Known issues

Access known issues associated with Apply 2008

Please read about the issues relating to Microsoft IE6, Service Pack 1 and Microsoft ISA proxy server if Internet Explorer is 'hanging' when using UCAS Apply

1. When I click on the year of entry link, nothing seems to be happening or a blank screen is appearing
The web based online application system UCAS Apply, runs on a secure web server (using https protocol rather than http). If you cannot access the service, this may be due to one of the following reasons:

• Your Internet Explorer browser has not been configured to display secure web pages. If you are using Internet Explorer:

Select:

1. Tools

2. Internet Options...

3. Advanced

4. scroll down to Security

5. ensure Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0 are both checked.




• If you have a firewall or proxy server that does not permit the SSL traffic to pass through it on port 443 then this could also be the problem. The applicant/staff logon page is also available on our secure web server. If you can view the following page: https://apply.ucas.com/test.html, this should rule out this as the cause of the problem. If you cannot access this page, please report the problem to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or computing support manager.

• Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not resolving the correct IP address for "apply.ucas.com". If you are using a PC running Microsoft Windows, you can test this out by clicking on the Start button, then Programs, followed by MS-DOS prompt. Enter the following command into the new window which opens up:

• When completing an application, Apply uses a new window to log in and also uses pop-ups to display option lists to choose from. If you are not getting a log in page or when you click on a box with a question mark [?] and nothing appears please make sure that any pop-up blocking software that may be interfering with the site is temporarily disabled

ping apply.ucas.com

If you can successfully gain access to this box, you should see the following response (The IP address could be 62.189.0.2012 or 195.188.99.202):

Pinging apply.ucas.com [62.189.0.202] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 62.189.0.202: bytes=32 time=140ms TTL=243
Reply from 62.189.0.202: bytes=32 time=135ms TTL=243
Reply from 62.189.0.202: bytes=32 time=137ms TTL=243
Reply from 62.189.0.202: bytes=32 time=143ms TTL=243

Any other response, such as Bad IP address or Request timed out indicates that there is a problem resolving the IP address. This needs to be reported to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

2. What happens if an error page is returned on security detail screen?
You must re-enter all your security details, not just the password.

3. Caching of web pages
In some instances, caching of web pages previously viewed, will not allow the updating of data input. In order to avoid caching of pages and ensure pages are reloaded, please check the following settings:

• For Netscape version 4.#
  Via Edit/Preferences, go to Advanced, then Cache. Under the title 'Document in cache is compared to document on network', ensure the option 'Every time' is chosen.

• For Netscape version 6.#
  Via Edit/Preferences, go to Advanced, then Cache. Under the title 'Document in cache is compared to document on network', ensure the option 'Every time I view this page' is chosen.

• For Internet Explorer version 4
  Via Views/Internet Options/General, click on the settings button under the title 'Temporary Internet files'. Under the title 'Check for newer versions of stored pages', ensure the option 'Every visit to the page ' is chosen.

• For Internet Explorer version 5.#
  Via Tools/Internet, click on the settings button under the title 'Temporary Internet files'. Under the title 'Check for newer versions of stored pages', ensure the option 'Every visit to the page ' is chosen.

• For Internet Explorer version 6.#
  Via Views/Internet Options/General, click on the settings button under the title 'Temporary Internet files'. Under the title 'Check for newer versions of stored pages', ensure the option 'Every visit to the page' is chosen.

If you are unsure about changing the settings, go to the browser Help option and search for 'cache' in the index.

4. I get a message saying the service has 'timed out'
For security reasons, the application times out after 60 minutes of inactivity. In this instance you will need to restart the application by returning to the main page.

5. The 'next' or 'previous' buttons are not visible or there are problems scrolling to the bottom of the page
To overcome this, the screen must be fully maximised - double-click on the active blue title bar (as shown below).

double-click on title bar

6. Using Internet Explorer on Macs
When completing some sections of an application, UCAS Apply uses pop-up lists to display options to choose from. Internet Explorer for the Mac is not able to display the chosen option from the list and does not respond to your selection.

These functions will work correctly in Internet Explorer by logging on to your application by using the following web address:

Alternatively, you can access the application in the usual way, through the UCAS website, by using another web browser such as Safari. Further information about safari web browser can be found here: www.apple.com/safari/

7. Problems printing from the printable version page
If you are having a problem printing from the printable version of the application form such as it appears to be trying to print an excessive number of pages. You will need to update to the latest version of your internet browser.

If your question is not answered here, please look through the list of questions and answers, and tips on how to resolve them.