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How do I apply?
Applications for our full-time courses are submitted via UCAS, you will need to provide a personal statement, your educational background and a referee to support your application. Our part-time courses can be applied for directly through our website.
What are the entry requirements?
You should check the specific entry requirements for the course you are considering but the typical entry criteria for our foundation degrees are two Ds at A level and for BTEC Diplomas and BTEC Extended Diplomas, we require two Merits or two Merits and a Pass, respectively.
Typically 3 years to complete a full-time undergraduate degree. Most full-time degrees at University Centre Leeds are made up of a foundation degree for 2 years and a top-up degree for 1 year. Part-time degrees tend to take 3 and a half years to complete the foundation and top-up degree.
We have a number of recommended accommodation providers depending on where you are likely to be studying.
For the main University Centre Leeds campus, we would recommend contacting Abdus (The Foundary) and multiple locations provided by Unite. See our student accommodation pages for more information.
Unfortunately we are unable to provide parking for students. We do have a list of local parking providers available for any students who wish to drive when studying at any of our campuses.
Applicants who agree to share their financial details with University Centre Leeds during their student finance application, are automatically assessed for eligibility for our student bursary.
If you did not share your financial details with us during your original application, you can go back into your application and agree to share them with us.
At University Centre Leeds around 50% of new students each year are over the age of 21. In very few cases, some courses may recruit less mature students than other courses, but it is rare. There are also opportunities, activities, and groups outside of the classroom where mature students can socialise and support each other.
Our student community is diverse. Students typically interact with each other very well, regardless of their background or age. All students have access to the same opportunities and activities and there are many ways that students connect with each other and bond with those in their class as well as across the university.
We understand that it can be very daunting as a parent to consider taking on the commitment of studying for a degree; many of our staff have experienced it themselves. A large volume of our students are also parents and we have a lot of support in place to help you through your journey. It is important that you tell your tutors about your parental or caring commitments as soon as possible so that they understand if you face difficulties. Many other students face similar concerns and so you will find that there is plenty of support. It is also important that you make your family and friends aware of assessment submission dates and times so they can support you at home.
Every student’s circumstances are different and some mature students may have to make sacrifices such as reducing their hours at work. Some may not. It is likely that you will need to budget your finances more than you maybe did before, especially if you are going from full-time employment to full-time study but there is lots of support available. There is financial support available through Student Finance England tuition and maintenance loans, our bursary, our care leaver and estranged student financial support, and other support from the government such as:
- Childcare Grant – full-time students only
- Parents’ Learning Allowance – full-time students only
- Adult Dependants’ Grant – full-time students only
More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/extra-help.
Our timetable makes it possible to work alongside your studies, with full-time programmes typically being timetabled to 2 days per week. It is important for your wellbeing to balance independent study time, work and other commitments.
Our 2-day per week full-time timetable makes it possible to work alongside your studies and it is often encouraged to undertake paid or voluntary work while you study, preferably in a role relevant to your course.
Students starting at University Centre Leeds come from a wide range of backgrounds, with all sorts of previous qualifications, and some with no formal qualifications. We are very experienced at supporting students in their journey and have lots of support on offer to build the study skills needed to succeed. No student starting a degree is expected to have all the study skills they need on day one.
Each campus has a support service called ilearn, where librarians can help students with a variety of tasks including academic skills support. It has online and paper-based learning resources, study areas to work on your assignments and a full-time HE librarian to help you develop your research and referencing skills. They can help you improve your academic writing and note making skills as well as helping you sort out your dissertation ethics. Students can arrange sessions online or simply drop in and arrange them face-to-face, either one-to-one or in groups.
As a University Centre Leeds student, you will have learning, wellbeing, careers and financial support, all designed to suit your needs and ensure your experience is as stress-free as possible.
You will have access to coaching tutors for study support, and our learning support team can help with alternative assessment arrangements, applications for Disabled Students’ Allowance or help you improve your study skills.
You will have access to mental health support, professional counselling and advice, should you want someone to talk to confidentially.
Our financial guidance includes help with student finance applications, access to extra funding and bursaries, a student hardship fund to help you in times of need and access to personalised advice on budgeting.
Our progression and careers support can provide you with face-to-face advice, skills development, paid work opportunities and placements, and resources to help you build your CV and professional networks.
If you feel this might be beneficial for you, we can arrange contact with the team at application stage, so we’d recommend you declare any additional learning needs or disabilities during your application to help make your transition into higher education easier and time at University Centre Leeds even better!
