The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
About
UCAS is an independent charity, and remains committed to its vision of being at the heart of connecting people to higher education. We do this by providing information, advice, and admissions services to inspire and facilitate progression in education.
Focus & reach
Verification & registration
Every mark links to the official registry entry and opens in a new tab.
Integrity assessment
A score from 0 to 100 for how openly a charity shares public information across five areas: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and data recency. It does not measure programme impact. See exactly what we do and do not have →
Financials
Charity Commission (UK)Leadership at a glance
Official filingsSimilar charities
GiveRadar Intelligence
GiveRadar Analysis
Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service has a substantially complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the Charity Commission.
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 98% of the 78,357 education charities in the United Kingdom with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- GiveRadar holds 5 years of financial filings for this organization, the most recent for fiscal year 2024. See the filings
- Its integrity score of 76 places it in the top 25% of the 87,708 education charities in the United Kingdom GiveRadar tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its registration. View this cohort
- government registration
- financial records (5 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Filing history
5 years on file from Charity Commission (UK): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
Sign up to viewTax deductibility
Whether a gift to The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service lowers your own taxes depends on where you pay them. Choose your country to see the rule that applies.
UK donations qualify for Gift Aid. THE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES ADMISSIONS SERVICE is registered with the Charity Commission. Eligible UK taxpayers can boost their gift by 25% at no extra cost.
THE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES ADMISSIONS SERVICE is in United Kingdom, a TGE (Transnational Giving Europe) member country. Dutch donors can route gifts via Stichting Transnational Giving Europe to receive Dutch ANBI-equivalent deductibility, subject to TGE's 5% pass-through fee.
THE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES ADMISSIONS SERVICE is registered in United Kingdom. US donors generally cannot deduct gifts to non-US charities directly. To claim a deduction, route the gift through a US 'Friends of' fiscal sponsor or a donor-advised fund that performs equivalency determination (IRS Rev. Proc. 92-94).
This is general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm treatment with the charity or your tax advisor before donating.
Leadership & board
Official filingsBoard members and senior officers on record, with disclosed pay where available.
9 officers and trustees on file, free with a GiveRadar account.
No red flags detected
Timeline
From official filingsKey dates from this charity's official filings, newest first.
In the news
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
Trustpilot
absolutely pro establishment biased and have too much say on predictions and your choices plus institutions and suspend your application and never return your money after suspending your application universities should be independent in their application process why should we abide by UCAS'S foolish politically correct and establishment supporting policies they abandon working class or low income earning students from going to university if they do they have to go to polytechnic type of institutions abandon and scrap UCAS they make tons of money and have far too much power they need to be scrapped asap
Trustpilot
I believed I had forgotten my password. So I decided to just simply press the reset password button and rest my password, after resetting my password I then tried to login to the site, that still did not work, I tried resetting it for a second time and it still said my credentials were incorrect.Even after using autofill from my phone it still did not work, I will now have to apply individually.
Trustpilot
Don't expect them to ever wipe your data. After making several requests after months of asking, they're still refusing to cooperate.
Trustpilot
I called UCAS to request access to the reference that was given by my school and they answered the phone promptly and were efficient and professional once through. Great experience!
Trustpilot
I believe there is some kind of heavy commissions involved as all applications are directed toward UCAS (a useless company). Why not universities take direct applications and are dependent on this incompetent company which is not helpful at all. I had a very bad experience with UCAS and I will not make an application through this company ever event if my chances are reduced because of not going through this company.
Trustpilot
Worst user experience. Too complicated. Page loading errors. I will focus on those universities only which take the direct application.
Trustpilot
The website is useless, and needlessly complicates the university application process, when it would be far easier to apply directly to the university.
Trustpilot
my friend chalay is going to cardiff maaaannn so many motives and tons of gyally.
Trustpilot
Had trouble with application but was sorted swiftly. Very helpful staff.
Trustpilot
1 not enough application slots2 universities are not held accountable to those who's education was effected by covid3 poor value for money as americans can apply for as many universities as they want4 implement a £5 application fee with £4 for additional application slots5 if you do not want to add additional slots guarantee 5 accepted slots. while it was a easy to use, the service is not made for anyone looking to improve their lives who are indecisive or have a mental issue and like to research the universities properly.
How it stacks up against peers
Compared with 6 similar education charities in United Kingdom.
Cause areas in United Kingdom
Charities working in each area, this charity's highlighted.
Sources and verification
- Officers and trustees
- Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities · 9 disclosed in the public registry.
What we know and don't know
Every data point we track for this charity, and whether we have found it. Disclosure only, never a judgment of the charity's work.
Data freshness
How current this profile is, and when we last checked it against the official source.
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
Read full methodologyIf you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email info@giveradar.com with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions about The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is a registered education nonprofit based in Cheltenham, England, United Kingdom. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. It was founded in 1993 and has been operating for 33 years. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 76/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports £59M in annual revenue. 9 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected. The charity has 31 community reviews with an average rating of 2.1/5. On Trustpilot, it has a rating of 2.3/5 based on 31 reviews.
Based on official filings, The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service has £59M in annual revenue. It allocates 60% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 85% for education charities in United Kingdom. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of £910K. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
UCAS is an independent charity, and remains committed to its vision of being at the heart of connecting people to higher education. We do this by providing information, advice, and admissions services to inspire and facilitate progression in education. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is classified as an education organization registered in United Kingdom. The organization was founded in 1993.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the most common incorporated form for UK charities. It is registered with both Companies House and the Charity Commission, and must file annual accounts with both regulators. Directors (who are also charity trustees) have limited liability.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service's registered charity number is 1024741. You can use it to look up the organization on the Charity Commission register.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is located in Cheltenham, England, United Kingdom. The organization was established in 1993 and has been active for 33 years.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is based in Cheltenham in England. The Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) is the primary regulator. Scotland has its own regulator (OSCR), and Northern Ireland has the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI). A charity registered with the CCEW may operate across the whole of the UK or internationally.
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Quick facts about The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
- What is The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service?
- The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is a education charitable company based in Cheltenham, United Kingdom. UCAS is an independent charity, and remains committed to its vision of being at the heart of connecting people to higher education. We do this by providing information, advice, and admissions services to inspire and facilitate progression in education.
- When was The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service founded?
- The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service was founded in 1993.
- Where is The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service located?
- Headquartered in Cheltenham, England, United Kingdom.
- What is The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is £58.7 million. 60% of expenses go to program services.
- Is The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service trustworthy?
- The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 76 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service's website?
- https://www.ucas.com
- Are donations to The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service tax-deductible?
- Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United Kingdom under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.