Student administration/Student admission, University of Glasgow

University of Glasgow

Student administration

Student admission

Rector

Principal

Masters

Faculties

Senate

Court

Registry

Central Admissions Service

Student Recruitment and Admissions Service

In the early years of the University, it is not clear how student admissions were dealt with. New students were not allowed to study in the University until they had been incorporated or "admitted" to the University by the Rector in a formal ceremony but little evidence for the process of admission prior to this event has been found. Certainly, the Rector, Principal and masters were all responsible for the admission of poor students or bursars but there is no evidence of them also handling the admission of ordinary students.

By the 1860s at least, admissions were handled by the faculties, each of which was responsible for the admission of its own students. Students applied to and were admitted to a faculty not to the whole University. Admissions criteria were set by the Senate and approved by the University Court.

From the 1940s, if not earlier, application forms were obtained from and returned to the Registry, which processed them and passed them on to the appropriate faculty. In 1962, the University agreed to participate, although not fully, in the Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA) scheme, which had been established the previous year to act as a central clearing house for applications for entry to full time first degree and first diploma courses in the universities. Henceforth, applications could be made either via UCCA or directly to the University. In October 1985, the University became a full member of UCCA and applications had to made via the scheme. UCCA was replaced by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in c1993. Applications for part-time degrees and postgraduate degrees and applications from visiting students were handled directly by the University. In c1996, a Central Admissions Service was established in the University. This was part of the Academic Support Division of the Central Administration Planning Unit. Henceforth, applications were processed by the Central Admissions Service instead of the Registry. In 1999, the Central Admissions Service merged with the Student Recruitment Office in the External Relations and Marketing Division to form the Student Recruitment and Admissions Service (SRAS), which took over responsibility for the processing of admission applications. In 2004, the service became part of Administration, Information and Management Services. SRAS receives applications and passes them to designated faculty admissions officers. The faculty admissions officers record the academic decisions on the admission of candidates and return the application form (whilst retaining a copy) to SRAS which then records the decision in an admissions database. SRAS also acts as the first point of contact for students seeking admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate taught degree programmes and advises teachers, careers services and students on application procedures and on the suitability of qualifications for entry to the University.

Candidates for admission to the University have been required to meet a number of different criteria at various times in the University's history. In 1918, under University Court Ordinance No LXX (General No 3), a Scottish Universities Entrance Board was established. Every student about to enter a course of study qualifying for any first degree had to obtain from the Board a certificate attesting his fitness to enter that course. This did not, in itself, of course, entitle the holder to admission to the University. In 1969, the Scottish Universities Entrance Board was replaced by the Scottish Universities Council on Entrance. From this date, students had to comply both with the Council's general entrance requirements and the special requirements of the University and relevant faculty. These requirements are recorded in the University calendar.

Between 1858 and 1971, entrance examinations also formed part of the admissions process. The Universities (Scotland) Act, 1858 provided for the holding of voluntary preliminary entrance examinations in Latin, Greek and Mathematics. In 1883, an entrance examination was instituted for public students in arts under the age of 17. This remained in force until it was superseded by the higher requirements of the preliminary examination introduced by the commissioners under the Universities (Scotland) Act, 1889. The preliminary examination was discontinued after March 1971. Candidates wishing to enter the preliminary examinations had to enrol and pay a fee at the Registrar's office. The examinations themselves were handled by the faculties. Results were given to the Clerk of Senate and recorded in the Senate minutes. The Registrar issued the list of results.

Senate minutes 1730 to date Ref: GB 0248 GUA SEN 1/1
 

Senate scroll minutes 1771-1839 Ref: GB 0248 GUA 74018
 

Senate papers c18th century-1998 Ref: GB 0248 GUA Senate papers
 

Calendars 1826 to date Ref: GB 0248 GUA SEN 10
The calendars describe the application procedure.

Minutes, agendas and papers of Faculty of Medicine 1856-1996 Ref: GB 0248 GUA MED 1
 

Court minutes 1860-1997 Ref: GB 0248 GUA C 1/1
 

Court papers 1861-1964 Ref: GB 0248 GUA C 1/4
 

Minutes, agendas and papers of Faculty of Arts 1862-1998 Ref: GB 0248 GUA ART 1
 

Minutes of Faculty of Divinity 1867-1985 Ref: GB 0248 GUA DIV 1
 

Indexes to Senate minutes 1873-1919 Ref: GB 0248 GUA SEN 1/2
 

Minutes, agendas and papers of Faculty of Science 1893-1996 Ref: GB 0248 GUA SCI 1
 

Court agendas 1894-1925 Ref: GB 0248 GUA C 1/3
 

Court camera minutes 1900-1944 Ref: GB 0248 GUA C 1/2
 

Minutes, agendas and papers of Faculty of Law and Financial Studies, formerly Faculty of Law 1901-1998 Ref: GB 0248 GUA LFS 1
 

Court camera papers 1906-1944 Ref: GB 0248 GUA C 1/5
 

Regulations for admission to classes in Faculty of Medicine 1922 ref: GB 0248 GUA 56043
 

Minutes, agendas and papers of Faculty of Engineering 1923-1985 Ref: GB 0248 GUA ENG 1
 

Letters to Secretary of Court from university courts of St Andrews and Aberdeen concerning proposed amendments to ordinance No.70, general No.3 (regulations as to admissions to Scotiish universities for purposes of graduation) 1924 ref: GB 0248 GUA 55805-55806
 

Minutes of Committee on Higher Degrees in the Arts Faculty 1931-1968 Ref: GB 0248 GUA ART 8/1
Includes applications for admission to higher degrees.

Regulations for admissions to Department of Pathology (Royal Infirmary) 1937 ref: GB 0248 GUA 56685
 

Minutes of meeting with headmasters 1946 ref: GB 0248 GUA 32840
Relates to applications for admission to Glasgow University.

Schedule of information for applicants for admission to Faculty of Arts 1957 ref: GB 0248 GUA 2344
 

Minutes of Faculty of Social Science 1964-1995 Ref: GB 0248 GUA SSC 1
 

Papers concerning admissions 1966-1967 ref: GB 0248 GUA 53508
 

Prospectuses 1983-2002 Ref: GB 0248 GUA SRAS 5
The prospectuses set out the normal qualifications required for admission and describe the application procedure.

Title of function/activity taken from Elizabeth Parker's Function Activity Model (report compiled for JISC). Function and activity description compiled according to GASHE's Standard for Creating Function and Activity Descriptions.

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