UCAS registered centre linked applications – undergraduate references

• context of your school, college, or centre e.g. performance, intake demographics, progression rates to higher education etc.   
• your portfolio of qualification provision and any restrictions on options students may have   
• non-UK qualification information – if you are providing a reference for a student studying outside the UK school system, it can be helpful to include a brief overview of the qualification profile
• information about your school, college or centre which may affect performance, such as significant staff changes, sustained closure of buildings due to circumstances such as fire, flooring or RAAC, or other sustained disruptions or events that have impacted a whole cohort of students  
• any policies or processes used for predicting grades (e.g. internal assessments). This is an opportunity to articulate any policy about not predicting grades for qualifications where the school or college feels the assessment method or qualification structure is not suited to predictions 

There is a reference template (under centre management) in the adviser portal to create a standard statement which can be added to each student's reference via a tick box. 

If you require some statements for section 1 to diverge from the standard statement you have set up, for example you may be a multi-site centre with differing qualification provision, there is the option to edit the template once added in application management or to copy and paste a different statement into the application.

If you are an agent or independent counsellor who is a UCAS registered centre, you are reminded this is an academic reference linked to predicted grades, requiring someone who knows the academic achievements of the applicant to write it. Please continue to work with schools/colleges to obtain references as appropriate.

You only need to provide an overview of the centre the applicant is currently studying. Where students went to school and where they have taken exams and where they are currently studying, can be identified in the Education section within the UCAS application by the student. If the student faced particular extenuating circumstances, that you are able to comment on, at a previous centre, this could be included in section 2.

If the student is linking to the school, advisers supply the reference using the same sectioned format as the rest of the cohort of students. Enter information within the three sections on what you know about that student as you would have done in previous years. If contextual information about the centre is included, for example school closures, staff turnover, remember to remove this if it’s not relevant to the cohort of former students.

If a current or former student is linked to your centre but also taking qualifications or exams (e.g. resits) at another centre it would be useful to highlight this in section 1.  

You can use section 1 in a way that best fits the needs of your centre. You can use the reference template (under centre management) to create a standard statement and add it at the point of reference on the application management area for all applicants. If you require adjusted statements for section 1, for example you may be a multi-site centre with differing qualification provision, then there is the option to edit the template once added in application management or to copy and paste a different statement into the application directly.

The reference sections ensure information that is important to admissions teams is easy to find. A URL is not hyperlinked with the UCAS systems and requires admissions teams to look up information outside of the system they are using. We would advise against the use of a URL and include all information relevant to the school/college/centre within section 1.

If you are a UCAS registered centre, agents/counsellors are reminded this is an academic reference linked to predicted grades, requiring someone who knows the academic achievements of the applicant to write it. Please continue to work with schools/colleges to obtain references as appropriate.

It is likely many students will not have extenuating circumstances and, therefore, please confirm this section is not applicable by ticking the box.

Applicants will not be disadvantaged if there is no information to share. As has always been the case, information about personal circumstances is only ever used to help universities and colleges better understand an individual's contexts and support needs – it is never used to decide whether to make the student an offer. 

If there are complex or sensitive circumstances (particularly if this relates to safeguarding considerations), it may be appropriate to highlight there are extenuating circumstances in this section without providing detailed specifics.

Please note information must only be provided in section 2 with the applicant’s consent. 

Include relevant information that contextualises the educational journey – this should be concise and reflect the breadth and depth of impact the circumstance had on the individual. This could include: 

• individual circumstances – e.g. mature student, disability, serious, acute or chronic illness, bereavement, significant adverse personal or family circumstances (with applicant consent) 
• context as to why there is a disparity between an individual’s grades achieved throughout the school or college (e.g. at GCSE/Scottish National 4/5 equivalent and predicted grades, where applicable) 
• factors which have limited the individual’s choice of subjects or load of study at UK Level 3 or equivalent (factors which have affected the whole centre rather than the individual should be included in section 1)  
• support the school, college or centre has had to put in place to ensure the student’s inclusion. Please highlight any access needs or accommodations that may be needed to support the admissions process (e.g. at interview or with assessment testing)  

The ‘More about you’ section of the application empowers applicants to share key information, such as a disability (including a long-term illness, learning difference or mental health condition). Students (with a UK address) can also share if they have some specific individual circumstances (e.g. caring responsibilities).

If you’re able to comment on the specific impact of those circumstances (and if the student is happy for you to do so), please include in this section. If you're unable to comment, please signpost the student to our individual needs advice – we worked with expert organisations to bring together practical tips and useful resources for supporting students.

If you’re unable to comment on any of the circumstances a student shares in this section, it will not disadvantage them or prevent them accessing support. The student may appreciate the opportunity to discuss support for their circumstances with you – if you're unsure how to approach conversations like this, we've developed some student support toolkits to help you. 

You must be clear whether any of the circumstances outlined in section 2 have already been considered by the student’s examination boards or awarding organisations for the qualifications taken. 

The reference is relevant at the point of submission. If there are no extenuating circumstances at the time of submission, please tick the ‘no information to enter’ box. 

Should a change of circumstance occur post-submission, please inform each of the choices. There may be some instances where universities and colleges might require further information. For example, when a change of circumstances happens post-submission, or for cases where there are particularly complex or sensitive personal circumstances, that you and/or the applicant feel should only be shared with a very limited group of people.

Contextualised admissions: We’ve produced some information and advice in conjunction with the Fair Education Alliance (FEA), to explain what contextualised admissions might mean for your students’ applications. Universities and colleges might also include this information in their course pages or entry grade report in UCAS' search tool, but check the entry requirements on the university website. We also have guidance for students to help them understand what ‘contextual admissions’ might mean for them.

The ‘More about you’ section of the application empowers applicants themselves to share key information such as this: they can share if they have a disability (including a long-term illness, learning difference or mental health condition), and students (with a UK address) can also share if they may have specific individual circumstances (e.g. caring responsibilities).

Students can also share if they are care experienced in the ‘Diversity and inclusion’ section (UK only) of the application.

Section two of the reference could include anything that has impacted the applicant's education and bring context to their academic journey, so this information should be referenced if you can comment on the specific impact of those circumstances. 

We’ve worked with expert organisations to bring together practical tips and useful resources for supporting students with individual needs.

UCAS and universities and colleges understand that references are relevant at the point of submission to UCAS and if there are no extenuating circumstances at the time of submission, please tick the ‘no information to enter’ box. However, should a change of circumstance occur post-submission, please inform each of the choices directly.

The section approach has been designed to help universities and colleges find the information they need. While this should minimise the need for additional information to be requested outside of the UCAS application, there are some circumstances where we anticipate this will still happen. For example, when the circumstances occur post-submission, or for cases where there are particularly complex or sensitive personal circumstances which you and/or the applicant feel should be shared only with a very limited group of people.

As has always been the case, information about personal circumstances is only ever used to help universities and colleges better understand an individual's context and support needs – it is never used to decide whether to make the student an offer.

It is likely many students will not have extenuating circumstances and, therefore, please confirm this section is not applicable by ticking the box. They will not be disadvantaged if there is no information to be shared.  

Under the previous model, referees were successfully able to balance information about their school/college, the student’s suitability for the course and any adverse circumstances. There is no reason to expect this will no longer be the case. The focus is on providing concise, specific additional context to the application, that should help make this balance easier than before. Remember, the overall character count is a limit not a target.

Ultimately, the student’s permission is critical here. We would encourage a culture of positive disclosure: such information will never be used negatively by universities and colleges but could enable them to connect the student to their own support services to help their transition into higher education.

Depending on the nature and sensitivity of the circumstances, it may be appropriate to ask the university or college where to send such information to first, rather than sending to a general admissions office address.

The focus is on providing concise, specific additional context to the application. 

Ticking ‘no information to enter’ for this section in the adviser portal will highlight to universities and colleges that no information has been supplied under these headings. Please tick in circumstances where you are unable to provide any additional supportive individual context to the application. 

You can showcase any additional information that supports a student’s application to the course being applied for. Useful information should focus on evidence of suitability for the course(s). Some examples could be:

• performance and academic ability in relevant UK Level 3 or equivalent qualifications supported by evidence, e.g. assessment scores, performance in specific specialisms or projects, whether an applicant is the strongest performer in their cohort 
• relevant work experience, transferable skills, extracurricular activities, or participation in outreach programmes 
• any barriers the applicant has faced in accessing work experience opportunities (only if relevant to the course applied to, e.g. part of the entry requirements)
• if your student is reapplying, or following a gap year, a brief explanation of those circumstances can be helpful if you are able to provide this 

Information provided must be concise and evidence-based.

We would advise this should only be ticked in circumstances where you are unable to provide any additional supportive individual context to the application.  

It is likely that advisers will be able to identify something to state about each applicant.

Information should be provided in short, clear, factual statements to help universities and colleges digest the information. The focus is on providing concise, specific additional context to the application. 

As with all aspects of the application process, including entry requirements, use of personal statements and contextual admissions, we always recommend applicants and advisers to check specific requirements for universities and colleges. 
 

If you are a UCAS registered centre, agents are reminded the reference should provide context on an applicant and will often be linked to predicted grades. It will require someone who knows the academic achievements of the applicant to input to the reference. Please work with schools/colleges to obtain information as appropriate to complete the three sections.

Section 3 enables advisers to add relevant context to the application to showcase students. Keeping this information evidence-based and to the point helps the most selective universities and colleges focus on the information that really counts. 

As with all aspects of the application process, including entry requirements, use of personal statements, and contextual admissions, we always recommend applicants and advisers to check specific requirements for universities and colleges. 
 

There is no specific character count for each section, the length of the reference will vary depending on individual circumstances. This enable referees to use their professional judgement on what information is most appropriate to include for an individual, as has always been the case.

There is a maximum of 4,000 characters within the reference. Please note, the character count includes spaces, section headings, and line breaks, all of which take up at least one character. This means your entered text will need to be under 3,800 characters. This is a limit and not a target. 

We anticipate most references will not need to use all characters – short, focused sentences will help points land better with universities and colleges.

There is a dynamic character count in the adviser portal which shows you the number of characters left in each section. This includes a count of the characters in the section headings. 

Character counts may differ if your input has been pasted from another electronic source and/or you have entered non-English characters and/or symbols such as £, €, among others.

As with all aspects of the application process, including entry requirements, use of personal statements and contextual admissions, we always recommend applicants and advisers to check specific requirements for universities and colleges.

If the student is an independent applicant linking to the school or college for a reference only, advisers supply the reference using the same sectioned format as the rest of the cohort.  

Enter information in the three sections on what you know about that student as you would have done in previous years. Once the reference is approved in the adviser portal, the student is responsible for submitting the application.

The changes in this guidance have been made with the express purpose of minimising the additional work of individual requests and submissions.

We will be sharing the updated guidance with universities and colleges to ensure they have sight of the guidance you have.

We have also developed good practice resources in conjunction with the sector to support fair admissions.

UCAS Conservatoires references are not changing to the new reference format. See our advice and guidance on how to write a UCAS Conservatoires reference.   

No, as part of the reference, you will continue to provide predicted grades for those qualifications entered as ‘pending’. For more information see our guidance and support when predicting grades.

We will continue to review adoption during the 2025 cycle and will continue to work with universities and colleges on good practice across their organisation. 

There is no formatting possible within the reference, including bullet points or using bold, italics and underlining. The focus is on using short, concise and factual statements, which could be written in bullet point ‘style’.