UCAS is an independent charity. All our activities are funded by application fees, by universities and colleges, and through gift aid from the profits of our wholly owned commercial subsidiary, UCAS Media Ltd. We share a brand so we're often seen/referred to together as “UCAS”. We aim to be as transparent as possible with all our customers about which part of UCAS they are engaging with.
100% of profits generated by UCAS Media are gift-aided to the charity part of our business. Using the income from commercial activity in this way ensures that the charity can keep application fees for students as low as possible, as well as improving services for all our customers.
We always aim to work with companies who share our values and ethos; and provide products and services which are likely to be useful for students. Students receiving information from us have proactively chosen to do so and can easily opt-out at any point if they don’t feel the information is relevant.
If you're a student and have signed up to any UCAS commercial services, you could be sent university course vacancies that would interest you, invitations to university and career open days, options like degree apprenticeships, or student accommodation local to your chosen uni. And, when relevant, details of career opportunities and graduate bank accounts.
We also help you get great deals on the essentials for student life from leading brands, student insurance, and travel options — in the UK and beyond!
To get this info, you need to opt in.
You can also view our privacy policy here.
How can you tell which services are provided by UCAS the charity and which are provided by UCAS Media Limited?
On our website:
When applicants register for UCAS on the Hub or sign up for an event, they're given the option to opt in for education or commercial content, which means from time to time, data may passed between UCAS and UCAS Media as the UCAS Group. When we send paid-for messages on behalf of commercial or education clients, we'll indicate this in the email or direct mail. Campaigns are always transparent, stating that the message has come from UCAS on behalf of a client and that we don't endorse any product or service.
To support you in finding the right pathway, whether that it is the right course or the right university, some of the services we offer are in collaboration with third parties. For example, to give you an insider’s view into life and learning on campus, we are working with Unibuddy to offer an online chat function which automatically matches you with current students. Our work with Springpod enables you to explore, interact and learn about the world of work and university before you apply.
On the UCAS.com website, we'll indicate if the service (such as advertising, sponsored content or collaborative work) is being provided by UCAS Media. This content is tagged as "ads", "sponsored" or "UCAS Media service".
At our events:
When you attend a UCAS event, the aim is to help you decide on your next steps. You'll find lots of information advice and guidance to support an application to university. These services are provided to you by us, as a charity.
Universities and colleges will be present to speak to about the courses on offer and the benefits of choosing to study with them. You'll also be able to speak to employers and apprenticeship providers, and you'll find a range of lifestyle promotions such as travel options and financial planning and budget management. These services are offered by UCAS Media.
How we use our advertising slots
We use a mixture of Google ads and bespoke adverts dedicated to relevant student-related products and services.
We’re fully compliant with EU advertising standards. We also use this income to benefit students, by being able to continue to largely charge the same for application fees — which we have maintained for years.
Do you have an adblocker?
We use our advertising spaces to display adverts relating to relevant info on open days, featured courses, and more!
If you want to see these ads, you’ll need to add our website to your browser or network access controls or turn off your adblocker.
Want to advertise on UCAS?
Get in touch!
We’ll work with you to create relevant, engaging ads.
We welcome feedback from all customers to make sure UCAS is providing the right information for them. If you'd like to share feedback with us, you can contact us at: communications@ucas.ac.uk.