Admissions guidance

This information applies to courses offered by the School of Education for 2023 entry.

All applications received by 25 January 2023 will receive equal consideration. Applications received between 26 January and 30 June will be considered at our discretion and subject to places remaining available.

UCAS terms explained

The UCAS glossary of terms will help you to understand the application process.

Personal statements

The personal statement of the application form helps us to assess the nature of interest in the academic subject and is an important part of the selection process. It is essential that applicants take this opportunity to demonstrate their enthusiasm and aptitude for the academic subject.

We wish to hear about:

Interest in the field
Any relevant work or other experience
Details of any particular skills, interests or attributes that will demonstrate aptitude, motivation and interested in the subject area
Social and cultural awareness
Responsibility
Career aspirations

Where applications show similar academic achievements and predicted grades, we may use the personal statement and reference in order to differentiate between applicants.

Personal statement guidelines

The personal statement is an important part of your application, which means accurate spelling and grammar are of paramount importance. You must be able to demonstrate your excitement for and suitability to the academic subject, in addition to your potential to contribute more widely to the School. This assessment will form part of the basis on which decisions are made.

Specific guidelines for personal statements

For BA Childhood Studies:
•   Interest in the academic study of childhood
•   Social and cultural awareness
•   Responsibility
•   Non-academic interests and activities
•   Intention to pursue a career working with children, young people and their families, for example in the education, health or social care sectors

For BA Education:
•   Interest in the academic study of education
•   Intention to pursue a career in the field of education, for example, going on to train as a teacher
•   Social and cultural awareness
•   Non-academic interests and activities

For BSc Psychology with Education:
•   Interest in the application of psychology in education
•   Broader interest in psychology and its everyday application
•   Social and cultural awareness
•   Potential future career aspirations
•   Non-academic interests and activities

UCAS also gives advice about writing a personal statement.

Interviews

Interviews do not form part of our standard admissions process; however, in some cases, an applicant may be invited for an interview if it will help inform whether an offer should be made.

If applicable, applicants will receive an interview invitation and will be informed in advance if they will be required to sit a test. If invited applicants do not attend, their application will not be considered any further and will be rejected.

Interview methods may vary depending on the circumstances and/or geographical location of the applicant; for example, interviews may take place on a one-to-one basis or via video conferencing or telephone. Where possible, we will accommodate requests for alternative interview dates. However, an alternative cannot be guaranteed.

Will I receive an offer?

Courses in the Faculty of Social Sciences receive a high volume of applications relative to the places available. This means that we cannot extend an offer to all applicants. Offer decisions are made based on an overall review of applications including predicted grades, breadth of knowledge demonstrated through qualifications, personal statement, and contextual information.

Applications may be unsuccessful based on an overall assessment or for specific reasons such as:

An incomplete UCAS form
Failure to respond to a request for more information before the given deadline (where information is missing from the application form or additional clarification is needed, an email request for this information will be sent to the email address provided in the UCAS application)
Low predicted or achieved grades
Poor personal statement (see personal statement guidance on what to include).

Please note that meeting, or being predicted to meet, the academic entry criteria does not automatically result in an offer being made.

Application decisions

Some of our courses in the Faculty of Social Sciences are very popular and may be oversubscribed. The number of applicants exceeds the number of places available and so, to ensure that we treat all applications fairly and equitably, we may review applications after the UCAS deadline before making a final decision.

This is a normal part of our process for these courses and may mean applicants have to wait longer than usual to hear from us. It takes time to thoroughly assess all applications, but we aim to make all decisions by the end of March. We will let you know if your application is to be processed in this way.

Offer decisions are made based on an overall review of applications including predicted grades, breadth of knowledge demonstrated through qualifications, personal statement, extra-curricular and work experience, and contextual information.

Qualifications taken early

We recognise that some applicants may have studied a more flexible curriculum, where applicants have been able to progress through their educational development at an appropriate rate according to ability. Where a Level 2 (for example, GCSE) or Level 3 (for example, A Level) qualification has been taken ‘early’ the academic reference should include the reasons for this so that it can be taken into consideration by the admissions team.

Resits

We will consider applications from those who are re-taking examinations prior to entering the University.

Deferral requests

We will consider applications for entry deferred to September 2024.

Advanced entry

The School of Education will consider applications from those who are seeking entry to the second year.

All such applications must be made through UCAS, by 30 June. To be eligible the applicant must demonstrate that they meet the following criteria:

•   Meet first year requirements, as detailed on Coursefinder
•   Have met the learning outcomes of year 1 of the relevant programme
•   Have achieved a minimum 2:1 or equivalent in the first year of study

Decisions on such applications are made by the Academic Admissions Director (or other academic lead).

Entry onto Level 3 of the Faculty of Social Sciences is not permitted.

Internal transfers

We will consider applications from those who wish to transfer internally from other programmes at the University of Leeds, providing places are available. Current students enquiring about a potential change of programme will be required to complete this Change of Programme Initial Enquiry Form in the first instance.

Applicant assessment

Academic grades normally form only one part of the final decision and Appendix I gives examples of how applicants through their personal statement, may demonstrate that they have the skills, knowledge and attributes that we consider will enable them to become successful students on our degree courses.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) information

If you hope to gain any experience working with children or vulnerable adults during your time with Leeds, you’ll need to be apply for a DBS check in order to do so.

If you are an international student, you will need to bring a police check from your home country with you. This document will need to be presented to any potential employers within the UK.

A DBS check is required to enrol onto some of our courses in the School of Education. Please see individual course pages for further information.

You can find guidance on DBS checks and equivalent checks for international applicants on the DBS website.

Admissions policy

The University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy can be found here.

Useful contacts

School of Education – email ugeducation@leeds.ac.uk