Applicant Journey

Group of mental health and social work work students sat studying in the Baines Wing at the University of Leeds.

Whichever course you apply to at the School of Healthcare, we want to make sure that you know exactly what to expect. Here is an overview of what happens when you apply to Leeds.

Please note, we communicate our shortlisting decisions via email. We will also email you if we have questions about your application. From time to time, we do unfortunately find our messages can get caught in Junk/Spam folders. We therefore recommend you add the following email address to your contacts or Safe Senders lists:

1.  Your application: what to include 

When we read your application, the first thing we’ll be looking for is evidence you meet our GCSE and A level or equivalent requirements. Second, if your most recent studies were within the last five years. Therefore, it’s important that you list full details of all subjects you’re studying or have studied and at what level, along with any grades awarded. Please refer to the Coursefinder page for your chosen course to ensure that you have what we need – you can find this in the section titled ‘Entry Requirements, Fees and Applying’. 

If you are unsure, please email us for more information. The more detail you can provide us with the better – so if you are able to provide a transcript or module list, this will help us to help you.

We also read your personal statement and references. We want to recruit the best possible candidates for our courses and by extension the future workforce of the NHS. We will look for evidence of your commitment to the subject you have applied for, so it is important that you make this clear. Please note before applying to more than one healthcare course at the University of Leeds that we will only consider the personal statement on your UCAS form.

We take into account any information you provide about relevant work experience undertaken in a paid or voluntary capacity. We look for evidence of other work or extracurricular activity you have done that may have helped you develop transferrable skills for your chosen career. Consideration will also be given to evidence of communication skills, and your ability to write clearly.

Access to Leeds

If you are eligible for consideration under the Access to Leeds scheme, we may be able to consider your application with two grades below our entry requirements as listed on Coursefinder. You will need to submit a separate application to the scheme in addition to your UCAS application in order to get this consideration. For more details, please view the Access to Leeds guidance.

We strongly recommend that you submit your application to Access to Leeds at the same time as your UCAS application. While the Access to Leeds deadline is not until February, the sooner we know that you are eligible, the less likely we will be to reject your application if you don’t meet our standard entry requirements.

Unsuccessful applications

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified via UCAS. Unfortunately, we are not able to include a reason for rejection. However, you are welcome to contact us by email if you would like feedback.

2. Selection events: what to expect

If your UCAS application meets our shortlisting criteria, you’ll be invited to undertake a virtual interview. This may take place via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. For BA Social Work, you’ll also be asked to complete a piece of written work.

You’ll receive an email advising you of your interview, with links to web pages outlining what to expect and to confirm your attendance. If the date or time we give you is not suitable, please contact us to request an alternative.

During your interview, you will have the opportunity to meet and ask questions to academic staff and existing students. Interviews vary in type depending on the course you have applied for. It may be a group activity or a panel interview. 

3. Your offer: what happens next

All applicants who are successful at the interview receive an offer. If you qualify for Access to Leeds, we’ll make you a standard offer plus an alternative Access to Leeds offer with reduced grades. Please refer to the Access to Leeds website for full details.

We’ll also invite you to a campus visit day. This is an opportunity for you to see our clinical and teaching facilities up close, and ask our staff and students about studying at Leeds. 

In addition to the academic conditions, your offer will have conditions relating to Occupational Health and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) requirements. In most cases, this is straightforward and comes back within a week. However, it could take longer – in a small number of cases, it has taken up to 12 weeks. Therefore, we strongly advise you to respond immediately when you receive the instructions. You will be held back from attending your placement if either DBS or Occupational Health clearance are delayed.

We’re proud of the practice placements we offer, so we’d like you to be ready to take part in them on time. To find out why, please visit our Practice Placements website.

3a. Disclosure of Criminal Records

If you have any criminal convictions or cautions, please declare this on your UCAS application. You are not required to supply any further detail at that point. We will not refer to this in shortlisting your application.

If you are successful in securing a place at Leeds, you must have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Check. This may recover spent convictions, so it is important to declare it on your UCAS application if you think something might come up. Once you have received an offer from us, someone from the University will get in touch directly to ask for more information.

The University’s policy on declared cautions or convictions is supportive and undertaken in utmost confidentiality. We need to ask you about your caution or conviction so we understand any possible impact on your studies or future career, and can advise you accordingly. 

We send instructions on how to complete your DBS Enhanced Check application after A Level results day in August. The University of Leeds pays for this. Please see the section below on Confirmation and Clearing for more information.

Social Work BA offer holders must also complete a Declaration of Health and Character. If you are holding a Firm offer with us, we will send this to you within the period after the UCAS deadline for making your Firm and Insurance choices as a secure online form. If Leeds is your Insurance choice, we will send it to you if you are placed with us in August.

3b. Occupational Health

We will send you an online health screening questionnaire to complete after your results have been received and we have confirmed your place on the course. For most people, this will be on or very soon after A level results day. If you have an Unconditional offer and decide to go Firm with us, this will be after the UCAS deadline for you to reply to all your offers, in June. If you receive your results before A level results day, and meet or exceed the conditions of your offer, we will send it to you soon after receiving your results. 

The questionnaire requires you to upload your immunisation records. You will be asked to respond within seven days. Therefore, we strongly advise you request this from your GP’s surgery as soon as you can, so you have it ready before you receive the questionnaire. This will prevent any delay in you being provisionally cleared to start your course.

Only the health professionals within Occupational Health will see your answers. If they need more information after reviewing the information you provide, they will get in contact with you directly to arrange an appointment.

If you have any concerns about your health that you think might affect your suitability for your course, please read the NMC's guidance on health and character. You can also get in touch with the University’s Equality Team.

Please complete the questionnaire promptly, and ensure you return any missed calls from Occupational Health. You will not be able to complete your registration with the University of Leeds until Occupational Health have cleared you.

4. Confirmation and Clearing

If you used your school or college email address on your UCAS application, we strongly advise you to update this to a personal one before results day. This will ensure you do not miss out on important email updates from us after your school or college email account is deactivated. You do not need to notify us of the change – if you update this in your UCAS Hub it will automatically update in our systems.

Most applicants find out if they have a place with us in August, on results day. If you receive your results before, we can confirm your place provided you have met or exceeded the conditions of your offer. You may email us to provide evidence in the form of a certificate or transcript.

While we are sometimes able to accept people who have missed their offer conditions by a grade or achieved equivalent grades (e.g. ABC where your offer was BBB), we usually have to wait until results day to confirm. This enables us to consider everybody and make the fairest choices.

If we have Clearing places, we will check you meet our entry requirements on the phone when you call us. If so, we will invite you to a virtual panel interview, which is likely to be on the same day. We aim to notify you of our decision within 24 hours of your interview.

Once we have accepted you onto your chosen course, we will send you full instructions to apply for a DBS enhanced check. When your DBS application is complete, you will receive a certificate in the post. Please ensure you bring this to Leeds, and keep it safe. We cannot produce a copy, and you may be asked to present it as evidence of clearing when you go on placement. If you lose your certificate, you will need to complete a further application to obtain a replacement, which you will be liable to pay for. The current fee for an enhanced DBS check is £38.

When your DBS application is complete you will receive a certificate in the post. Please ensure you bring this to Leeds and keep it somewhere safe. We cannot produce a copy and you may be asked to present it as evidence of clearance when you go on placement. If you lose your certificate, you will need to complete a further application to obtain a replacement, which you will be liable to pay for. The current fee for an enhanced DBS check is £38.

If you are on the DBS Update Service, please email us a scan of your DBS certificate once your place is confirmed. Please don’t send us one earlier than this. If we can verify you are on the update service for an enhanced check, you won’t have to apply for a new one. However, if we can’t verify your certificate, we’ll ask you to complete a new application via our system.

If you have an in-date DBS enhanced certificate from recent employment or a voluntary position, but you are not on the DBS Update Service, we’ll still require to ask you to apply for a new DBS enhanced check via the University of Leeds.

If you get an offer through Clearing, we will send you both Occupational Health (see above) and DBS instructions right away. Please ensure you follow the instructions as quickly as possible. This will prevent any delay in you being able to go on your first placements.

Then we await your arrival on Fresher’s Week. Induction information and your timetable will be sent at the beginning of September.

Wishing you the very best of luck with your application!
Admissions Team, School of Healthcare
admissions@healthcare.leeds.ac.uk