Royal Holloway, University of LondonThe Student Journey: Admissions for

International Students

Facts and Figures

• Last year we received just over 22,000 applications to study at the College–Approx 13,500 for Undergraduate study–Approx 8,000 for Postgraduate Taught study–Approx 1,000 for Postgraduate Research study–Approx 10,000 were classified as Overseas fee payers

• On an average day the Admissions Office will receive– Approx 150 emails– Approx 50 phone calls

Facts and Figures

• The Admissions Team comprises 14 members of staff–Admissions Manager–6 Admissions Officers–3 Admissions Team Leaders–Conversion and Communication Manager–3 Conversion and Communication Officers

• The team process all applications received by the College and deal with all Admissions phone calls and emails

The Offer Process

• Undergraduate application form received from UCAS• Postgraduate application form received independently or via

an education agent• Centralised offers for some departments

– These applications are processed the in the admissions office and tend to be quicker

• Other more specialised departments e.g. music, biological sciences need more time for evaluation by academic admissions tutor

• Some courses may request further information or samples of work e.g. English, Music

• Some courses may require a Skype interview

When The Offer Is Made

• If undergraduate offer: – via UCAS track – hard copy letter sent from admissions office (looking to

email offer as well in next admissions cycle)• If postgraduate offer:

– sent via email – hard copy posted as well

Accepting The Offer

• Undergraduate students accept their offer via UCAS.– Once the offer is unconditional and firmly accepted (U/F)

the students are required to pay £1000 deposit before the CAS visa number issue.

• Postgraduate students accept their offer directly to college.– Students for departments of Management, Drama,

Media and English pay £1000 to reserve a place and have the CAS/visa issued.

– In all other departments students are required to pay the £1000 deposit before we issue the CAS/ visa number.

CAS Visa Issuing

• Issued once applicant has paid £1000 to confirm place– Must have also received a copy of the applicant’s

passport• Sending this in advance will speed up the process

– CAS visa email will be sent usually within 3 working days (but often quicker) for both undergraduate and postgraduate applicants.

– Provided by admissions staff designated to issue CAS numbers over the summer months.

Post CAS FAQS

• Issuing process starts in early June for all applicants who are UF and have paid their deposit

• Up to 7 days should be allowed from the passport copy and deposit being paid to the CAS being issued

• We are able to update fees paid information on the UKBA record if additional monies are paid. – Allow up to 3 working days for this to take effect

• Much more information about the students is on the record we send to the UKBA than is on the CAS email sent to student in case of concern

Hints and Tips – Communication

• When contacting us please include reference number if known– If not known then please include name, date of birth and

programme applied to• Decisions normally take 4 – 6 weeks please try to wait until

this period has elapsed before contacting us for an update • When contacting Royal Holloway please make the central

Admissions Office your first port of call– Email: admissions@rhul.ac.uk– Tel: +44 (0)1784 414944

• The emailed notification of offer contains the all the current information on the offer letter

Hints and Tips – Applying PG

• For postgraduate students:– Apply online via ‘embark’

• Benefits of embark include:– Faster entry onto the RHUL database and faster

processing– Electronic copy saved online

• Try and attach all documents to application form before submitting (2MB Max size per document)

• Please ensure that name and date of birth are correct• Additional documents can be uploaded in any section

– But please ensure they are appropriately named!

Hints and Tips – Applying UG

• For undergraduate students– Apply online via UCAS (Universities and College

Admissions Service)• Can apply to 5 universities/courses at once• Allows tracking of applications• Electronic entry onto RHUL database and quicker

processing• Decisions will be viewable on the UCAS website

– Additional documents need to be sent separately• Please include UCAS personal ID and/or RHUL ID

when sending them

Plans for the future

• In the coming year we are hoping to introduce:– A new online application system

• Will allow a more complete application process• Will allow easier tracking of applications

– Delivery of offer letters via email• Scanned offer letters that can be printed when needed• Quicker delivery, particularly for those needing them for

sponsorship/visa applications– Improved turnaround speeds

• Hoping to get decisions to applicants earlier• Where we can’t, will be keeping students more informed

Any questions?