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The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to UCAS in the way it does to almost all public authorities in one significant respect.

UCAS is a charity, not a Government body. It has been subject to Freedom of Information from 1 November 2011, but only in relation to some of its functions.

Therefore, some documents in the guide to information include information that is excluded from the scope of the Act. For example, the Annual Report includes information about our commercial output.

For the convenience of users of the guide to information, we are happy to provide selected documents, even if they include material not within the scope of the Act.

When we choose to include this type of information, it does not mean that it is within the scope of the Act.

The guide to information will not generally include:

  • information the disclosure of which is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure
  • information in draft form
  • information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage, or is difficult to access for similar reasons.

Our guide to information is based on the Information Commissioner's model publication scheme. It contains seven classes of information below.


Who we are and what we do

We are responsible for managing applications to higher education courses in the UK.

We also help students find the right course and deliver professional development services for staff in the education sector. We provide insight and research into applicant data to support wider analysis (for example, by Government departments).


What we spend and how we spend it

Read our Annual Report, the terms and conditions of our contracts and information about our procurement policies.

  • Annual report
  • Procurement policies — our Procurement Manual is being revised. If you have a query about our procurement policies, we may be able to supply an extract from it. Send your query to [email protected].

What our priorities are and how we are doing

Here you can find our Corporate Strategy, end of cycle reports, media releases and a wide range of applicant statistics.


How we make decisions

See how the UCAS Board and Committees are composed, and learn about our Executive team and management style.


Our policies and procedures

Read details of our policies and procedures — from health and safety to the terms and conditions of using the UCAS website.


Lists and registers

Learn about our Directors, stakeholders and job vacancies.

  • Company Secretary and Directors
  • Our stakeholders — UCAS works with stakeholders throughout the education sector, including providers, schools and colleges, Government departments, funding councils and qualification bodies
  • Jobs at UCAS

The services we offer

UCAS provides application services across a range of subject areas and modes of study for UK universities and colleges. We provide specialist services: UCAS Teacher Training, UCAS Postgraduate, and UCAS Conservatoires.

UCAS also offers information and advice to students, parents, school and college advisers, and higher education (HE) professionals; compiles and monitors data; and publishes material to support the HE sector throughout the application cycle.


Services for students


Services for parents


Services for educational advisers

  • UCAS Undergraduate
  • UCAS Conservatoires

Services for providers


Data and analysis services

Our freely available published resources are designed to help with most questions about admissions.

For more specialised analysis and data needs, UCAS and UCAS Media can provide commissioned analytical services. These can provide anonymised data to particular specifications, including the ability to provide anonymous data about the admissions outcomes of groups of individuals.