Corporate Strategy 2020-25

With UCAS, You can...

discover your future

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With UCAS, You can... Discover your future

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We’re driven by our
strategic objectives

  • Empower people to discover the next step on their learning journey by providing accessible, insightful and inspirational information, advice and guidance across all higher education pathways.
  • Be an innovator and reformer delivering a trusted, flexible and growing admissions and connection service that can adapt to the needs of our customers.
  • Be an expert, data led voice on the student journey to inform the UK’s approach to higher education and apprenticeships, especially in relation to improving the support for disadvantaged applicants.
  • Be a global gateway to higher education in the UK.
  • Deliver an efficient and joined up service that delivers value to its customers, while also generating income from commercial activities in support of UCAS’ charitable objectives and ambitions.
  • Be an employer of choice where colleagues feel they can flourish, perform, achieve and belong.

With UCAS, You can... connect to more possibilities

At the heart of our new strategy is our revised vision to connect you to your future. In the period 2020–2025, we will augment existing services, and develop new ones to support individuals in accessing apprenticeships, modular study (including part-time and distance learning), and Level 4/5 provision. However, we will not seek to be all things to all people – our new services will be developed in response to strong value propositions, and we will actively manage product lifecycles to maximise efficiencies.

While this five year period is bringing change and challenge, it is an exciting time for us at UCAS and all of you, our customers. We look forward to continuing to work together to deliver our strategic objectives, inspiring hundreds of thousands more individuals to discover their future.

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With UCAS, You can... thrive in a changing world

Looking ahead to 2025, the rate of external change is likely to continue. There is growing political interest in reshaping admissions to boost progress towards widening access and participation goals and education. We can expect to see the introduction of new technical qualifications and progression routes, a greater focus on the wider skills agenda, and a continuing focus on the use of data to inform and drive individual and organisational choices. These changes will take place in a global and increasingly competitive education market.

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With UCAS, You can... share our sense of purpose

We’re focused on our core purpose

We are resolute in the pursuit of our core purpose – to run an accessible, trusted, and personalised undergraduate admissions and information service. This remains our heartland and is where we will prioritise our efforts to deliver our new application management service, UCAS Sync. This platform is designed to deliver efficiencies for you, our university and college customers, keeping pace with changing market forces or regulatory requirements. We will also invest in our UCAS Hub, to help students make informed choices.

We’re guided by
our principles

  • Student-centric and customer-focused.
  • Provide insight-driven and transparent services.
  • Personalise and offer flexibility where it adds value.
  • Support everyone with the potential to benefit from education and training.
  • Respect and value the diversity and autonomy of customers.
  • Drive growth and streamline delivery through innovation and partnership.
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We’re shaped by
our values

  • Be ambitious.
  • Be smart.
  • Be inclusive.
  • Be trusted.
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With UCAS, You can... achieve what you’re aiming for

By 2025, we want to support our customers to experience the following outcomes through using our services.

As an individual, you can:

  • Receive dynamic, personalised information and advice from UCAS and partners, based on your individual preferences and circumstances.
  • Use UCAS services to explore a large and diverse range of study opportunities in the UK, ranging from undergraduate, apprenticeship and modular (including part-time and distance learning) opportunities.
  • Be inspired to make aspirational choices, realising your potential.
  • Connect with and apply to opportunities, but also make yourself available to education and training providers.

As an education and training provider, you can:

  • Have an engaging and flexible platform to market a large and diverse range of study opportunities, and to connect and build relationships with individuals.
  • Use UCAS services to streamline and automate elements of the admissions process.
  • Access real-time admissions information, which enables you to make fair, timely, and accurate admissions decisions..
  • Be supported in achieving your widening access and participation goals through the provision of analysis and insights.
  • Use UCAS’ commercial consultancy and data services to achieve your strategic aims.
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As an adviser , you can:

  • Access information about qualification and admissions requirements for a large and diverse range of education and training opportunities in the UK.
  • Access information tools to help your students make aspirational decisions, and to make effective applications.
  • Have real-time insight into your students’ application journeys.
  • Understand how your students’ progression compares using analytical products and services.
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As an employer , you can:

  • Get your apprenticeship or graduate job seen, and the story you want to tell heard.
  • Access a broad talent pool of engaged, high quality candidates from all backgrounds.
  • Promote apprenticeships and early careers side-by-side with university/college.
  • Connect with your future talent at the right time on the right channels, throughout their decision-making journey.

As a UCAS employee, you can:

  • Come to work feeling inspired to perform to the best of your ability..
  • Know that your contribution is respected, valued, and rewarded appropriately..
  • Be trusted to make informed decisions and take appropriate risks..
  • Understand what is expected of you, and take accountability for your performance..
  • Have a range of development opportunities available to help you reach your full potential.
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With UCAS, You can... be a part of it

This strategy is correct as of publication and will guide us through to 2025. One way we will track our progress is through the annual UCAS Impact Report, as well as continually tracking key performance indicators through our annual cycle.

We would love to hear your feedback on this strategy. Please email communications@ucas.ac.uk to let us know your thoughts.

With UCAS, You can...

discover your future