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THE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES ADMISSIONS SERVICE

Registered charity 1024741 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as U C A S · also registered in Scotland as SC038598 (OSCR)

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Latest income
£58.7m
Latest spending
£57.1m
Registered
1993
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total group income increased by 2.6% to £58.7m, driven largely by trading activities from UCAS Media and interest receivable. Total group expenditure rose by 2.3% to £57.1m, resulting in a net surplus for the year. The charity holds liquid reserves of £37.7m, which exceeds its stated policy target of four months' forecast cash outflows, indicating strong financial resilience.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: four months forecast cash outflows (held: £37.7m)
“following the review during 2024/25, a minimum level was set at four months forecast cash outflows.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: UCAS Media Limited
“A gift aid payment of £1,818k (2024: £1,003k) is due from UCAS Media Limited to UCAS.” — page 54
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: UCAS Media Limited, UCAS Consultancy and Insights Limited
“UCAS owns 100 per cent of the share capital of its subsidiaries, UCAS Media Limited, and UCAS Consultancy and Insights Limited.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by RSM UK Audit LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/07/2025)

Total income
£58.7m
Total spending
£57.1m
Cost of raising funds
£22.5m
Reserves (reported)
£18.6m
Employees
560

Reported reserves equal ~3.9 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Trustees

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/07/2025£58.7m£57.1m
31/07/2024£57.2m£55.8m
31/07/2023£54.0m£52.5m
31/07/2022£53.8m£48.7m
31/07/2021£51.7m£40.9m

Common questions

Is THE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES ADMISSIONS SERVICE financially healthy?

The accounts state that total group income increased by 2.6% to £58.7m, driven largely by trading activities from UCAS Media and interest receivable. Total group expenditure rose by 2.3% to £57.1m, resulting in a net surplus for the year. The charity holds liquid reserves of £37.7m, which exceeds its stated policy target of four months' forecast cash outflows, indicating strong financial resilience. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by RSM UK Audit LLP.