Großbritannien
4. UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
Institution und Leitung UCAS
Rosehill, New Barn Lane Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ
„UCAS stands for the 'Universities and Colleges Admissions Service'.
Our aim is to help students make informed choices that are right for them, guiding them, as well as their parents and advisers, through the entire higher education application process.
Today, UCAS processes over 2.5 million applications every year, for some 650,000 prospective students across the UK and beyond: helping them gain access to more than 340 UK universities and colleges.
We also run several specialist application services – UTT (UCAS Teacher Training), UKPASS (UK Post-graduate Application and Statistical Service) and CUKAS (Conservatoires UK Admissions Service).
Another important area is carrying out research, consultancy and advisory work for schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and commercial businesses. Data collation is an important part of our work, allowing us to provide advice, insights and statistics to our partners and stakeholders.”
(www.ucas.com/about-us/inside-ucas#, Stand 30.4.2014)
Auftraggeber und Finanzierung
„UCAS has a small market intelligence unit which regularly conducts market research amongst its customers – our member institutions (universities and colleges) and applicants, as well as schools, colleges and parents.
We listen carefully to our customers’ views, which we gather via surveys and qualitative research. Customer research is essential for helping to inform and develop our products and services.
UCAS is uniquely placed to provide insight into how applicants are thinking and feeling. In this report we share some of what they told us in 2012. The survey results reported here give a rich snapshot of thinking that is not available from standard statistical data sets, including thoughts about career plans, educational choices and careers education.” (applicant-survey-report-2012.pdf, Seite 4)
Aufgaben und Zweck
„UCAS is the organisation responsible for managing applications to higher education courses in the UK and as such, hundreds of thousands of students access our website looking for information to guide their choices.
We also work closely with schools, academies, colleges and apprenticeship providers to provide information about education options at age 16. In 2012, UCAS surveyed over 46.000 students to find out what they think about a range of issues that influence their education choices.” (applicant-survey-report-2012.pdf, Seite 1)
Erhebungscharakter und Durchführung
Die Erhebung wurde bisher nur einmal, im Jahr 2012, durchgeführt; sie umfasste landesweit über 46.000 Hochschulanwärter. Die Befragung erfolgte im Juli 2012 und Oktober 2012 unter verschiedenen Gruppen von Studienanwärtern, darunter Jugendliche unter 20 Jahren und internationale Anwärter auf einen Studien-platz. Rücklaufquoten werden nicht genannt. Soziale Merkmale sind nicht Teil des Fragebogens.
Genaue Zusammensetzung und Zahlen (applicant-survey-report-2012.pdf, Seite 2):
„Learner Research
UCAS’ Learner Research survey was conducted online during July 2012 amongst 2012 cycle applicants plus a sample of UCAS Card holders. The profile of respondents was as follows.
Younger UK applicants (age 20 or younger) 10,210 Mature UK applicants (age 21 or older) 8,513 International applicants (all ages) 5,129 UCAS Card holders (UK pre-applicants, mainly
sixth formers)
3,050
Total 26,902
End of Cycle 2012 survey
UCAS’ End of Cycle survey was conducted online during October 2012, amongst placed and unplaced 2012 cycle applicants. The profile of respondents was as follows.
Applicants placed in UCAS main scheme 9,563 Applicants placed in Clearing 3,731
Unplaced applicants 6,269
Total 19,563”
„In this report we present selected findings from two surveys conducted by UCAS in July and October 2012.
In total, there were 46,465 respondents to these surveys, including mature and international applicants, and UCAS Card holders (3,050 cardholders, who are mainly UK sixth formers intending to apply to higher edu-cation)...
UK applicants and international applicants of all ages completed this survey. When they responded to the survey, most of the placed applicants had recently enrolled at university or college.
Throughout the report, survey findings are presented alongside verbatim comments. These include not only free text responses entered as part of survey responses, but also quotations from qualitative research (focus groups, interviews and online bulletin boards) conducted or commissioned by UCAS in 2012.” (applicant-survey-report-2012.pdf, Seite 2)
Fragebogen und Indikatoren
Der Fragebogen ist nicht zugänglich. Ein Vergleich zum Fragebogen der AG Hochschulforschung ist einge-schränkt möglich, da einige Fragen im Text (applicant-survey-report-2012.pdf) enthalten sind. Ein besonde-rer Schwerpunkt liegt bei diesem Fragebogen in der Selbsteinschätzung in verschiedenen Altersstufen zur möglichen und tatsächlichen Studienwahl, sowie weitere Komponenten, die die Entscheidung beeinflussen, ein Studium aufzunehmen, wie z.B. Studiengebühren und die Auswahl durch die Institution UCAS und durch „Clearing“ (Nachrückverfahren in verschiedenen Fächern). Einige Fragen beziehen sich auf das Studi-um selbst wie z.B. Beratung, anderes Studienziel, Motivation, Berufsziele.
(1) Hochschulzugang, Studienmotive und Erwartungen
Figure 1: Thinking back, did you have particular carrier in mind when you made your choice at age 14?
Figure 2: Did you know what you would study at university college when you made your choice at age 14?
Figure 3: How did you decide what subjects to take at age 14?
Figure 4: With hindsight, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you that you made the right choice at age 14?
Figure 5: What additional information and support, if any, would you have liked when making your choices at 14?
Figure 6: When making choices at age 14, whose advice had the MOST INFLUENCE on the subject you took?
Figure 7: Thinking back, did you have a pariticular career in mind when you made your choice at age 16?
Figure 8: Did you know what you would study at university or college when you made your choice at age 16?
Figure 9: When making choices at age 16, how did you decide what subjects to take?
Figure 10: With hindsight, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you that you choose the right subject at 16?
Figure 11: What additional information and support, if any, would you have liked in making your choices at age 16?
Figure 12: At age 18, whose advice had the MOST INFLUENCE on the subjects you took?
Figure 14: Do you intend to apply for university or college?
Figure 18: Thinking about the future, do you have a particular career in mind?
Figure 19: Why did you apply for university or college?
Figure 20: Whose advice did you seek regarding your UCAS choices?
Figure 21: How would you rate the advice from these people in termes of helping of helping you to make your UCAS choices?
Figure 22: Has the increases institution fees influenced your choices about which courses or universities or colleges to apply to?
Figure 23: Why did you say that the increase intuition fees did not influence your choices about which courses and universities and colleges to apply to?
Figure 27: Have you enrolled (started at) university or college?
Figure 28: Why have you not enrolled on your course?
Figure 30: Since results day, which of the following have you already done and which which do you definitely plan to do in the next six months? (Bei Ablehnung für die Uni)
Figure 31: You applied for a place at university or college but were unsuccessful. Right now, how do you feel this?
Figure 32: When choosing courses to apply to in Clearning, what where you looking for in particular?
Figure 33: Where your Clearning choices for the same subject you choose in your original UCAS choices?
Figure 34: To what extent was your choice of SUBJECT in Clearing influenced by...?
Figure 35: To what extent was your choice of UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE in Clearning influenced by...?
(2) Studienstrategien, Studienverlauf und Qualifizierungen
Figure 16: With hindsight, do you wish you had considered any of this options?
(u.a. Auslandsstudium, Lehre, Auszeit, E-Learning, anderer Abschluß, Teilzeitstudium..)
Figure 17: Which of the following options did your school or college provide you with information about? (u.a.
Auslandsstudium, Lehre, Auszeit, Teilzeitstudium..)
(4) Studienanforderungen, Regelungen und Prüfungen
Figure 24: What additional information or support, if any, would you have liked?
(7) Studentische Lebensformen und soziale Situation
Figure 26: How confident are you that when choosing courses and universities and colleges to apply to, you made the right choice for you? How confident are you in that in Clearing, you made the right choice for you?
(12) Berufliche Orientierungen und Arbeitsmarkt
Figure 13: Thinking about the future, do you have a particular career in mind?
Figure 25: When you decided which courses and universities and colleges to apply to, to what extent were you motivated by...?
Sonstige Fragen:
Figure 27: Did you ever share information that you have received from UCAS with your parents and guardians?
Ergebnisse und Befunde
„The main findings about information needs are:
Students choosing their GCSEs and A levels or equivalents would have liked more information about the content of these courses and the way in which they are assessed.
In particular, younger (aged 20 or under) students would like to have had more information about the A level or equivalent subjects and grades required to apply to particular university or college courses.
Many UK sixth formers interested in applying to university or college said they wanted more information about student finance as well as bespoke careers advice.
Many young pre-applicants would also have liked information about other post-18 options such as study abroad, gap years, and apprenticeships.
Mature UK applicants said that they wanted additional information about loans, scholarships and bursaries, and more information about what university and college courses typically cover.
The report also looks at the factors influencing university and college application, application choices, and choices during Clearing. Irrespective of when students apply, the majority are looking to pursue a specific subject at a higher level to enhance their career prospects.” (applicant-survey-report-2012.pdf, Seite 1)
Dokumente und Reports
Eine direkte Dokumentation – z.B. den Fragebogen – gibt es bei UCAS nicht. Jedoch lassen sich die Fragen aus einem der beiden Berichte ablesen: Sie sind in graphischen Darstellungen der Ergebnisse (von 2012) integriert. Ausführlich werden sie in den „End of Cycle Reports“ besprochen, der einmal im Jahr erscheint, zuletzt der Bericht für 2013.
Reports
UCAS. 2013 Application Cycle. End of Cycle Report. UCAS Analysis and Research. December 2013.
(ucas-2013-end-of-cycle-report.pdf)
UCAS. Highlights from applicant surveys conducted in 2012. 2013. (applicant-survey-report-2012.pdf) Links
www.ucas.com/about-us/inside-ucas#