Do you wish that you’d applied to university this year? Had a change of plan? Had some doubts but now resolved to become a student?
The good news is that even if you didn’t meet the main UCAS application deadline, there’s still plenty of time left to apply for a university place for 2016 – ‘late’ applications will be considered right up until 30 June, and after that you could even enter straight into Clearing, which is becoming an increasingly popular way for people to find a course once they know their A level results.
So, what do you need to do now?

1. Find the course you want to study
Undergraduate higher education is a world of fascinating subjects that help you reach new careers and higher earnings. With a huge range of courses available, it's important to research what's right for you.
Use the UCAS.com search tool to search by course title, location or by provider. And if you're not sure what kind of course to study yet, UCAS.com provides lots of handy advice, with info on course types and entry requirements.
When you search for courses, read through the details to see if you like what’s on offer and how it’s taught.

• Which modules are the most interesting and relevant to your career aspirations?
• How many lectures are there and how much group work will be done in seminars?
• What combination of exams, coursework or presentations is the course assessed by?
• Who are the tutors and are they experts in areas you want to learn about?

You could also arrange a visit to the provider.

2. Check there are vacancies
We recommend you ask the universities whether they have vacancies before you apply – especially for courses with a 15 October deadline, such as medicine and dentistry, as it’s unusual for them to consider late applications because their courses are really competitive.
30 June, 18:00 (UK time) – the final deadline for late applications with course choices
20 September, 18:00 (UK time) – it’s still okay to apply by this date, but instead of choosing courses, you’ll be entered into ‘Clearing’ – the process universities and colleges use to fill any places they still have on their courses

3. Register with UCAS
It’s quick and easy to register with UCAS. Just visit ucas.com and click on the register button in the top right-hand corner.

4. Apply
After you have found courses and are ready to apply:

• Fill in your details, qualifications and course choices.
• Write a personal statement to demonstrate you’ll be a good student.
• Include your reference and pay your application fee (£12 for a single choice, £23 for more than one choice).

5. Track
This is the second stage of your UCAS application – and often lasts several months of waiting for decisions, interviews, offers and exam results.
If you don’t get any offers, or if you reject your offers, you can still use UCAS Extra to apply for additional courses one at a time, until the deadline for Clearing. You can even apply for the first time right up until 20 September via Clearing.
Good luck and enjoy your course!