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Online advertising with UCAS during Clearing 2011

Key statistics

 200820092010
Applicants588,689639,860697,351
Accepted applicants456,627481,854487,329
~ Main scheme accepts375,105399,283409,994
~ Clearing accepts43,89047,67346,925

In 2010 the number of applicants accepted rose 8.9% and the number of accepted applicants increased by 1.1%.

What happens on the site during Clearing?

On A Level results day, Thursday 18th August 2011, the homepage of the UCAS website is replaced by the UCAS Clearing homepage. The Clearing homepage links to the Track service, where applicants can see the status of their applications, and to the Clearing Vacancy search, a list of all the vacancies still available.

The normal UCAS homepage is served again after one week which will carry an additional link to the Clearing vacancy search.

Advertising options

  1. Homepage
  2. Homepage text links
  3. Vacancy search
  4. Track logout

1. Adverts on the homepage

The Clearing homepage is the page that appears when anyone visits www.ucas.com at the start of Clearing. This page replaces the UCAS homepage for two days. After that time the normal UCAS homepage is restored but carries an additional link to the Clearing vacancy search. The Clearing homepage stays online for 4 weeks. This page carries 1 Leaderboard, 4 square banners and additional text links at the bottom of the page.

Scottish Higher results are released on 4th August and A-level results on 18th August. Confirmation and Clearing immediately follows both these dates.

Traffic on the homepage last year was as follows:

  • 5th - 17th August 2010: 863,812 page impressions
  • 18th - 31st August 2010: 3,447,922 page impressions
  • Average number of clicks last year was 1,089

Leaderboard

  • 728 x 90 Landscape aspect
  • GIF file (animated or static)
  • Maximum file size 25KB
  • 1 slots available
  • £30,000 plus VAT per slot

Square banners

  • 140 x 140 Landscape aspect
  • GIF file (animated or static)
  • Maximum file size 10KB
  • 4 slots available
  • £17,500 plus VAT per slot

Advert Information

  • Average number of clicks last year was 3,238
  • 180 x 80 landscape aspect
  • GIF file (animated or static)
  • Maximum file size 6KB
  • 8 slots available
  • £17,500 plus VAT per slot

2. Text links

The text links are located at the bottom of the clearing homepage and sentences that are hyperlinked through to your URL. The area on the page that they appear is designated 'Promotions you might find useful'.

Text link Information

  • Average number of clicks last year was 3,496
  • Sentences are to be a maximum of 80 character long
  • URL can include third party tracking
  • £5,000 plus VAT per slot

3. Adverts on the vacancy search page

This slot appears inside the Clearing vacancy search. The audience is made up of students, parents and advisers who are searching for a course and course information through Clearing. You may provide a URL to link to a specific location on your website. There are nine slots available on this page.

Advert Information

  • Average number of clicks last year was 2,566
  • 200 x 80 landscape aspect
  • GIF file (animated or static)
  • Maximum file size 6KB
  • 9 slots available
  • Top 3 slots = £13,500 plus VAT per slot
  • Lower 6 slots = £11,000 plus VAT per slot

4. Adverts on the Track logout page

Track is the system which enables applicants to view their application status online.

When users log out of the Track service they are shown the Track logout page. This page is displayed regardless of whether the user logs out correctly or simply closes their browser. This ensures that it is seen by every user who logs out of the Track service. The page carries ten 250 x 100 banners, the top four of which are guaranteed to be visible in any maximised browser, regardless of screen resolution.

Advert specification

  • Average number of clicks last year was 719
  • 250 x 100, landscape aspect
  • GIF file (animated or static)
  • Maximum file size 6KB
  • 10 slots available
  • Top 4 slots = £9,500 plus VAT per slot
  • Lower 6 slots = £7,500 plus VAT per slot

Tracking and click through rates

UCAS Media hosts and serves all images but is unable to guarantee tracking on the traffic due to the extremely high levels of traffic experienced. Therefore we recommend having a unique landing page or implementing third party click tracking. We do not support third party image tags however. If you are unsure about this please contact Craig Fish on 01242 544655 prior to producing your ad. Page impression and click data will be available on request after Clearing.

File size
Due to the massively increased traffic levels during Clearing the specified file size of 6KB maximum is non-negotiable and failure to provide a file which meets this requirement could lead to the ad being dropped from the page.

Bookings
As with all Clearing advertising, bookings are on a first-come first-served basis and must be made with a valid PO number.

Graphics and URLs must reach UCAS Media no later than Friday 15th July 2011.

For more Information contact UCAS Education Sales Team on 01242 544 881 or at ucasmediaeducationteam@ucas.ac.uk.