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Higher education

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Original poster

School charging for UCAS applications?!

29 replies

MrsPigling · 09/12/2016 18:04

dd1 is trying to convince me that school have charged her £24 to submit her UCAS application Shock

This is a state upper school and she's a full time student (not sitting A levels as external candidate or anything complicated). Admittedly she repeated year 12, so is sort of in year 14, but even so is students / parents having to pay for UCAS a thing?

The school haven't mentioned this before. I went to the UCAS application info evening and have checked the website and can't see anything.

Has anyone else been charged by school? ShockShock

OP posts:
LIZS · 09/12/2016 18:06

Yes i think there is a fee.

GetAHaircutCarl · 09/12/2016 18:10

Yes, there is definitely a fee.

Both my two applied in this cycle and I recall them asking for credit card details.

mudandmayhem01 · 09/12/2016 18:13

Ucas have charged your daughter, not the school. Some schools use a students pupil premium money to cover this charge. So unless your daughter is PP she has to pay. A sixth form of 100 students- £2400, a lot of money for a sixth form to find.

Original poster
MrsPigling · 09/12/2016 18:15

OK :) I understand there is a fee, just thought if the school wanted us to pay it, they'd have mentioned it before now. My first thought was that dd was trying to pull a fast one....!

thanks all :)

OP posts:
titchy · 09/12/2016 18:15

She's telling the truth!

goodbyestranger · 09/12/2016 18:19

Why would you think the service UCAS provides is free?

goodbyestranger · 09/12/2016 18:20

Cross post, sorry.

Decorhate · 09/12/2016 18:21

Usually the parent/pupil pays online at some stage of the application process. I think in dire straits the school would pay or would pay & ask to be reimbursed

FuzzyWizard · 09/12/2016 18:22

I work in a school with a sixth form. As I understand it students pay UCAS directly. As I a school we have no involvement at all in the payment part and a student can't send a UCAS form until they have paid though. We make it clear to students at the outset though. We have hardship funds to help with certain costs but I've not known a student claim for the UCAS fee, although train fares to interviews or open days often get paid for out of the hardship fund. (Pupil Premium doesn't apply at VI form) If cost was an issue I know we would pay though.

MerylPeril · 09/12/2016 18:23

I paid for mine in the early 90s!

EvilTwins · 09/12/2016 18:25

There are two options on the UCAS form - either pay centre (i.e. The school) in which case the school pays and the student reimburses the school, or pay by credit card. It's £12 for one choice (I think) or £24 for up to 5.

Original poster
MrsPigling · 09/12/2016 18:27

We can afford the £24, just came as a surprise!

She's my first child young person to apply to UCAS and school hadn't mentioned it before. The first I heard about the ££ was when she can home and asked me for the money, which is a recurring theme(!) so I wanted to check if this was a real thing before handing ££ over. :)

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsPigling · 09/12/2016 18:27

MerylPeril your memory is obviously much better than mine!

OP posts:
MerylPeril · 09/12/2016 18:38

Actually I lie - my dad paid.
I remember because it was a separate charge for unis and polys!

Laniakea · 09/12/2016 18:50

I remember sending off my £10 postal order with my UCCA form all those years ago Grin

OublietteBravo · 09/12/2016 18:52

I had to send a crossed postal order for £12 with my UCAS form. I think it is normal to pay, and £24 seems about right.

BookHunter · 10/12/2016 18:22

Yes definitely £24

SueDunome · 10/12/2016 21:58

I'd be surprised if the school has paid the money upfront on her behalf, that would be very costly depending on the number of students in the year. When ds did this last year, we paid it directly online, so there was no handing over of physical cash to the school.

EvilTwins · 10/12/2016 22:00

Sue that's what my school does! There is an expectation that students will bring the money in but many of them do the form or at least have it checked in school before sending it off and don't have a credit card with them.

EnormousTiger · 11/12/2016 09:15

I wish we could register at a state school (when we have paid private school fees for 13 years) just to get our children to take exams and register for UCAS free - it would seem a very small concession for we 500,000 parents who relieve the state of the £5k cost a year each of those children would have cost in the state system. And yes we had to pay - private school.

Sneery · 11/12/2016 17:10

EnormousTiger. I presume you could have sent your kids to the local state school if you had wanted. 🤔

Ifailed · 11/12/2016 17:16

EnormousTiger
Absolutely. Likewise, those of us whose children don't suffer from serious illness should be able to push to the front of the queue at the Drs or Hospital as we haven't cost the NHS £1000s of pounds with our selfish & ill family.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 11/12/2016 17:16

Miss Piggling it's a bit sad that your knee jerk reaction seems to be that your daughter is trying to steal from you.

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