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Advice for Applicants
Feel Supported
We strive to provide prospective students with valuable insights and guidance as they embark on their academic journey. Choosing the right university is a pivotal decision, and we understand that the application process can be both exciting and overwhelming.
Whether you’re a school leaver or someone looking to return to education, our comprehensive advice aims to demystify the application process, offering clarity on everything from crafting a compelling personal statement, understanding the additional needs of a course like a DBS to providing details on Recognition of Prior Learning procedures.
As you explore the resources available, we hope you find the support and information you need to confidently navigate the path to joining our vibrant academic community. But if you’re left with unanswered questions get in touch.
Before Applying
It is important to research your programme choices before you apply. Be sure to read through all the information provided on the relevant course page of the University’s website, and where relevant, the UCAS website. Take the opportunity to attend Open Days to learn more about the University and the courses that interest you. If you have any questions or require further information, contact the University’s Admissions Team who can put you in contact with the relevant Admissions Tutor.
Once you’ve decided on your programme choice(s), you might want to think about what you plan to include in your personal statement and who you want to ask to be your referee(s).
The University’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedures exist to enable applicants to claim credit for learning that has been previously assessed and certificated, or for experiential learning to be evaluated and awarded credit. Such credit may be used to gain entry to a programme, exemption from parts of a programme, or advanced standing towards an academic award.
Further information is contained in the University’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy.
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Applicants who have previously acquired credits through formal study at Higher Education level, may make a claim for Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning (RPCL). These credits might have been acquired at a different institution, from professional certification or from a different programme of study to the programme upon which the applicant now wishes to register.
Applicants who have acquired similar knowledge and skills during the course of their working life, whether paid or voluntary or through study/training not formally attested through any educational or professional certification may make a claim for the Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL).
If you are a prospective applicant who is looking to claim credit for learning that has been previously assessed and certificated at HE level, or for experiential learning to be evaluated and awarded credit, please ensure that you apply for the correct level of entry on your application form and make reference to this in your personal statement.
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Decisions regarding the recognition of prior learning will be based on equivalence. The prior certificated or experiential learning must be demonstrably equivalent to the learning that could have been achieved by following the module(s) for which exemption/transfer of credit is sought.
RPL may only be granted if it doesn’t result in ‘double counting’. This means that credited learning that has already contributed to the award of one qualification cannot be used to gain RPL-based exemption in another qualification at the same level or lower.
Applicants who indicate that they wish to make a claim for recognition of prior learning will be asked to complete an RPCL / RPEL application form as part of the admissions process.
Applications must normally be processed before the applicant registers in order for exemption(s)/transfer of credit(s) to be granted.
Programme Managers will be responsible for making decisions on RPCL applications for their programmes of study. The Executive Head of Registry and the Head of Admissions will check that due process has been followed before approving a claim.
Any applications for Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) will be considered by the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning and Accreditation Board.
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In addition to meeting any academic conditions stipulated in the offer letter, applicants who have applied for Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning (RPCL) will be required to successfully complete the RPCL process before their place can be confirmed.
After accepting our offer, a notification will be sent to the applicant via the applicant portal, MyTSD, inviting them to complete an application form for RPCL.
The applicant will need to provide detailed information regarding their certificated learning on the RPCL application form and documentary proof (in the form of a transcript) that the qualification or part thereof, has been obtained. Credits being claimed must be presented on the same application form.
After you Apply
After you have submitted your application, whether this is done through UCAS or directly using the University’s online application form, you will be emailed your log in details to the University’s applicant portal, MyTSD. This will become your student portal if you later enrol on a programme at UWTSD.
Please notify the University’s Admissions Team (and UCAS where relevant) if the email address on your application form was entered incorrectly, as this is how we will communicate with you regarding the status of your application, and any tasks that you may need to complete during the admissions process.
Once received, your application will be assessed by the relevant Admissions Tutor. Depending on the programme you have applied for, you may be invited to attend an interview or audition or to provide a portfolio.
Please ensure that you respond to any such invitation through the relevant system. This will be your UCAS Hub account if you applied through UCAS or through MyTSD if you applied directly to the University using our online application form.
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Fee Status Assessment
UK Government legislation allows publicly funded educational institutions to charge two levels of fee: a lower ‘home’ student fee and a higher ‘overseas’ student fee.
In order to be charged a lower ‘home’ student rate of fee, you must meet certain residence and immigration status requirements. Details of the criteria used to assess fee status can be found on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website.
If the University is unable to assess your fee status using the information provided in your application for admission, you will receive a notification via MyTSD asking you to complete a Fee Assessment Form and provide relevant supporting documentation.
Please ensure that you complete and return the form as soon as possible to avoid any delays in the processing of your application.
Upon receipt of your Fee Assessment Form and supporting documentation, the University’s Admissions team will assess your fee status and will contact you if they require any further information from you.
Contextual Data
We use the information provided in your UCAS application to fairly evaluate your chances of succeeding during your studies with us. We ensure that we use more than just your grades and predicted grades to consider whether you will benefit and thrive from our study experience. This is known as ‘Contextual Admissions’.
We take your whole application into account when making and confirming offers. During the application process, we will consider your personal statement to identify your motivations for studying with us, your reference, and your predicted grades. Using contextual admissions enables us to use and consider further information when making or confirming your offer. We build a picture of who you are in order to be sure that you can thrive at UWTSD.
UWTSD is committed to widening access and ensuring that those with the potential to succeed are encouraged to apply to study with us. You can check if your postcode falls into Quintile 1 or Quintile 2 on the register of the Office for Students.
We will gather the information we need from your UCAS application so there is no need for you to provide any additional information. If you have been identified as eligible for a contextual offer, this will be made clear to you in the offer letter sent.
Contextual Offers are only available to UK students applying via UCAS for direct UWTSD courses.
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Every application is considered on an individual basis and the information we use is obtained from your UCAS application.
To identify whether you qualify for a contextual offer, the following information will be taken into consideration:
1. Your home postcode is in a Low Participation Neighbourhood
If you are identified as being in POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2 you will qualify for a contextual offer.
The information provided to us by UCAS enables us to identify if you currently live in a postcode assigned to the lowest POLAR4 quintile. Please check the Office for Students’s register to see if your postcode is within POLAR4 Quintile 1 or 2.
2. First generation to attend Higher Education
If you are the first generation of your family to enter Higher Education, you will qualify for a contextual offer. This information is provided to us by UCAS, as part of your application form.
3. You have been in care or have been looked after for three months or more
If you have been in care or have been looked after for three months or more, you will qualify for a contextual offer.
This information is provided on your UCAS application, so it is important that you declare this when applying.
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If you qualify for a contextual offer, you will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that course or will have this taken into consideration when results are released, meaning that we may be able to accept you even if you marginally fail to achieve your predicted grades.
The use of contextual data enables us to fairly identify that you can succeed on your chosen programme at UWTSD, and this means that we can confidently make you an offer at a lower grade.
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If you apply via UCAS, in addition to your predicted grades, personal statement and reference, we will also consider the factors listed below:
- If you live in an area of disadvantage or an area with lower progression to Higher Education (POLAR 4 quintile 1 or 2). This data will be gathered from the home postcode submitted as part of your UCAS application.
- If you are within the first generation of your immediate family (parents, step-parents, guardians) to apply to undertake a Higher Education qualification. This data is gathered as part of your UCAS application.
- If you have been in public care for three months or more. This data is gathered as part of the UCAS application.
- If you meet any of these criteria, UWTSD can make you a contextual offer or you will have this taken into consideration when results are released, meaning that we may be able to accept you even if you marginally fail to achieve your predicted grades.
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We gather data about each factor from your UCAS application. It is important to carefully complete these sections to ensure we have the most accurate information available to consider.
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Please email admissions@uwtsd.ac.uk if you need to provide further details to your application. It is important that you also contact UCAS and ask them to update your application with the missing information.
If we have already made you an offer, we will revisit your application to check that you have the correct offer.
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No. Some courses have requirements imposed by professional bodies and we are unable to make or confirm offers lower than the standard offer. A list of programmes that do not qualify for contextual offers can be found below.
Institute of Management and Health (IMH)
- Sport and Exercise Science (BSc)
- Outdoor Adventure Education (BA)
- Sport and Exercise Therapy (BSc)
- Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle (BSc)
Insitute of Education and Humanities (IEH)
- Primary Education with QTS (BA)
- Addysg Gynradd gyda SAC (BA)
- Youth Work and Social Education
- Work with Young People (BA)
- Youth Work and Social Education (MA) (ETS Endorsed)
Wales Insitute Science and Art (WISA)
- Fine Art: Studio Site and Context (BA)
- Photography in the Arts (BA)
- Surface Pattern and Textiles (MDes, BA)
- Music
- Film & TV (BA)
- Graphic Design (BA)
- Creative Advertising (BA)
- Illustration (BA)
- Design Crafts (MDes, BA)
- Product and Furniture Design (BSc, BA)
- Automotive & Transport Design (BA)
- Art and Design (MRes)
- Architecture (BSc)
- Acting (BA)
- Adventure Filmmaking (BA)
- Applied Drama: Education, Wellbeing, Community (BA, CertHE)
- Set Design and Production (BA)
- Musical Theatre (BA)
- Perfformio (BA)
- Advanced Vocal Studies (MA)
- Vocal Performance (BMus)
Accepting an Offer of a Place
If you are successful in obtaining an offer of a place, please ensure that you read your offer letter and the Student Agreement carefully before responding to our offer via the application system that you used to apply - UCAS Hub or MyTSD. If you have changed and forgotten your MyTSD password, since it was first emailed to you, please click on the forgotten password link on the login screen to reset it.
If you declared any disabilities or health conditions in your application for admission, please ensure that you complete the University’s Support Needs Enquiry form, the link to which can be found in your offer letter. The University encourages applicants to disclose any disability as early as possible during the application process and throughout their time at the University. The information that you disclose may be used to determine reasonable adjustments and compensatory measures. If you decline to share this information, this may limit the University’s ability to ensure that appropriate support arrangements are put in place for your studies.
The Student Hwb
After accepting an offer of a place, applicants are able to download the UWTSD Hwb App. The App provides key information that applicants need for their studies at UWTSD. Course timetables may be accessed via the Hwb App following enrolment.
After accepting an offer, applicants must upload any documents required in support of their application via the University’s applicant portal, MyTSD.
Depending on the programme applied for, such documents may include:
Qualification certificates and transcripts;
Proof of identification: e.g. passport, driving licence, birth certificate, and deed poll or marriage certificate to evidence a change in name, where applicable;
A Passport style photo for your Student ID;
Applicants who require a DBS check as part of the entry requirements for their programme of study will be invited to complete the DBS application process through the University’s applicant portal, MyTSD. Further information about the DBS application process is available below.
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Certain courses offered by UWTSD will require applicants to undertake an Enhanced Check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). These courses will include a placement or activity involving significant contact with children and/or vulnerable adults, referred to as Regulated Activity.
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In the interests of safeguarding our students, staff and visitors and to enable the University to provide the appropriate support, applicants to the University and enrolled students are encouraged to declare if they have any relevant criminal convictions at the earliest opportunity.
Contact Admissions
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Tel: 0300 500 5054
Email: admissions@uwtsd.ac.uk
Carmarthen Campus
Admissions Office
Registry
UWTSD
1st Floor Dewi Building
College Road
Carmarthen
SA31 3EP
Lampeter Campus
Admissions Office
Registry
UWTSD
Canterbury Building
Lampeter
SA48 7ED
Swansea Campus
Admissions Office
Registry
UWTSD
Technium 1
Kings Road
Swansea
SA1 8PH -
Tel: 0300 373 0651
Email: homerecruitmentwales@uwtsd.ac.uk -
Tel: 0121 229 3000
Email: birminghamadmissions@uwtsd.ac.uk -
Tel: 0207 566 7600
Email: londonadmissions@uwtsd.ac.uk -
Birmingham International Admissions: BirminghamInt@uwtsd.ac.uk
London International Admissions: LondonInt@uwtsd.ac.uk
Wales International Admissions: WalesInt@uwtsd.ac.uk -
Tel: 01267 676849
Email: RegistryPGR@uwtsd.ac.uk -
If you have any queries regarding your student enrolment record, examinations, graduation or wish to request a transcript/certificate in relation to your studies at UWTSD, please contact the Registry Services Team.