UCAS Application Guide

What your UCAS application will include:

• A list of all your academic achievements, including any pending qualifications
• A Personal Statement, split into three questions (minimum of 350 characters each)
• A reference from your teacher, tutor or employer

If you’re applying to university for 2027 entry, your UCAS personal statement is split into three sections, with each section asking a different question to help you structure your answers.

The three questions are designed to help you showcase your motivations, experience and suitability for your chosen course. Each section has a minimum character count of 350, and your answers across all three sections must not exceed 4,000 characters in total (including spaces).

You’ll see character counters for each section, along with guidance in the UCAS application to help you shape your answers.

The Three Questions

1. Why do you want to study this course or subject?

This is your chance to show what excites you about the subject you’re applying for.

Think about:

• Specific areas of the course or industry that interest you
• Your personal journey and what led you here
• Where this course could take you in the future
• Books, blogs, podcasts, or articles you’ve explored
• Your career aspirations and how this subject fits in

2. How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Use this section to reflect on your education so far.

You could include:

• Relevant subjects, modules, or topics you’ve studied
• Music, music technology or performance modules you’ve taken
• Assignments or projects you’ve enjoyed
• Independent research or reading you’ve done around the subject
• Skills you’ve developed through coursework or exams

3. What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Here’s where you can show the bigger picture – your experience beyond the classroom.

For example:

• Work experience or volunteering
• Creative or personal projects
• Clubs, societies, or extracurricular activities
• Travel, languages, and leadership roles
• Challenges you’ve overcome or goals you’ve worked towards

Top tips

Keep it honest, relevant and clear. Make sure you answer each question properly and use your own voice. Write a first draft in a separate document so you can plan, edit and proofread it before you add it to your application.

Check your spelling and grammar – and don’t be afraid to ask someone you trust to check your work before you submit it.

What not to Include

Please don’t include any information about support or access requirements in your personal statement. There’s a dedicated section on the UCAS form for this, which ensures the right support teams at BIMM University can help you.

Here are our available courses with their corresponding UCAS code:

When we receive your UCAS application, we’ll invite you for an audition or interview. If it’s not possible for you to attend in person, other options available include a Zoom interview or a demo submission. If you meet the entry criteria for the course you’ve selected, we’ll offer you a place.

After you’ve applied via UCAS, you’ll be invited to attend an audition or interview. If it’s not possible for you to attend in person, other options available include a Zoom interview or portfolio or demo submission.

If your audition/interview is successful, we’ll provide you with a ‘conditional offer’ (which means it’s pending until we receive your exam results and certificates) or an ‘unconditional offer’ (meaning you’ve met the entry criteria for the course and don’t need to give us any additional information).

Your offer will be announced via UCAS’s ‘Hub’ facility.

Once you have submitted and paid for your UCAS  application, you will then be able to view any changes or updates made to your application via UCAS Hub. This is where you will be able to view any offers that you may have received and any conditions associated with this.

Your offer and conditions

If you are made a conditional offer on UCAS, it is important that you take the time to read the conditions of your offer carefully, as an offer from BIMM Music Institute could include any or all of the following- each of these will need to be met/evidenced before your offer can be made Unconditional:

• Academic qualifications- Level 3 (such as A Levels) and Level 2 (such as GCSE English)
• Passing an RPP Submission- this will be set for mature applicants in lieu of Level 3 qualifications or if Level 3 attainment does not meet requirements
• Passing RPL (Year 2 entry only)
• Attending an audition/interview and receiving a recommendation
• Copy of your UK passport
• Evidence of Immigration Status
• A reference- if you did not provide one on your UCAS application

Accepting your offer

You will only be able to accept your offer once you have received decisions from all of your choices. If you have applied to more than one institution and would like to accept an offer made by BIMM, but are unable to, then it is likely that you are waiting for a decision from another choice and it may be worth contacting them directly.

You do not have to have met the conditions of your offer before you accept it. Your offer will remain Conditional Firm (CF) until you have provided evidence that all conditions have been met. Often, this will be once you receive your exam results.

Depending on when you receive all of your offers, you will have a deadline to respond. This information will be available to view on your UCAS Hub.

There are a number of important dates to be aware of if you are applying for an undergraduate course through UCAS. These deadlines are set by UCAS for all applicants using the service, and we are unable to amend these.

You will receive correspondence from UCAS to remind you of any important dates and will also be able to view any deadlines that you might have, by logging into your UCAS Hub.

Some of the most important dates for you to be aware of for the 2027/28 cycle are:

• 13 January 2027, 18:00 – UCAS Equal Consideration deadline. This is the deadline for most undergraduate applications to be considered equally by universities and colleges. Applications can still be submitted after this date, but universities are not required to give them equal consideration.
• 25 February 2027 – UCAS Extra opens. If you’ve used all five choices and aren’t holding any offers, you may be able to add another choice through Extra.
• 2 June 2027 – If you receive decisions from all of your choices by 12 May 2027, you must reply to your offers by this date. If you miss the deadline, your offers will be declined.
• 30 June 2027, 18:00 – UCAS main application period closes. Applications received after this point are automatically entered into Clearing.
• 2 July 2027 – Clearing opens. Clearing vacancies become available through UCAS, and eligible applicants can begin using the Clearing process.
• 21 July 2027 – If you receive decisions from all of your choices by 14 July 2027, you must reply to your offers by this date. If you miss the deadline, your offers will be declined.