Advice and guidance on the completion of the on-line application form.

Depending on the type of course that you are applying for, you will be asked specific questions to
enable us to collect the relevant information. There are three types of courses categories:

Direct Application – non-UCAS applications covering part time undergraduate courses and
postgraduate taught courses – you will be asked to provide one reference.

Short Courses – you do not have to provide information regarding the qualifications that you hold,
you do not have to provide a personal statement or any reference.

Postgraduate Research Course – you will have to provide two references and a research proposal.

Useful Information

As you complete the form, you may find it useful to have information to hand as appropriate to the
course that you are applying for, as an example.

• Funding arrangements – how you intend to pay for your studies

• Employer details
• Qualification certificates
• Referee information

Documents Required

It may be necessary for you to provide evidence along with your application. In order to process
your application please upload these using the Document Upload Tab.

You should have documents available when you start the application process.

• A scan of your valid Passport/Visa

• English Language Qualifications
• Transcripts of other qualifications

There will be a number of tool tips to help you with some of the information on the form. If
you try and save your information and proceed through to the next stage of the process and there
are mandatory questions that you should have answered a warning will appear and the relevant
empty questions will be highlighted. Mandatory fields are signified with an *.

As you move through the tabs within the on–line application form, you will see that when you fully
complete the page of questions the indicator on the tab turns green; this indicates that you have
completed that element of the application form and may move onto the next tab.

You can save and exit your application at any time – you will receive an e-mail to your specified e-
mail address, to provide a link to come back and complete your application prior to submitting it.

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1. If you are a first time user of the on-line application you will first need to create a new user
account for yourself:
Click on the New User button

You will then be asked to complete your new user details.

∗ Your date of birth can be entered by DD/MM/YY or by using the date picker on the form.
∗ Your username is your e-mail address and must match when entering the same information
into the home e-mail address box. The email address you give us must be valid and will be
the address used by the University for all correspondence. We will check your email address
as part of the registration process to ensure you do not already have an account.
∗ Your password must be between 8 and 12 characters and include a number (remember this
password for future reference, however, there is the facility for you to change later).

2. If you are a returning applicant insert your user name and password as illustrated. If you have
forgotton your password there is a process for you to follow to reset your password and access
your account.

3. You will then see a screen that confirms the details that you have entered and gives you the
option to:

∗ Edit your user details

∗ change your password
∗ view any applications that you have
∗ proceed to making an application for a course

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4. On the next page you will see a number of tabs

These tabs relate to the information that you will need to complete to make your application.
As you work through the application form and complete the pages you will see the indicator at
the top turn green.

Personal Details:

Title: Please select your title from the list - if you are a member of HM Forces you will need to
pick your military rank to ensure that you have the appropriate questions for your application.

Known as: If your official forename is Susan but you would like to be known as Sue whilst at
this University then you can use this field. However, your official name will be the one that
appears on any official documentation.

Previous surname: If you have recently married or changed your name by decree and have not
yet amended any official identity documents you will be asked to provide a marriage certificate
or affidavit at the point of enrolment.

Country of birth: Please select the country that you were born in.

Nationality: If you are a British Citizen, please select United Kingdom from the drop-down list.
However, if you are not a British Citizen, even though you may be living in the UK, you must
input your nationality as stated on your passport. Your nationality (e.g. Canadian) should not be
confused with your ethnic origin (e.g. White British). If you have dual nationality and you need a
visa to enter the UK, enter your first nationality as it is shown on the passport you intend to use
when traveling to the UK for your course. For the purposes of this question the UK is taken to
include the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (British Nationality Act 1981).

Country of Residence: Please select the country you are currently living in, whether you are an
official citizen of the country or not

Residential Category: This information assists us to establish your status for the payment of
tuition fees. You should not confuse your residential category with your ethnic origin. For
further information, visit the 'Advice for International Students' page on the UK Council for
International Student Affairs website at: www.ukcisa.org.uk or the 'Studying' page on the Home
Office UK Border Agency website at: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

Address Details: If you live in the UK, then enter your postcode and click on the ‘find my
address’ button – your address will be available for you to choose and automatically populate
your address information. If your contact address is the same as your home address you can
tick the box and it will populate the information for you. If your contact address is different
than your home address you will need to insert the information. There are tool tips on some of
the question boxes to assist you.

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5. On the Qualifications Tab

Short Courses – you do not have to provide information regarding the qualifications that you
hold.

For other courses you will be asked about previous study in the United Kingdom and if English
Language was the language that the study was delivered in. Tool tips on the questions will
explain in more detail.

The next question asks you about any higher level qualifications that you hold. You will be asked
for the dates that you started your study and completed your study. You can either input the
dates as dd/mm/yy or use the date picker (you will still need to put in the complete date
dd/mm/yy). You can add more than one University or College if you need to.

The next section is where you will insert any School/College/Professional qualifications that are
relevant to your application. You have a maximum of 10 Schools/Colleges to add.

English Language Qualifications

Depending on your answer to the Country of Residence question within your personal details
you may be asked to complete additional questions relating to English Language qualifications.

6. Funding Tab

This area of the application form deals with how you are going to pay for the course that you are
applying for.

This is also the area that you complete if you have a professional registration number and
include the expiry date.

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 You are also asked a number of questions relating to how you are applying, if you have studied
at one of the University partner institutions or if you are a member of University staff.

7. Personal Statement/Research Proposal

Short Courses - If you are applying for one of our short course options you will not be asked for
a personal statement.

Direct Applications (non-UCAS) e.g. taught MSc - If you are applying for one of the University’s
standard postgraduate courses you will need to complete a Personal Statement. You have a
maximum of 500 words to document your personal statement. The on-line application form
indicates the number of words that you have typed to assist you in your application. There is
also guidance on completing the section and a link to access
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/postgraduate/how-to-apply/personal-statement-guide/

If you are applying for a Postgraduate Research Degree you will be asked to provide a research
proposal instead of a Personal Statement – it should include the objectives of your study, the
academic literature you will build on and ideas to date on methodology. This will help us to
assess whether we can supervise your studies.

8. References

Short Courses – you will not be asked to provide a reference

Direct Application – non UCAS applications / taught postgraduate courses – you will be asked to
provide one reference

Postgraduate Research Course – you will be asked to provide two references

Please remember that you must complete all fields that are marked with an asterisk (*) as these
fields are mandatory.

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 The referee’s that you provide will receive an e-mail from the University asking for their
reference. They will be able to provide this reference electronically by an automated return e-
mail response.

9. Document Upload

The next tab gives you the facility to upload documents, as appropriate, in support of your
application. Documents that may be used to support your application should include:

∗ Transcripts - copies of all certificates and transcripts with your application.

∗ Copy of your passport – for international applicants, you must provide passport and
previous visa details for purposes of visa application and checks with the UKVI
(https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration). More
information about visa requirements can also be found here:
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/international/support/visa_and_immigration_advice/index.jsp

∗ English Proficiency – Copies of Certificates and transcripts of English competence must be

provided with your application

∗ References – where you are unable to provide direct e-mail access to a referee

Please upload documents prior to the submission of your application. If documents are not
provided with your application, it may delay processing.

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10. Declaration

The final tab contains a few final questions and that you agree that the information that you
have provided is true to the best of your knowledge.

You will need to tick the box to confirm your declaration to enable you to submit your
application.

11. Confirmation

After you have submitted your application form, a screen will show you your confirmation of
submission and you will receive an e-mail advising you of what will happen next with your
application.

If you experience any problems with making your application on-line please contact our
enquiries team on 01782 294400.

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