Higher education is the goal of virtually all of Concord’s leavers each year.  Leavers tend to apply to highly regarded universities in the UK, often those ranked in the top 10 for the degree course they are interested in.

The figures on university admissions can be found elsewhere on the website. Concord leavers also apply to overseas universities, some instead of a UK application, but many to supplement their application to UK universities.  In recent years, destinations have included the USA (including Ivy League), Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, Ireland and Switzerland. Support is given for all these applications.*

UCAS is the organisation that manages virtually all of the undergraduate applications to UK universities.  It is an online system that students can access via Concord from the end of their 6.1 year until they leave the college.  Applications for any degree course at Oxford and Cambridge or for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science at any institution must be submitted before the mid-October each year, while the remaining university applications tend to be submitted a month later.

Students are guided through this process step-by-step. As part of the careers programme, students are given access to a leading online portal which facilitates detailed research into university courses in the UK, the US, Hong Kong and beyond. During Universities Week in February, senior Concord staff introduce the universities programme and give introductory talks to those aspiring to Oxford or Cambridge. University Co-ordinators hold their first meetings with interested students. Students are also guided by their Personal Tutor, their Head of House as well as by their specialist subject teachers. During Pre-U Week in June, there are talks on how to complete the UCAS form and to write the personal statement. There are workshops on applications to universities such as Durham and Imperial and a university campus visit. Further support is given for admissions test preparation. There is also a wide range of resources available on Concord’s Virtual Learning Environment such as guides regarding application, courses offered, likely grade requirements, university league tables etc.

A number of universities also visit Concord each year to give talks to students: in addition to a number of medical schools, we also have visits from representatives of Imperial College London, UCL, LSE, King’s College London and from Oxford or Cambridge.  Such visits are a further source of information to guide students through the application process.

* Concord is a SAT centre and classes to prepare for the USA university applications are offered. Concord also has a US university co-ordinator  who has considerable experience in this area.