email which directed you to this page, you will need to provide evidence if you have already completed your studies. Copies of qualifications should be uploaded using your Applicant Portal, once you have uploaded the document, don't forget to click 'next' to complete the upload.

If you are still studying, UCAS will automatically send us the results of Level 3 qualifications in summer (e.g. A-level, BTEC, Irish Leaving Certificate, Baccalaureates, Access to HE). If your offer requires GCSE results, then you will need to notify us of these when you receive them by contacting the Admissions Office dealing with your application. All results must be available by 3rd September for courses that start in September, or 3 weeks before for other course start dates.

For postgraduate, advanced entry or top-up applicants, the university does not automatically receive degree results therefore, all applicants will need to provide proof.

If you are an international student, any outstanding qualifications will be detailed within your offer letter and will be specific to you, your qualification type, level and country of study.

If you are due to take a GCSE equivalency test before you start

If your course has GCSE entry requirements and you are due to sit a GCSE or equivalency exam, please contact us as soon as you have your result and upload a copy of your certificate to your Applicant Portal. Once you have uploaded the document don't forget to click 'next' to complete the upload.

What will you accept as evidence of my qualifications?

Please note if we need to see copies of your GCSE's this will be listed on your Applicant Portal and in your offer email – if we have asked for these please upload evidence to your Applicant Portal. If you have already completed your level 3 qualifications, or your degree for postgraduate courses, we must see copies of those qualifications prior to the start of the course.

For students who have studied inside the UK or Republic of Ireland, we can accept certificates, candidate statement of results, official transcripts or a signed letter on headed paper from your school, college or University confirming the qualifications awarded to you. We can also accept an email from your school or college sent directly to the Admissions Office dealing with your application.

If you are an international student, we require official transcripts and certificates issued by the relevant institution and cannot accept provisional results or letters from awarding institutions as evidence.

What if I have lost my qualifications?

Please see above for acceptable forms of evidence. It is vitally important that you obtain replacements of required qualifications as soon as possible. If you are unable to provide evidence of level 2/3 qualifications, and degree certificates for postgraduate courses, which meet the entry requirements by 3rd September for courses that start in September, or 3 weeks prior for other course start dates, you may not be permitted to start the course and you may lose your place. Please note that replacements can take some time to arrive, so you need to order them as quickly as possible.

If you are an international student requiring a student visa, we require evidence of your any outstanding qualifications in the form of official transcripts and certificates before we can issue your CAS so you will need to contact your awarding institution as soon as possible to request a replacement. You will also be required to bring your qualifications with you to the UK so if you have lost any documents, you must obtain replacements as soon as possible.

Information on obtaining replacement certificates can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Here are links to some of the main examination boards:

How can I provide documents?

You can upload your certificates using your Applicant Portal.

If you have studied outside of the UK, your college, school or university should issue your certificate/transcript directly to you upon completion of your course. It is crucial that you have completed your course and obtained your official academic documents well in advance of our CAS deadlines, to allow sufficient time for you to complete the CAS application process.

I have already provided my certificates; do I need to provide them again?

Do you accept Level 2 Adult Literacy, Numeracy & Functional Skills?

The University will not accept Level 2 Adult Literacy or Numeracy or Key Skills as equivalent to GCSE English or Mathematics for Teaching courses or Diagnostic Radiography and Paramedic Science courses. 

We are able to accept these as equivalent for most other programmes. Please check the entry requirements on our course pages.

Please note we are unable to accept science units from an Access to HE in lieu of GCSE Science.

Disclosure & barring service (DBS) clearance

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks the criminal records background of people who wish to work with children and vulnerable groups.

If you are an international student, joining us on a student visa, you will not be able to begin your DBS process until you arrive in the UK.

Your course requires a DBS clearance for you to work with vulnerable groups, please see our DBS information page for further information. You will receive an email with further instructions on starting your DBS check, approximately 3 months before your course start date.

As part of the DBS process, you will need to complete a Right to Work check.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that every student studying at the institution on a course that requires a DBS check, has the right to work in the UK.

Please note: we will contact you about your Right to Work check when we get in touch with you about your DBS.

If you are and international student and will be joining us on a student visa, you will not be able to complete the right to work check until you arrive in the UK.

Criminal Record Self-disclosure

If you have, or think you may have, a criminal record then you need to submit a criminal record self-disclosure form to the DBS Team. If you have questions or concerns about what you may need to disclose, please contact the DBS Team by email at dbs@cumbria.ac.uk or by phone on 01228 242928/01228 242914.

For more information on this and the self-disclosure form itself, please refer to Self-Disclosure of Criminal Record.

Overseas Police Checks

A DBS check can only cover time spent in the UK. If you have lived, or are currently living, outside the UK you will need to obtain an Overseas Police Check. This is in addition to applying for your UK DBS check.  This needs to be dated no longer than three months before the start of your course.

Please refer to Overseas Criminal Records Checks for further information.

Medical Clearance

Once you have accepted your place, you will be required to undertake a health assessment. This will be via an on-line platform provided by our appointed Occupational Health provider, Industrial Diagnostics Company Limited (Latus Group).

Guidance on how to complete this admission check can be found on our medical clearance information pages.

You will receive an email with further instructions on starting your medical check approximately 3 months before your course start date, this will come from no-reply@ohims.co.uk

International students

We are pleased you have accepted your place at the University of Cumbria. We would like to make your transition as smooth as possible by helping where we can.

If you require a student route visa to study in the UK, you need to ensure you meet any outstanding conditions of offer as detailed within your offer letter. You can also begin completion of your CAS Shield profile. CAS Shield is the platform we use to assess your application for a CAS and monitor your visa and arrival status. You will need to answer a questionnaire and complete each section as prompted. Should you have any queries at this stage about the CAS process, please use the CAS Shield messaging service so that our compliance team can respond to you promptly. Please spend some time reviewing our Visa & Immigration pages.

Once your CAS has been issued, you will receive this via email.

The original copies of all qualifications you have used to gain entry to your course must be brought with you to the UK, for us to see at your International Registration event. For any CAS or Visa queries, please use the messaging feature within CAS Shield or email UKVICompliance@cumbria.ac.uk

For any queries regarding your outstanding conditions or queries relating to your application, please email international.admissions@cumbria.ac.uk

Accommodation information

Further information about accommodation options in Lancaster, Carlisle and Ambleside is available on the accommodation web pages. A link to the accommodation application forms is sent automatically to applicants who accept the University of Cumbria as their firm choice.

Finance information

Money Advisers from our Student Services team will be available to help with finance and funding enquiries. Further information about tuition fees for your course and funding support available is available on the Student Finance web pages.

Placement Information

For Information on Placements, please click here.