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 will always be clear with you about whether you are engaging with UCAS (the charity) or UCAS Media (the commercial company).
UCAS Media makes profits by providing commercial services to third parties, including advertising, marketing and sponsorship services. It only works with companies which meet commercial activity criteria approved by UCAS and it only engages in services which are likely to be useful for students. Students receiving information from UCAS Media 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 Media 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.
UCAS Media also helps 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?
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 to receive education or commercial content. If you opt in, this means that data may be passed between UCAS and UCAS Media.When UCAS Media sends you paid-for messages on behalf of commercial or education clients, it willindicate this in the email or direct mail. Campaigns are always transparent, stating that the message has come from UCAS Media on behalf of a client and that UCAS Media doesn’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 offered on ucas.com are in collaboration with third parties. For example, to give you an insider’s view into life and learning on campus, UCAS Media is working with Unibuddy to offer an online chat function which automatically matches you with current students. UCAS Media’swork with Springpod enables you to explore, interact and learn about the world of work and university before you apply. It’s work with employers brings you information about apprenticeships at a range of levels to suit your need as well as graduate roles as you transition to the world of work.
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", "promoted", "job of the week" 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 or other education provider. These services are provided to you by UCAS, 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, which receives a fee for promoting these providers.
How UCAS Media uses advertising slots
UCAS Media uses a mixture of Google ads and bespoke adverts dedicated to relevant student-related products and services.
UCAS Media is fully compliant with EU advertising standards. It also donates the profits is makes from advertising to UCAS, which allows UCAS to continue to charge a low fixed rate the same for application fee — which UCAS has 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.com?
Get in touch!
UCAS Media will work with you to create relevant, engaging ads.
UCAS and UCAS Media 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.