Direct Apply: UK Applications FAQs

In this first version, only schools that do not have a Buzzword can manage and submit their UCAS applications on Cialfo.
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If your student is applying to UCAS universities via Direct Apply, the standard UCAS limit of 5 applications generally applies. However, if additional universities accept direct applications outside of UCAS, students may be able to apply to those institutions through Cialfo.

A UCAS Buzzword is a unique alphanumeric code provided by UCAS to identify a school or organization. It helps to link a student’s UCAS account with "an Advisor's" UCAS account to assist in the application process to the UK.

Schools that have their own buzzword can manage their UCAS applications on Cialfo if their students use Cialfo’s buzzword to submit their applications instead of using your school’s Buzzword.

Using Cialfo’s buzzword will allow us to process all of the applications directly through Cialfo.

If the student has added the buzzword but has not paid the application fees, they can still change the buzzword to the one that Cialfo provided the student is willing to work with the CIALFO team to confirm the change with UCAS.

If the application has already been submitted, you will not be able to manage it on Cialfo. However, you should still manually add and update the application in the students' applications section so you can track this and build up your reports on Cialfo.

Students can apply to all UCAS universities through Direct Apply.

There is no additional cost to the school or student to use this service.

Are application fees waived for all UK/UCAS universities on Cialfo?

Yes, Cialfo is offering an application fee waiver to all students that submit their UCAS applications through Direct Apply. The fee waiver is applied automatically during the submission process, making it seamless and hassle-free for students. However, this waiver can only be used for one application per student, so students should choose carefully where they want to use their fee waiver.

We have a team of Student Education Advisors (SEAs) who will guide you and your students throughout the process. They will advise the student on a number of things - ranging from the application process, visa processing, pre-departure, and more!

This guidance includes helping students understand key rules such as fee waiver policies and application limits to make informed decisions during the process.

The document submission for counselors will be done through cDocs. You will be able to control the sending of the reference letters or any other required documents. This will allow you to manage and track the application from start to end within Cialfo.
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Follow these steps:

After the above is complete, the application submission via UCAS will follow. Some universities may at a later stage choose to reach out to the counselor/referee directly in order to obtain a soft copy of the applicant's reference provided previously, issued on the school letterhead, signed and stamped.

You will be able to submit the supporting documents once the student has submitted their UCAS application on Cialfo.

Cialfo is working on a tool that will allow students and counselors to track the status of their applications. Once this feature is available, we will alert counselors.

You can still activate UCAS on DA for students who have not yet submitted applications. It's crucial to note that UCAS on DA is only available to students who haven't submitted any applications.
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Only students that have not submitted any UCAS applications can use UCAS on Direct Apply to submit their applications. For students that have already submitted an application, they would need to submit the remaining applications directly via UCAS.
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Your Student Education Advisor will reach out to you once UCAS application management has been activated on your Cialfo account. Alternatively, you can write to [email protected] or reach out to your Client Experience Manager (CXM).
For detailed inquiries about unique policies or specific cases, such as fee waivers or application limits, the SEA or CXM can provide tailored guidance.
​Here’s a cleaned-up version in proper FAQ style that matches the tone and structure of the existing HA.

Previously, when a school turned off the UK Direct Apply (UK-DA) configuration, all UK Direct Apply applications — including applications that were already submitted or in progress — were hidden from students across the platform.

With the latest update, turning off the UK Direct Apply configuration will prevent students from adding new UK Direct Apply applications. However, any existing applications will remain visible across the platform, including:

Students can also continue to take actions on their existing applications, such as updating their application status, even when the configuration is turned off.

Some users experienced an issue where the Manchester School of Architecture did not appear in search results within the UCAS and UK Direct Apply (UK DA) sections of Cialfo. This prevented students from finding and adding the university as part of their application choices.

This issue was resolved in November 2025, and the Manchester School of Architecture is now available in both UCAS and UK Direct Apply listings.

If you are still unable to find a university or programme in UCAS or UK Direct Apply search results:

If the issue persists, contact Cialfo Support via Chat with Cialfo and provide the following details:

The support team will investigate the issue further.

Some returning students who had previously applied through UK Direct Apply (UK DA) in an earlier application cycle were unable to add new university choices for the current cycle. Affected students received an error message when attempting to add choices, even after the new application window had opened.

This issue was resolved in December 2025. Returning students can now successfully access the UK Direct Apply flow and add new choices for the current application cycle.

If a returning student is still unable to add new choices:

If the issue persists, contact Cialfo Support via Chat with Cialfo and provide:

Most Direct Apply applications require the following documents to be uploaded before or during submission:

All other documents marked as "Required" by a university can technically be bypassed by the student during submission, though it is recommended to upload them before applying. Only the passport is hard-validated.

Yes. The passport is the only document that is strictly enforced at the time of DA application submission. If a student does not have a passport uploaded in their cDocs profile, they will be unable to complete and submit the Direct Apply application.

To upload a student's passport:

Universities can mark individual documents (e.g., transcripts, references) as "Required" or "Optional" on the DA programme page in Cialfo. However, these are informational flags only — the system does not block submission if they are missing (with the exception of the passport). Students should aim to upload all required documents before applying, but the platform allows submission without them.

If a student or counsellor encounters an error when uploading documents for a DA application, try the following steps: