Polytechnics Central Admissions System

The Polytechnics Central Admissions System (PCAS, pronounced pee-kass) was an administrative body handling admissions in England and Wales to most courses at polytechnics and some other higher education institutions for the entry years 1986 to 1992. It ran in parallel to the university admissions system, UCCA, as well as the Central Register and Clearing House, which dealt with teacher-training applications to both polytechnics and specialist teacher training colleges, and ADAR 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 UCAS admissions system.

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 to higher education applicants, had shown the benefits of a single admission system for higher education applicants. Although the polytechnics were degree-teaching institutions, through the CNAA 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 Polytechnic (United Kingdom) were involved as early as 1972 in discussions with UCCA and the Central Register and Clearing House 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 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.

In 1983 the Committee of Directors of Polytechnics began negotiations with UCCA to share its computing, technical and office facilities in Cheltenham to establish a course entrance system, based on the existing model used by UCCA. A grant of £210,000, from the British Department for Education and Science, 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. Applicants to courses were given the option to apply separately for universities or polytechnics, or for both.

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