Guidance Notes for Completing the Online Application Form

When progressing through the application form please use the hyperlinks/buttons at the bottom of each page and not your web browser back and forward buttons.

• Go to the Apply Online page and select the relevant School (For Research applicants: this should be the University School where your potential Research supervisor is based) , Entry Year, Mode of Attendance and Degree Type.
• Then click on the arrow button of the Select Degree Programme.
• A list of relevant degree programmes will then be shown, select the title of the degree with the start date / mode of study that you are interested in. (Please note applicants wishing to study for a PhD or MPhil initially register for a generic research degree.  Please select ‘Research’ for the appropriate area, e.g. Research – Computer Science.)
• Once you have decided on the programme that you wish to apply for, click on ‘Apply for selected Degree Programme’ and create a new account in the system. 

Existing Aston Students: Please note: You will need to Create a New Account to start a new application please do not log in with your student username and password.

When creating your new account please ensure that you provide us with a valid and accurate email address as most of the correspondence from Aston will be sent via email.

You will be automatically logged in after this and be able to start your application immediately.

You can elect to ‘Save and Return Later’ at any point of the process, at which point you will be emailed details on how to return to your application later.

• Certified Copies of qualifications gained, e.g. for Postgraduate this will be degree certificate and transcripts (showing the subjects taken and the grades/marks you have obtained). If these are in a language other than English, please provide official translations as well. For Foundation Degrees this may be NVQs, A Levels, HNCs etc. (if applicable).
• English Language test certificate (if appropriate), for example IELTS / TOEFL
• Research proposal (For LHS please check the list of research projects currently available first)
• Passport scan (if you are a non EU overseas applicant)
• A copy of sponsor letter if appropriate/available. More information regarding sponsorship letters
  
• Copies of any other supporting documentation which may be used to help support your application.

If you are unable to provide the required information at the point of application, you should forward this to the relevant Admissions Office. Please ensure that you include on any correspondence to the University your application reference number, full name, date of birth and course name. You are advised that in some instances, a decision on admission will not be made until all supporting documentation is received.

Research proposals

A good research proposal is one of the most important aspects of your application to the Research Degrees Programme.  When the University receives your research proposal, we use it to confirm the quality of your ideas, your ability to think originally and critically, to ensure that you really have understood the depth of investigation that your doctoral research will entail, and that you have a good understanding of the key theories and literature.

For further information regarding your chosen Academic School's specific requirements for your Research Proposal visit the relevant School website:

• Aston Business School (ABS)
• School of Engineering & Applied Science (EAS)
• School of Languages & Social Sciences (LSS)
• School of Life & Health Sciences (LHS)
  

There are guidance notes available through out the application to assist you in completing the form.

Names
Please input your first names and family name as stated in your passport or other official documentation. 

Addresses
Please provide information on your address. 

• The permanent address is usually your home address.  This is the address we will use to contact you unless you specify a correspondence address. 

If the correspondence address given is temporary, please ensure that you notify the relevant Admissions Office of any changes.

International applicants - Applying through an Agent 
If you are an international student applying through an agent, please download and print this form (Word). Both you and your agent will need to sign it. Once complete, scan the form in and and upload it to your online application. If you don't have access to a scanner, please post the completed form to:

Jessica Wood
International Office - Marketing
South-wing
Aston University
Birmingham
B4 7ET
UK

Disability/Additional Support Needs
This section is included for the purposes of monitoring equal opportunities and to ensure that students with a disability know about and have access to appropriate facilities and services.  Applications are judged solely on academic merit.  The university is committed to equal opportunities in its admissions policy and considers applications from candidates with disabilities on the same academic grounds as apply to all candidates. 

Find out more information about the facilities and support available on our website, or alternatively contact:
Disability and Additional Needs Unit
Aston University
Aston Triangle
Birmingham
B4 7ET
UK

Telephone:   +44 (0) 121 204 4711
E-mail:         danu@aston.ac.uk

If appropriate, please choose the code most relevant to you from the drop down menu, when completing the online application form.  Please also give any details of any special requirements or additional support needs you might have.

Educational Details
Please include all qualifications obtained or anticipated (post compulsory education only).

• Please make sure that the names of the educational institutions are written in full and not abbreviated to initials – also state the country in which the institution is located. 
• Please indicate the type of award for which you have studied e.g. BA, BSc or MA and the title used on the degree certificate/transcript.
• Give the grades you obtained e.g. degree classification, Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) score and state what it is out of i.e. 80/100.
• For MSc programmes in Aston Business School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, you will be required to enter the highest qualification you have achieved in a mathematical or statistical subject (with grade).
• You will be required to show your original documents together with official translations into English, on arrival at the University for Enrolment.

Please note that the authenticity of your qualifications will be checked by Aston with the awarding institution/examination board and that submission of fraudulent documents will disqualify you from studying in the UK.

Professional Qualifications
Please enter any professional qualifications received or memberships of professional institutions that are relevant to your application e.g. the Chartered Institute of Marketing Professional Diploma or any other non-academic qualification e.g. GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test). 

English
All applicants are required to provide evidence of their ability in English. The minimum English language requirement varies between schools - please refer to the Postgraduate prospectus for the individual programme requirements.  These usually include:  GCSE / ‘O’ Level English language, IELTS, Pearson Test of English (PTE) or TOEFL, although there are other acceptable qualifications.  Please note that IELTS and TOEFL results are only valid for 2 years. Applicants who have already successfully completed, or are successfully completing, a full time university degree in the UK and other English-speaking countries may be exempt from these requirements. Applicants with less than the minimum English Language requirement may be rejected or asked to retake the relevant examinations. Alternatively, they may need to successfully complete one of the English language courses at Aston University before starting their programme of study. Applicants will be notified at the point of offer of any such conditions.

Relevant Work Experience
Please include any relevant work experience to support your application by ticking the box and completing all the mandatory fields.

Please note that relevant work experience is a requirement for some programmes; please refer to the programme listed in the prospectus or the website for further information.

Finance Details
Please provide as much information as possible about how you will be funding your postgraduate studies.  If you have been awarded a grant/scholarship for all or part of your costs please send us a copy of the letter of the award you have received from the grant-awarding body. This can be uploaded at the beginning of your application.

Tuition Fees
Different levels of tuition fees apply to UK/EU students and non-EU international students.  Fees also vary depending on the programme of study.  Please see the Postgraduate Prospectus and website for further information.  In addition to your tuition fees, you must also have funding for your living expenses – typically GBP £650 - GBP £850 per month (depending on type of accommodation).

Personal Statement
You are required to complete a personal statement.
 
The statement should add any further information which you think is relevant to your application e.g. personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, further description of relevant employment experience etc. Also include information about your leisure activities and interests.

Please do not include symbols in your text as the system may not recognise them.

References
You must provide two official references.  Members of your family or friends cannot provide references.  At least one of your referees should be from the institution where you studied your last University degree. For Research Applicants: If you have completed your first Degree at a different University to your Masters Degree please provide a reference from both Institutions. References must be provided on headed-paper and/or stamped by the institution and must be signed by the referee.

If you choose to enter an email address for either of your referees they will be automatically e-mailed to ask them to provide you with a reference if the ‘Email this referee on application submission?’ box is ticked. The referee’s email address must originate from the referee’s official university/professional e-mail address. Private e-mail references will not be accepted.

The referees will receive full instructions on how to complete the references and where to send once they have completed the reference. PLEASE NOTE: If you apply for more than one course at Aston but are using the same referee you do not need to tick the ‘Email this referee on application submission?’ box, for your second or any subsequent applications.

Those applicants who have chosen not to have their referees automatically emailed will need to contact the relevant Admissions Office for more information on manually sending the references for your application. Please include the Application Reference Number, emailed to you separately, on all correspondence.

Once you have completed your application you will be automatically logged out from the system and emailed with confirmation that your application has been received. We will also email you a copy of your completed application form.

After this point, admissions staff at Aston will communicate with you via the email address you have provided regarding the outcome of your application and you will not need to log in to the Online Application form again.

If you have any supporting documents which you need to send to us please send these to the relevant school by either post or e-mail. 

Notification of Decision

• The University will make a decision based on the information you have provided and you will be advised of the decision within a few weeks; please allow up to six weeks. (If you do not hear anything after 6 weeks and you have completed your online application and provided all required supporting documentation, you can email the relevant Admissions Office as stated on your receipt of application email. Your query can be processed quicker if you can provide your Reference Number, as provided on the email sent to you when you submitted your application form).
  
  
• You will then be contacted by the university with a decision – confirming an offer of a place on your chosen programme or advising you that your application has been unsuccessful. The offer of a place may be subject to certain conditions which you have to meet before your admission can be confirmed (conditional offer). 
  
  
• You must satisfy these conditions by sending further evidence or completing additional documentation to the University. If you are made an offer of a place and accept your offer you will be required to submit a deposit along with your acceptance form by a given deadline.  This deposit reserves a place on the programme.  If you do not comply by the deadline, your place on the programme is then offered to another applicant.
  

If you have any more questions about the application process or the information you will need to provide the University, please contact apply@aston.ac.uk

This web page provides you with some simple solutions to technical problems that you might have whilst completing the online Application Form.

• I can’t create a new account, what should I do?
• I haven’t received any emails from the application form, why is this?
• How do I get a reminder of or reset my password?
• The application form doesn’t look right or doesn’t work properly on my computer, what can I do?
• I’ve made some mistakes on my application form or supporting documentation, what do I do?
• How do I log back into an uncompleted application form once I have chosen to ‘Save and Return Later’?

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I can’t create a new account, what should I do?
If you are unable to create a new account, please ensure that you are using a supported web browser (listed below) and that you are completing all of the required fields on the new account page.

You are unable to create an account twice with the same email address. If you need to apply for a second Degree Programme at Aston, you can use your existing account details to log in. If you have forgotten your original password, please follow the instructions below to receive a reminder of your password.

If (after verifying that you are using a supported web browser and that you do not already have an account in the system) you are still unable to create an account please contact our technical support staff at isa_helpdesk@aston.ac.uk

I haven’t received any emails from the application form, why is this?
Normally, you will receive an email once you choose to ‘save and return Later’ to your current application or when you complete an application form. You may not receive these emails if:

• Your email software or provider has marked the emails as Junk or Spam. Please check your Junk / Spam folder to see if any emails have been directed there.  Additionally, please ensure that you add ‘aston.ac.uk’ to your email account safe list so that any further emails sent to you by the Admissions team are received quickly and safely.
• You may also have entered your email address incorrectly when creating your account. If this is the case, please contact our technical support staff at isa_helpdesk@aston.ac.uk with your name, date of birth and email address.

How do I get a reminder of or reset my password?
To have your password reset visit this webpage on MAP. You will be asked to provide the email address, surname and date of birth that you entered when you originally created your account. If these are accepted by the system, your password will be reset to a random value and emailed to you.

If you are unable to retrieve your password this way, please contact our technical support staff at isa_helpdesk@aston.ac.uk

The application form doesn’t look right or doesn’t work properly on my computer, what can I do?
The Aston application form has been tested to work with the following web browsers:

• Internet Explorer 8
• Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Safari

You will also need to ensure that Javascript is enabled on your internet browsing software. This is usually enabled by default.
If you are using one of these web browsers and are still experiencing issues, please contact our technical support staff at isa_helpdesk@aston.ac.uk

I’ve made some mistakes on my application form or supporting documentation, what do I do?
If you haven’t submitted your application form, you can change any of the documents you have uploaded and any of the information you have entered simply by logging into your application and making the necessary changes.

If you have submitted your application form, please contact the relevant Admissions Office as stated on your receipt of application email  with details of any changes you wish to make, along with any supporting documentation if applicable

How do I log back into an uncompleted application form once I have chosen to ‘Save and Return Later’?
You can access any existing application form by simply logging back into your application.

You can log in using the email address and password you used to create your account. However you cannot use this to start a new application.