134:, was awarded to set up a new unified admissions system, provisionally called PUCCA. However, instead of a unified system for both the universities and polytechnics a separate system for polytechnics emerged from the negotiations, modelled on UCCA, but known as PCAS. The first chairman was Harry Law of Portsmouth Polytechnic; his deputy was Keith Thompson, the Director of Staffordshire Polytechnic, who became chairman in June 1989, staying until 1993. The deputy from 1989 was Michael Goldstein, Director of Coventry Polytechnic. PCAS was at Fulton House on Jessop Avenue, near Cheltenham Waitrose. Also in the building was ECCTIS 2000 and UCCA, and it is now called Festival House.
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Although the aim to create a unified application system for universities and polytechnics was not achieved in 1985, the Chief
Executive of PCAS, Tony Higgins, continued to push for the merger of PCAS with UCCA. In 1992, following the change of status and name of most polytechnics to universities, the
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The establishment of the teacher training admission system, the
Central Register and Clearing House, in 1933, and the central admissions system for British universities, called UCCA, in 1961 had shown the benefits of a single admission system for higher education applicants. Although the polytechnics
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about the possible future shape of one or more admissions systems. At this stage applicants dealt directly with each polytechnic and the polytechnics themselves were strongly regional or local in their appeal. A study in 1977 found that between sixty and seventy per cent of those admitted to a
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grant was conditional upon the new scheme being made available for applications to
Colleges of Higher Education later on. It was thought that the PCAS acronym could remain if the organization's name needed to be changed to Polytechnics' & Colleges' Admissions Service.
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polytechnic had applied to that institution only, and that forty per cent of admissions to polytechnics resulted from applications made in August or
September of the year of entry.
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which originally handled art and design course admissions to both polytechnics and specialist art and design colleges. All these admissions systems are now united within the
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awards system, they were not eligible for admission to UCCA as it was reserved only for universities with degree awarding powers. Despite this the
Polytechnics (see
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Although many polytechnics offered art and design programmes, and some also offered teacher training courses, these admissions systems remained outside PCAS.
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two bodies did combine under
Higgins's leadership. Initially the application form was branded jointly UCCA/PCAS, but in 1994 the new merged body was renamed
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In 1983 the
Committee of Directors of Polytechnics began negotiations with UCCA to share its computing, technical and office facilities in
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UCCA and PCAS merged their form in 1992, whereby PCAS sorted postal applications, and UCCA ran the computer, then both merged in 1993.
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Edward
Fennell, 'Horizons: Don't blot your copy book - The odds are moving back in favour of the applicant for higher education' in
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Donald MacLeod, 'Poly genesis: Have the new universities lost their ray since they emerged from the old polytechnics ?', in
263:'Sector pays tribute to Higgins, champion of access' in The Times Higher Education Supplement (UK newspaper) 23 April 2004
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to establish a course entrance system, based on the existing model used by UCCA. A grant of £210,000, from the
British
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Applicants to courses were given the option to apply separately for universities or polytechnics, or for both.
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institutions for the entry years 1986 to 1992. It ran in parallel to the university admissions system,
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The PCAS system came into effect in 1985. It was led by its first Chief
Executive,
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Kay, Ronald "UCCA: Its Origins and Development 1950=85", UCCA, 1985, pp.83-89
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John Fairhall, 'Admissions streamlining plan for polytechnics' in
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245:'Introducing the new Polytechnic Central Admissions System' in
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Higher education organisations based in the United Kingdom
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University and college admissions in the United Kingdom
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55:) was an administrative body handling admissions in
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347:History of higher education in the United Kingdom
302:(UK Newspaper) 10 September 1991, Section B, p.11
16:English and Welsh administrative body (1986–1992)
289:(UK Newspaper) 3 September 2002, Section B, p.12
337:Higher education colleges in the United Kingdom
101:were degree-teaching institutions, through the
298:'The new joint UCCA/PCAS application form' in
315:(UK Newspaper) 19 August 1993, Section B, p.9
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204:Audrey Segal, 'A rationalised confusion' in
311:Jonathan Croall, 'Nightmare Scenario' in
167:Merger with University Admissions System
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21:Polytechnics Central Admissions System
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208:(UK Newspaper) 31 January 1984, p.11
139:Department for Education and Science
132:Department for Education and Science
221:(UK Newspaper) 12 January 1984, p.2
115:Central Register and Clearing House
77:Central Register and Clearing House
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352:Organisations based in Cheltenham
249:(UK Newspaper) 11 June 1985, p.11
276:(UK Newspaper) 21 September 1987
137:The PCAS name was chosen as the
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233:Thursday 1 June 1989, page 10
107:Polytechnic (United Kingdom)
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332:Education in Cheltenham
231:Staffordshire Sentinel
96:Earlier organisations
87:admissions system.
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65:polytechnics
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326:Categories
180:References
128:Cheltenham
274:The Times
122:Formation
113:and the
91:History
57:England
159:Merger
61:Wales
357:UCAS
174:UCAS
111:UCCA
103:CNAA
85:UCAS
81:ADAR
73:UCCA
59:and
25:PCAS
19:The
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