Today, UCAS announces that it has voluntarily adopted the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics, joining over a dozen other organisations.
The Code of Practice is based on three core areas relating to the production and publication of statistics – trustworthiness, quality, and value. Adherence to the Code means UCAS’ key statistical reporting published in the public interest is acknowledged as being produced to officially recognised standards.
UCAS is well-known as the UK’s leading source of data and insight on access to higher education. Analysis of applicant statistics is published immediately following application deadlines, in as little as seven working days, throughout the undergraduate admissions cycle. Acceptance data is generated and published daily throughout the Confirmation and Clearing period in August, with full analysis completed as part of end of cycle reporting between November and January.
Statistics are also published regularly for UCAS’s Teacher Training and Conservatoires admissions schemes.
UCAS’ team of data scientists will observe the Code, supported by a dedicated analytical professional development team, ensuring that high standards of training and guidance are available to all staff involved in producing outputs.
Dr David Best, UCAS’ Director of Analysis and Insights, said: ‘We take tremendous pride in our statistical and analytical outputs and the transparency they bring to higher education admissions in the UK. Adopting the Code of Practice means we can clearly demonstrate the quality, trustworthiness, and value of our work.
‘We are an independent charity publishing in excess of two and half million statistics each year across admissions cycles for multiple application schemes. Voluntary adoption ensures the public and the education sector can have the strongest confidence in the credibility and integrity of our work’.
UCAS’ statement of voluntary adoption 
is published online (227.89 KB), with all public reporting and supporting resources published in the data and analysis section of ucas.com.
UCAS Press Office
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Notes for editors
Our statement was updated on 3 September 2019, to ensure transparency on embargoed access to statistics to a controlled group.
UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is an independent charity, and the UK's shared admissions service for higher education. We manage almost three million applications, from around 700,000 people each year, for full-time undergraduate courses at over 380 universities and colleges across the UK.