How to apply for University: Undergraduate

Undergraduate course application

How do I apply for university for September?

All applications for full-time undergraduate courses are completed through UCAS. The code for the University of Northampton is N38. You will need this to complete your application.

You can apply for a course through UCAS from early September to start the September of the following year. The closing date for applications is the last Thursday in January. Late university applications are accepted after this date but are not guaranteed the same level of consideration as applications made earlier. Application dates and deadlines can be found at UCAS.

My university application

We will normally provide applicants with a decision within 21 days of the closing date.

Courses may take longer if they require:

• an interview
• portfolio submission
• audition or
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

We will write to you explaining the next stage in the application process.

If your university application is successful and you are not required to come to an interview, you will receive a formal offer letter and further information about your course.

Can I change course once I’ve applied?

You can change your course after you have already completed your university application. You will need to ensure places are still available and you meet the entry requirements for the new course.

If the new course requires an interview or audition you will need to attend this before being offered a place. You will have to put forward your course request in writing. This can be done either by post to the Admissions office or by emailing admissions.

What happens if I don’t achieve my expected grades?

When we receive the notification of your results we will review your grades. We will then confirm places to applicants who have obtained our minimum entry criteria. This may differ from your current offer and could be lower depending on your programme and type of qualification.

Some programmes however, have professional body requirements regarding entry criteria. This may mean that we cannot offer the same level of flexibility. We will also ensure that current applicants with a conditional offer who do not achieve the minimum entry criteria are offered a place on one of our Integrated Foundation programmes (where there is an associated ‘with foundation’ programme) regardless of the outcome of your final results.

What is the latest date that I can start my programme of study?

The latest date for university enrolment is two weeks from the start date of the programme.

If you are unable to complete enrolment by this date due to extenuating circumstances, please contact admissions@northampton.ac.uk and your situation will be reviewed.

When will I hear if I have an offer?

Applicants can expect to receive a decision within 21 days of the closing date. Courses that require an interview, portfolio submission, or audition may take slightly longer. We will write to you explaining the next stage in the application process.

If your application is successful and you are not required to come to an interview, you will receive a formal offer email. You will then receive further information about your course.

How do I provide proof of my qualifications?

Once you accept an offer to study with us, there may be some certificates we need to see before the start of your programme; further guidance is available on our qualifications that we need to see page.

Please endeavour to upload any required documents/qualification certificates via your Application Portal by the 30 June 2024 if you have received an offer for September 2024 entry.

If your course requires us to see original copies of your qualification certificates, we recommend that you send original certificates by recorded delivery and include an addressed envelope, pre-paid for recorded delivery for their return.

Please send along your certificates (with the correct amount of postage) to:

Admissions Office
University of Northampton
Waterside Campus
University Drive
Northampton
NN1 5PH

Alternatively, you can present your original certificates in person to Admissions on Wednesdays 9am-12pm and 1pm–3pm at the Student Information Desk in the Learning Hub, Waterside Campus.

Please be aware that if any required documents / qualification certificates are provided after the above deadline, there could be a delay to your enrolment/ commencement of studies. If you are unable to provide your documents by the above deadline, we would strongly encourage you to contact the Admissions Team for further guidance.

Can I change the course I applied for?

It’s possible to change your course if you would like to. This would depend on meeting the entry requirements for the new course and whether there are available places.

If the new course requires an interview or audition you will need to attend this before being offered a place. You will need to email admissions@northampton.ac.uk to request a change of course. State your full name, your current and new course, and student number.

What type of university offer could I receive?

Each university application is considered on its own merit. Receiving an offer to study with us is a clear indication that we would welcome you as a new student on the course you have applied for.

The most common offer is a Conditional Offer. However, you may also receive one of the following types of offers depending on a number of criteria. As an example, the course you have applied for, whether you attended an interview, completed a practical activity and your predicated grades:

• Unconditional Offer
• Contextual Conditional Offer
• An offer that includes a guaranteed place on an Integrated Four Year (IFY) programme

There may be other non-academic conditions you need to meet. For example, this could include getting a standard DBS check or providing proof of your qualifications. If you are unsure of these conditions, please check the New Students webpage or contact admissions@northampton.ac.uk.

How do I respond to my offer?

Once you have received an offer from the University of Northampton for a Full-Time Undergraduate programme, you will have the opportunity to provide an offer response via UCAS Hub.

How to create your replies

When your last decision comes in, UCAS will send an email to say there’s an update.

• Sign in to your UCAS application to make your replies
• You’ll see the deadline you need to reply by

Types of reply

These are the types of reply you can make:

Firm acceptance – this is your first choice.

• If it’s an unconditional offer, the place is yours! Please note this will normally negate an option to provide an Insurance choice offer response
• Or if it’s conditional, the place is yours if you meet the offer conditions. So just in case you don’t, you can pick a second offer as a backup – your insurance acceptance

Insurance acceptance – the back-up choice to a conditional firm acceptance.

• Remember, you’ll only attend your insurance choice course if you don’t meet the conditions of your firm choice, but you do meet the conditions of your insurance. You can’t choose between your firm and insurance when you get your results, so make sure you’re happy with which is your firm and which is your insurance before you reply.

Decline

However, if you decide you don’t want to accept any of the offers, you can decline them all and add more courses in the UCAS Extra service.

You can only accept one firm choice and one insurance choice (if you choose to have one).

Offer and reply combinations

• Unconditional Firm (UF) – You’re in!
• Conditional Firm (CF) – You’re in if you meet the conditions.
• Conditional Firm (CF) and Conditional Insurance (CI) – You’ve made a first and second choice – you’ll be in at the first if you meet the conditions. If not, you might have met the conditions of the second – if so you’ll be on that course instead.
• Conditional Firm (CF) and Unconditional Insurance (UI) – You’ve made a first and second choice – if you meet the conditions of the first you’ll be on that course. If not, you’ll definitely be on the second.

When do I need to provide an offer response by?

Offer response deadlines are based on when we get the last decision in from your university or colleges. Please Check your application / UCAS Hub to see your personal deadline.​

• If you receive your last decision on or before 16 May 2024, your reply date is 6 June 2024 (except if you’re using Extra to find a place).
• If you receive your last decision on or before 17 July 2024, your reply date is 24 July 2024 (including Extra choices).

What if I change my mind?

Here’s what to do if you change your mind regarding your Full Time Undergraduate Offer Response:

• If you accepted your offers in the last 14 days, contact UCAS to make any changes to your offer replies
• If it’s been more than 14 days since you replied to your offers, there is a more detailed process you need to follow. You will need to first contact UCAS expressing your wish to change your offer replies. You will then need contact the universities in question (via email) requesting consent for an offer response change. Both universities will need to provide this to UCAS; once this has been provided, please call UCAS again to confirm you wish to go ahead with the proposed offer response changes
• If you’ve changed your mind, and no longer want to go to university or college this year, you can sign in to your UCAS Hub and completely withdraw your application.

Can I defer my offer?

For the majority of our courses here at UON, we can allow deferral to the next available intake date either at the point of application or after you have had an offer.

Unfortunately though, due to limited places, some of our professional Healthcare or Performing Arts degrees do not accept deferred applications and we cannot guarantee that deferral requests after offer will be accepted. If you wish to find out if your course choice(s) accept deferrals, please email us at admissions@northampton.ac.uk or call us on 0300 303 2772.

Applying for direct entry into second or third year

If you have completed academic study equivalent to the first or second year of the course you are applying for, there’s a possibility to enter the course at the second or third year.

Applying for part time undergraduate courses

Many of our courses can be completed part-time. Courses offered on a part time basis are an excellent way of gaining a qualification around a busy home life or job. The University of Northampton recognises that many of our students have family and work commitments. Therefore, we offer various courses on a part time study basis, working flexibly around your requirements.

The majority of part-time and professional courses start in October. Please apply for university as soon as possible, to ensure we have your details before your course starts.

Part time course entry requirements

When considering university applications for part-time study, we assess relevant personal, professional and educational experience. This way, we can ensure that the course is a good match for you. Entry requirements vary so please check individual courses for details.

Applying for taught Master’s/ postgraduate courses

The majority of taught postgraduate courses including taught Master’s programmes start in October. Most courses do not have formal closing dates but applicants are advised to apply for university as early as possible to secure a place.

Applicants should hold a good first degree with at least second class honours, or an equivalent qualification. Relevant personal, professional and educational experience is also taken into consideration. Exact requirements vary between courses. Please check the relevant GTTR (Graduate Teacher Training Registry) for details. You can find further information on how to apply for postgraduate courses on our pages.

Applying for PGCE courses

Your Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) application for a course should be made through GTTR (Graduate Teacher Training Registry).

If you would like more information about applying for a course at the University of Northampton, please email the Enquiries Team or phone them on 0300 303 2772.

Our commitment to equal opportunities

We encourage university applications from all sections of the community. We encourage you to apply to university regardless of your sex, marital status, age, responsibility for dependants, socio-economic status, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or disability.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy

We work hard to ensure that students with disabilities are able to apply for university and study successfully with us.

If you have additional needs, we advise that you contact the Additional Student Support and Inclusion Services Team (ASSIST) or course tutor as early as possible, so that you can discuss your needs and visit the University to assess the facilities if necessary.

Applying for university if you have Criminal Convictions

Our Applicant with Criminal Convictions Policy details how we handle our university applicants who have criminal convictions. This includes:

• Which applicants need to declare criminal conviction(s)
• What happens if you are applying for a DBS programme and declare a criminal conviction(s)
• How we assess DBS check outcomes and self-declaration of criminal conviction(s)

The below also provides additional information and things which you may need to consider when you apply for university if you have a criminal conviction(s).

Non-DBS Programmes

If you are applying for a Non-DBS Programme (e.g. the programme does not require you to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service check) and have a criminal conviction:

• You will not need to declare any criminal convictions during the admissions/application process
• You may be required to declare criminal convictions during other processes (e.g. accommodation application). However this falls outside of the admissions process
• You must do your own research to determine whether your criminal conviction may prevent you working in your chosen profession. This might include contacting relevant professional bodies, regulatory authorities or accreditation bodies

We encourage you to contact us on admissionsconfidential@northampton.ac.uk if there is anything about your conviction, licence/probation rules etc which we may need to take into account. We won’t necessarily need to know the details of your conviction. However, we might need to know the rules or requirements surrounding your conviction/licence/probation. This is so we can consider whether we can make reasonable adjustments, so that you can study with us. This may include (but is not limited to) if:

• You can only attend on certain days/times due to release or probation requirements/rules
• You are not permitted to access certain resources or the internet

DBS Programmes

If you are applying for a DBS Programme (e.g. the programme requires you to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service check) and you have a criminal conviction:

• You will need to declare yes on your application (UCAS or Direct Application) if you have a criminal conviction which would appear on an enhanced DBS check. If you answer yes, we will send you a letter detailing how we will handle your declaration.
• If you receive an offer from us and make us your FIRM choice we will contact you to complete a DBS check prior to enrolment. Upon receipt of your DBS outcome (or if we ask you to self-declare e.g. due to a late application) a Criminal Convictions Panel will make an assessment of your criminal conviction(s) and whether you can study with us

You must do your own research to determine whether your criminal conviction may prevent you working in your chosen profession. This might include contacting relevant professional bodies, regulatory authorities or accreditation bodies

You may be required to declare criminal convictions during other processes (e.g. accommodation application). However this falls outside of the admissions process.

Additional Information

If you need additional support or information then you may wish to consider contacting Unlock or Nacro. These organisations provide criminal justice services, support and useful information for individuals with criminal convictions.

Find out about UCAS Extra and whether you are eligible on our UCAS Extra page.