BA English Literature / Application and selection

Year of entry: 2024

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

Advice to applicants

Potential candidates are expected to demonstrate why they have chosen this particular degree in their personal statement and express why the course interests them.

Applicants submitting mitigating circumstances

If you are submitting information about mitigating circumstances that have affected, or are likely to affect, your academic performance, you should include this in the referee's report.

We cannot usually take into account information that is supplied after an adverse decision has been made on an application by the admitting school.

(Examples of mitigating circumstances include family illness, problems with school facilities or an unusual curriculum followed by your school of college.)

How your application is considered

Applications are considered on the basis of an assessment of the quality of the personal statement, the reference, and past and predicted academic achievements. We encourage applicants to give details of their motivation for studying this particular subject.

Skills, knowledge, abilities, interests

We like to see evidence of transferable skills, for example:
  • time management;
  • team work;
  • independent work;
  • critical and analytical abilities.

Returning to education

We welcome applications from mature candidates. Where appropriate, mature applicants are called for interview and/or invited to submit written work.  Your qualifications to date will be considered, along with the length of time since you were last studying for a qualification - applicants need to have been in education within the last five years.  If it is any longer than five years since you were last in education we may require you to take an Access Qualification and invite you along for interview.

If you are on an Access course, you will be considered individually and we will ask to see some of your recent written work.

If you have other qualifications (eg Vocational A levels, Open University) you will be considered on an individual basis and you are recommended to contact our Admissions Administrator.

Overseas (non-UK) applicants

Overseas applications are welcomed and we will assess whether your qualification is of an equivalent standard for entry to our degree programme.  We do not interview overseas applicants. Applicants who are made an offer may be invited to a visit day, but this is not mandatory.

Deferrals

All deferred applications are assessed on the same basis as applications for the current year of entry.

We do ask applicants to let us know as early as possible if they are intending to defer.  This helps us to adjust the number of offers we make, in order to achieve the required number of students in a given year.

Policy for applicants who resit their qualifications

The University will consider applicants who have re-sat their final examinations but we may require further information in order to make an informed academic judgment on your application.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry.  In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved.  We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course. If you are applying for a place for the same year of entry through UCAS Extra, you should provide additional evidence of your suitability for the course. If you are applying through clearing you are required to meet the clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and clearing the places will be subject to availability.