Admissions Next Steps:

Detailed below are instructions and further information regarding the next steps that you will need to complete prior to starting your course. Please note that failure to meet your 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 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. 

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 the UK, your college, school or university should issue your certificate/transcripts 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 & Key Skills as GCSE equivalent?

What is the ‘Right to Study’ check?

The University has a responsibility to ensure that every student studying at the institution has the right to study in the UK.

If you are already resident in the UK, you must provide evidence that you have a right to study in the UK by uploading a copy of your photo ID preferably your passport, if do you do not have a passport you will need to provide an alternative form of photo ID such as your driving licence along with your birth certificate.

If you are not a British/Irish citizen, you will need to provide us with your 9 digit share code so we can verify your current immigration status. These documents should be uploaded to your Applicant Portal.

If you will be joining us on a student route visa, we will use your passport and e-Visa as your right to study inside the UK.

If your course is delivered via Distance Learning and you do not attend sessions on campus, you do not need to provide evidence of your Right to Study.

Criminal Conviction Self Disclosure (Non-DBS Courses)

The University asks applicants that have firmly accepted their place on a course that does not require a DBS check to self-disclose if they have unspent criminal convictions.

The University of Cumbria operates in differing contexts, such as:

Under 18-year-old students on campus.
Vulnerable adults on campus.
Nursery provision in on the campus grounds at Lancaster.
Under 18-year-old's on campus visits through schools and colleges or attending events.

If you have unspent criminal convictions, it is important that you inform us by completing a self-disclosure form. Please contact the DBS Team if you believe this applies to you, and we will provide you with a self-disclosure form.

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 that accept UoC 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.

Student Finance Funding

If you are planning on applying for Student Finance for a distance learning course, you will not automatically be asked to provide your ‘Right to Study’ evidence – however you will need to provide this in order for any Student Finance money to be released to you. You will need to email uocadmissions@cumbria.ac.uk with your ‘Right to Study’ document and let us know that you are claiming Student Finance and have provided your ‘Right to Study’ document for that purpose.