Undergraduate Admissions 2012
Introduction
This is a formal document describing our admission policy, and is by necessity legalistic in tone. We would like to reassure applicants that your applications are dealt with on their merits, and we are always very happy to answer your queries.
The degree courses we offer, with UCAS course codes, are:
Computing Science:
- BSc (Hons) Computer Science [G400]
- BSc (Hons) Software Engineering [G600]
- BSc (Hons) Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence [G4G7]
- BSc (Hons) Computer Science with Games Technology [G490]
Applied Computing:
- BSc (Hons) Business Computing Systems [G422]
- BSc (Hons) Information Systems [G501]
A Placement or Professional Pathway is compulsory for students on the Business Computing Systems and Software Engineering degrees; exemption from a compulsory placement may be granted exceptionally if the applicant has at least two years IT work experience at the level expected of a placement student. Otherwise the offer will be for a four-year sandwich degree.
Admission is to a common first year of study. At the end of the first year of study, students may transfer to another programme route above, if they so wish. The only caveat is that owing to the specialist equipment required it is possible, though unlikely, that transfers to some programme routes, eg Computer Science with Games Technology, may be restricted.
Our degrees have full exemption from the British Computer Society's professional examinations (Certificate, Diploma and Graduate Diploma) as well as the Graduate Diploma Project, and are partially accredited for Chartered Engineer. This is the highest level of accreditation available for honours degrees.
Applicants can find out more about our programme by contacting the admissions team and from departmental and university undergraduate brochures which are available on request.
UCAS Entry Profiles and the university undergraduate prospectus have to be prepared well in advance (up to a year) of the admissions round they refer to. Therefore, advertised requirements sometimes have to be made in the context of a changing situation before all facts are available. We remind the reader that the stated requirements in this and earlier publications are (i) for guidance; (ii) given in good faith; and (iii) subject to change. As we have been active in monitoring external developments some changes may have been made to our requirements from the last round; they may change again. The current entry requirements will be displayed on the university's website.
Aims and overview of our Admissions Policy
City University London offers demanding, professionally-oriented computing degree, with a commitment to academic excellence and strong employability outcomes. The aims of our admissions policy are:
- To identify and attract able students who can succeed and benefit from the demands of our courses;
- To consider all applicants solely on their merits;
- To act in the best interests of applicants;
- To ensure that applicants are able to make an informed choice about whether to join one of our courses;
- To process applications and enquiries with efficiency and courtesy.
The entrance requirements aspects of our policies are discussed here. They focus mainly on the first two aims and to some extent the third (as we endeavor to avoid admitting students who cannot cope with the demands of the course).
The fourth of the aims is addressed through literature such as this document and the course brochure, the undergraduate prospectus, and open days that aim to provide applicants with the knowledge they need to make an informed choice about whether to accept our offer.
The fifth aim is met by our policy and internal procedures that aim to make decisions as promptly as possible, without compromising the quality of decision-making. This is not discussed here.
The standards we require are equal for all routes of study.
We operate a policy of applying common entrance requirements for all undergraduate degrees offered in the Department of Computing. Entry is to the first year only.
The modern IT profession requires mentally agile, broadly educated graduates with a combination of technological expertise and wider business awareness and interpersonal skills. As such, though we wish to ensure that students are prepared for a technological degree, we also wish to attract a diverse intake so to best reflect the future IT profession and enhance the educational experience.
Academic qualifications in the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) are preferred generally. For qualifications outside the QCF we draw equivalences with QCF qualifications. We may accept applicants with relevant vocational/occupational qualifications, though with more stringent requirements if considered necessary.
Our standard offers for various common entrant profiles are described below. Unless stated otherwise, conditional offers are the subject of the text below (i.e. the applicant has yet to obtain the qualification presented on the UCAS form). Applicants seeking unconditional offers are discussed later.
We make an offer when the reference, expected/obtained grades, personal statement, etc have all been carefully considered and deemed appropriate. Therefore, the above should not be taken to mean that we will automatically accept or make offers to any applicant who has the above profile - a decision will be reached by considering the application as a whole.
Applicants and schools should note that factors such as relevant work experience, a well-written personal statement that shows motivation and detailed academic references that honestly describe the applicant's academic potential (i.e. not "template" references) are read and considered and can positively influence the likelihood of being accepted onto our courses.
The Standard Conditional Offer
Our standard conditional offer is 360 UCAS Tariff points excluding Key Skills (e.g. AAA or ABB plus extra AS at grade C). There are additional criteria we apply in assessing candidates that this document describes.
This admissions policy aims to allow us the freedom to take factors other than grades into account (such as motivation, relevant work experience, etc). (As a guide, the median intake for 2011 entry is estimated at the time of publication to be 340 Tariff Points).
Also, the subject mix offered for computing degrees is wide and this needs to be taken into account. For example, a science/maths portfolio will be preferred over an IT plus arts/humanities profile (and a high grade in IT would help in the second case).
In short, the standard offer indicates the level at which we would usually consider accepting an applicant with a minimal science/technical bias in the subjects on grades alone, before other factors are taken into account.
The stated requirements refer to conditional offers. No precise guidelines can be given to those already holding qualifications and seeking an unconditional offer, but we will give full consideration to applications even where grades fall slightly short of our published requirements for conditional offers.
All such applications will be considered on their merits, taking the whole qualifications portfolio, personal statement and reference into account. On occasion, we may ask for an interview or additional information. The guidance given in the section standard conditional offer above is also indicative for unconditional offers.
We do not usually interview applicants unless we feel there is a good reason to do so. The most common cause for interview is if the applicant has extensive, relevant work experience or is offering non-standard qualifications that merit further investigation. We will usually interview applicants who apply in UCAS Clearing.
If we receive an application where we feel additional information would aid us in our decision making, we may ask an applicant or the school or college to provide us with additional information. Therefore please ensure that your contact details held on UCAS Track are kept up to date, and that email is read regularly.
Open Days and recruitment events
All applicants who are made an offer you will be invited to an open day in February, March or April. Pre-application events and "taster days" are also hosted by the university. All open days are listed here.
We only accept applications via the UCAS system.
We will process late applications at our discretion if there was a valid reason for missing the deadline (e.g, an international applicant may be unaware of the deadlines imposed by UCAS, have different school calendars, or may not have had the means to apply before).
UK students currently taking qualifications in UK schools/colleges will be considered to have known the mid-January UCAS deadline and a convincing reason would be necessary if they submitted a late application.
Minimum requirements (including GCSE)
There are a number of criteria that must be met for us to make a conditional offer to an applicant. After that we consider the personal statement, academic reference, and expected/obtained grades to decide whether to make an offer. In the case of applicants offering alternative qualifications we will look for a similar level of attainment in their educational history.
Student applying on the basis of work experience are treated on a case-by-case basis (see later). In general we still need these criteria to be met and be of the same standard as our A-level intake, but we are flexible in looking at evidence as regards work experience etc, to establish whether they meet them.
We express most of these criteria in terms of UK A-levels and GCSEs, but apply these principles to other qualifications (e.g. Scottish Standard Grades and Highers).
None of our degrees require A-level mathematics. However study of mathematical/numerate subjects at A-level will be viewed very positively. Computing is a numerate discipline and this means that we require (the equivalent of) a minimum of a grade C in GCSE Mathematics.
The literacy criterion
Effective IT professionals must be good communicators, able to articulate their ideas to both clients and colleagues; these skills are also necessary to succeed on a degree course. Therefore we require (the equivalent of) a minimum of grade C in GCSE English.
The depth and breadth criteria
Departmental policy is that we will require at least the equivalent of three A-levels worth of study (excluding Key Skills and "excluded" subjects - see later) or which at least two subjects are studied to A2. Students require this to meet the demanding nature of our degrees.
We prefer to see at least one, preferably more, science, technology, mathematics GCE A-levels (or 2 AS). The guide to relative subject importance gives further guidance on this requirement. This is so we can judge an applicant's potential for a technological degree, while not discouraging applicants from taking a broad range of subjects.
However, we will consider applications not meeting this criterion and will judge them on their merits; additional factors such as relevant technological work experience and/or self study of computing would be useful in this case.
The motivation criterion
We wish to recruit students who have a passion for technology and understand what taking a technological computing degree involves.
The personal statement and reference are used as the main determiner of motivation. Of course taking Computing (and to a lesser extent ICT) in the subject mix is useful in this regard but is not necessary if motivation is shown in other ways.
Any computing or technology self-study (say programming) or relevant work experience will be viewed positively and should be covered in the personal statement (and carries additional weight if corroborated in the reference).
To clarify, we are looking for motivation for the study of computing in general and so we do not expect students to justify which area of computing they wish to focus on unless they wish to (as we have a common first year for our computing degrees, applicants have that year to decide in any case).
We may reject applicants who do not convince us of their motivation, irrespective of their educational attainment. The most common case involves applicants for Business Computing Systems applying with a personal statement directed at a Business Studies or Management degree.
If applicants are applying for more than one subject in their UCAS form (say mathematics and computing) as they are interested in both at this stage then our advice is to say this up-front in the application as this will invite us to seek more information.
In UCAS applications, as in life, honesty is the best policy.
Principles
We have adopted the UCAS tariff. The reason is to encourage breath of study in a consistent manner. In the context of flexibility, we consider the Tariff suitable for the reasons below.
- We support breadth of study, so it is right that it has full weight in our offer.
- We would consider grades A*AB to be as good as grades AAA. The Tariff covers this elegantly, whereas a grade-based offer would be cumbersome.
- In some cases we will be presented with two full A-levels and three AS. Which two AS do we count to be consistent with an offer based on three full A-levels?
As a guideline for the Tariff, we accept all academic qualifications, graded vocational qualifications of a technical or highly numerate nature only. We exclude ungraded awards and all others (e.g. Key Skills, NVQs).
Lists of qualifications we include/exclude from Tariff offers are given later.
Note that in the Tariff, here is no ceiling on the points you can accumulate, nine grade Es is equivalent to three grade As. For this reason we may exclude subjects if more than the equivalent of 4 A-levels have been offered, or ask for a grade in specific subject(s).
Some subjects are excluded or counted at half tariff value (see the section on subject preferences / restrictions), as we do not recognise them as good indicators of academic ability, or that they would distort the offer unfairly.
Applicants should be reassured that performance in excluded subjects will be taken into account if the applicant falls short of our stated offer.
Key Skills (and related qualifications)
Key Skills are excluded from an offer as we feel that their presence in the Tariff is distorting for the following reasons:
- A large number of schools/colleges are not offering Key Skills, so including Key Skills in offers, or making them a requirement, would be unfair to many applicants.
- Some subjects provide exception from particular Key Skills (or parts of them). Such "double counting" means that certain subjects have an inherently greater value; we think this is unfair.
- There are other ways of demonstrating key skills other than the official certification. For example, we consider ECDL to demonstrate the same competencies as IT Key Skill at Level 3; the Tariff does not. Again, we feel this disregard of other key skill evidence is unfair.
- Key Skills measure competence in areas felt useful by employers (e.g. literacy). Though this is desirable, Key Skills do not measure academic ability in the same way as the GCE, and should not be included in the same measurement (i.e. points score).
- Finally, the 60 Tariff points available for the three main Key Skills at level 3 counts the same as an AS at grade A. We do not consider this equivalence valid.
Key Skills are not considered equivalent to GCSE Mathematics and English for the purposes of the literacy and numeracy criteria above.
Qualifications Included in a Tariff Offer
Given the guidelines above, we include the following qualifications in a Tariff offer.
- GCE/AVCE AS/A-levels
- International Baccalaureate (Certificate and Diploma)
- BTEC Nationals - note subject requirements
- OCR Nationals - note subject requirements
- Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers/National Certificates
- Advanced/Progression Diploma - note subject requirements
- Advanced Extension Awards
- Advanced Placement Programme (North America)
- Cambridge Pre-U
- Extended Project (Stand-alone)
- Free Standing Mathematics Qualification
- Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
- OCR iPro (IT Professionals)
- Irish Leaving Certificate
- OCR Level 3 Certificate in Mathematics for Engineering
- Principal Learning Wales
- Scottish Interdisciplinary Project.
Qualifications Excluded in a Tariff Offer
Key Skills are excluded from an offer as we feel that their presence in the Tariff is distorting for the following reasons:
- AAT NVQ 3 in Accounting
- Arts Award (Gold)
- ASDAN Community Volunteering Qualification
- Asset Languages Advanced Stage
- All Equestrian Qualifications
- CACHE Level 3 Award
- CISI Introduction to Securities and Investment
- EDI Level 3 Certificate in Accounting
- IFS School of Finance Certificate and Diploma in Financial Studies
- Key Skills
- Cambridge ESOL Qualifications
- CoPE
- Diploma in Fashion Retail
- Diploma in Foundation Studies
- Essential Skills (Northern Ireland and Wales)
- Functional Skills
- Higher Sports Leader Award
- OCR iMedia
- Key Skills
- Music Examinations
- NPTC Level 3 Land Based Qualifications
- OCR Level 3 Certificate for Young Enterprise
- Scottish NPA PC Passport, Intermediate 2, Standard Grades and Core Skills.
- Speech and Drama Examinations
- Welsh Baccalaureate Core (as based on a collection of Key Skills)
Academic Qualifications (eg A-levels, Highers)
Our approach is to benchmark against UK A-levels and then use the Tariff to formulate offers for other academic qualifications using the Tariff as a guide where possible.
Subject preferences/restrictions
General Studies is excluded from our offers.
Foreign language A-levels/Highers are designed for non-native speakers, so mother tongue speakers will be at a strong (and we feel unfair) advantage so we count at half the Tariff points. If the language is not the applicant's mother tongue we will need to see a letter from their school/college, before we decide to consider it otherwise.
To prevent double counting the BTEC (and similar vocational qualifications), and GCE in IT/ICT are considered to be the same qualification. The same applies to Business (Studies). Applicants may take Computing and IT/ICT together.
Applicants are encouraged to contact us for guidance if they are unsure.
A guide to relative subject importance
Guidance as regards how we view difference subjects is given below. We require at least one, preferably more, science, technology, mathematics A-level (or equivalent) subjects from categories 1-3 below. This guideline is applied across other qualifications.
- Most Relevant: All Mathematics subjects (e.g. Pure Mathematics, Statistics)
- Highly Relevant: Computing, Electronics, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, General Science, other "hard" science subjects
- Relevant: IT/ICT, Biology, Psychology, Economics, other "soft" science subjects
- Less Relevant: Music, Sociology, Business, Geography, other humanities subjects
- Least Relevant: Art, History, English, Languages (if applicant is a native speaker at half points), other arts subjects
- Not Accepted: General Studies.
In general the more scientific/numerate a subject, then the stronger indicator it is of your potential to succeed on one of our degrees.
Applicants presenting arts/humanities-only profiles
Strong arts/humanities-only applicants may be made an offer at our discretion. We will look for clear motivation for a computing degree and good relevant GCSE grades (at least B in mathematics and a science). Relevant work experience and self-study of computing are also positive factors.
BTEC and OCR Nationals, Advanced Diploma
Our standard conditional offers for BTEC and OCR Nationals (at level 3) are benchmarked against A-levels via the comparisons drawn in the UCAS tariff point system.
A standard offer of DDD for the BTEC National applies where this leads to a simpler offer; in other cases we will use the Tariff standard offer above.
Mixtures of BTEC/OCR Nationals and A-levels are acceptable according to the Tariff's rules of combination.
We usually require the BTEC/OCR National to be in IT, Science or Engineering, unless the science bias criterion is already satisfied by accompanying qualifications.
We apply a similar policy to the Advanced Diploma. In order to satisfy the breadth criterion, Additional and Specialist Learning (ASL) based on a qualification we count on the Tariff is required. The Progression Diploma on its own is not sufficient. Applicants are therefore advised to make sure that the ASL is clearly indicated on their application.
BTEC Higher National (Certificate/Diploma)
BTEC Higher Nationals are accepted for first year entry only with a Merit profile in ICT, science, or engineering subjects. Exceptionally business or other subjects may be accepted (but we would be looking for clear motivation for a computing degree such as other relevant qualifications or work experience).
Our standard conditional offer will be merit overall, over the entire qualification. We will focus closely on the quantitative and programming unit grades when making our decision.
Occupational qualifications (e.g. NVQs, City & Guilds) and Access courses
IT-related NVQs (level 3 or above) and Apprenticeships are only considered for applicants with strong prior work experience (go to this section) with strong relevant work experience (at least three years). We rarely accept applicants through this route.
City and Guilds qualifications are normally considered as NVQs at the same level, though we note the exam based assessment sometimes used.
A similar policy exists regarding access courses. Offers are normally made on the basis of the course supplementing other positive factors such as work experience, rather than it being sufficient for entry as a stand-alone qualification. Distinction level performance will be required in any case.
For candidates without work experience, these qualifications will be considered as providing supplementary information.
Applicants with these qualifications will often be asked for additional information such as a CV and might be interviewed; offers are made on a case-by-case basis.
Common IT industry qualifications
Our policy is to treat as far as possible other industry qualifications (such as MCSE, CISCO, A+) as NVQs, though we reserve the right to establish the equivalencies ourselves. This process is ongoing and we are actively following developments.
We recognise that applicants with wider experience potentially have much to offer both intellectually and in providing a positive and diverse contribution to the social and cultural mix of the undergraduate cohort. We are naturally eager to attract, select, and recruit high-quality students from this source.
We are also acutely aware that these applicants have much at stake in embarking on a degree, both personally and financially, and that failure to complete a degree course could well have particularly severe and detrimental effects on their careers and families. We aim to ensure that students we admit through this route are capable of passing through the degree, in order to act in their best interests.
Therefore such applications are dealt with on their merits on an individual basis, but the following are factors we consider.
· At least three years in a relevant numerate, managerial or technical position (at least NVQ 3 equivalent).
· Relevant (usually certificated) training and skills.
· Prior educational attainment.
Applicants with these qualifications will often be asked for additional information such as a CV and might be interviewed; offers are made on a case-by-case basis.
Advanced entry
We do not operate advanced entry except with institutions where we have made a prior arrangement.
Exchange/Study Abroad
These are distinct from advanced entry as we are in effect providing credit for a degree awarded by another institution; exchange/study abroad students are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants apply direct for this, and not through UCAS. Students interested in exchange need to first contact the exchanges office in their home institution who should then contact the Exchanges Office at City. Students interested in joining as a fee-paying Study Abroad student should contact the Study Abroad Office directly.
Overseas applications
We strongly encourage and welcome applications from overseas applicants. We recognise that the presence of good overseas students on our degrees has positive benefits for all, both culturally and academically.
Our policy is to make offers to overseas applicants on the basis of equivalence with the entrance requirements for our UK intake. We examine each application on its own merits, make use of UCAS and the NARIC service to establish equivalencies, and/or take advice from our International Office.
Overseas applicants should note that qualifications for university entrance in their own countries are not necessarily of the standard required for entrance to UK universities. This misunderstanding is a common reason why we are obliged to reject overseas applicants. In this case, some form of bridging qualification would be required. We therefore advise that overseas applicants seek guidance before applying.
Please note that our International Office is overseas throughout the year attending exhibitions in numerous countries and that details of visits can be found on their web pages.
Note that City University recognizes a number of foundation years for international students; please contact us for details. We may require applicants to provide us with details, syllabuses, etc for their foundation course as part of the selection process.
The International Office, Central Admissions Office or ourselves, are happy to advise on the above (though email or written enquiries are preferred). The British Council is also a good source of advice. Of course, though we can tell you whether your qualifications are comparable to UK A-levels, no definite indication of whether an offer will be made can be given before we receive a UCAS form.
We normally request that overseas applicants provide proof of English language proficiency, such as an approved test (e.g. IELTS band 6.0 or equivalent). We are strict on this aspect of the application; it is not open to negotiation. Applicants should contact the admissions team for advice if they are unsure.
It is often necessary to ask overseas applicants to provide additional information.
Applicants already holding/studying for an UK HE qualification
In all cases a policy similar to that for the BTEC HNC/HND applies. First year entry is the only option. The equivalencies we apply are as follows:
- Certificate of HE/1st Year of UK degree: broadly equivalent to HNC
- Diploma of HE/2nd Year of UK degree: broadly equivalent to HND
- The subject taken and the university are relevant factors in our decision making. We will look very closely at the quantitative and technological/scientific module results.
Applicants who hold an UK honours degree or equivalent may wish to consider taking a masters degree aimed at graduates in subjects other than Computing. City University offers several such courses that may meet your needs. We would be happy to advise you of your options, so please get in touch.
Re-sits and foundation courses
There are legitimate reasons why an applicant may have failed to meet their potential the first time around, so we look at the first re-sit of an A-level (or equivalent) without prejudice to the applicant. In all cases, it is worth covering any extenuating circumstances in the personal statement.
In the case of UK students offering GCSE/Standard Grade English and Mathematics we will need to see a convincing reason as to why these were not passed by the end of year 12 and the re-sit must be offered on the application; otherwise the application may be summarily rejected.
We will consider applicants from Foundation Courses of UK universities in a mathematical, technological or scientific discipline. Some applicants may wish to consider this as an alternative route of entry if they did not do as well as expected the first time around. We will consider these applications on a case by case basis.
Note that City University London recognizes a number of foundation years for international students; please contact us for details.
We do not offer a foundation year/course in Computing ourselves to Home/EU students but are happy to advise on alternatives elsewhere in London.