At Colchester Institute, we have implemented an online enrolment process which new students can do from home. They will need access to the internet and evidence of their exam results, including those from previous years.
Please note: This cannot be completed from outside the UK – if you are on holiday abroad you must ask someone in the UK to do this for you!
All applicants, who have received an offer of a course at Colchester Institute, have been asked to prepare for enrolment by logging into their application account and uploading two important things:
- A photograph of themselves, suitable to be printed on their College ID card (they can only upload one)
- Evidence of official ID, this could be a photo of their birth certificate, driving licence, passport or National Insurance Number letter.
Uploading this early will allow them to focus on their GCSEs and other exams. This request, and guidance on what to do, will already have been sent to applicants.
Online Enrolment – Upcoming Step
Once you have had an interview and been made, and then accepted, your offer, you will need to follow the steps below.
Applicants for full-time study programmes will begin to receive instructions for Stage 1 of enrolment once they have accepted their offer. The link below can be used to access the information about this next stage of enrolment.
Online Enrolment
Enrolment commences on Thursday 21st August 2025, on GCSE results day. Applicants will be asked to log into their application account and upload evidence of their 2025 results, as well as those received in previous years.
Applicants will either need to take a photo of their results slips, or save a screenshot of results sent by email onto the device they will use to upload them to us.
Places are prioritised for applicants who meet the published entry criteria and who upload exam results by the priority deadline of 2pm on Friday 22nd August. Results can be uploaded after this time but there is no guarantee of getting a student’s first choice even if they have achieved the entry criteria.
Teaching staff will check all uploaded results against the published entry criteria and, where these have been met and places remain available, applicants will get an email to confirm their place. We aim to confirm enrolment decisions for the priority group by 2pm on Tuesday 26th August 2025, so don’t worry if this doesn’t happen straightaway.
Applicants who upload results after the priority deadline will be considered on a first come, first served basis, whilst places are still available.
All enrolment decisions will be made on or by Friday 29th August 2025.
On receipt of this confirmation email, applicants must then log back in and finalise the enrolment process by checking though their personal information and completing their student declaration. This must be done within 3 working days as they are not fully enrolled until this step is complete! It is only at this point when they receive confirmation that the enrolment process is complete, that they are fully enrolled.
Please note: In previous years we have found that some Colchester Institute emails went into spam or other email folders, to avoid this, applicants are advised to add us to their contact list and to keep checking spam folders. This is particularly the case for Gmail, Outlook, iCloud and Hotmail.
Confirmation of a new student’s first day at college will be notified to them by email, along with any required kit or equipment needed. Term starts on Wednesday 3rd September 2025, but not all students will start on this day.
Full term dates for the academic year will be confirmed and published soon, and a link will appear at the bottom of this page.
| Enrolment Step | Timeline |
|---|---|
| 1. Applicant confirms ID | Ideally completed by 15/8/25 |
| 2. Applicant confirms exams results | Opens 21/8/25, priority group by 2pm on Friday 22/8/25 Later uploads will be open until all places have been allocated on a course, but places are not guaranteed. |
| 3. Teaching staff check results | Opens 21/8/25, priority group informed by 2pm on 26/8/25 Later uploads will be informed of enrolment decisions on or by Friday 30th August |
| 4. Applicant confirms enrolment | Must take place within 3 working days of confirmation of place |
| 5. Applicant receives First Day Information | First Day information is likely to be sent on or by 1/9/25. Term starts on Wednesday 3rd September 2025, but start dates are staggered across the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of that week. Full Term dates for 2025-26 will be confirmed and published soon. |
Help with enrolment
We know that enrolment can be an anxious time for some, there will be staff from our admissions team on hand throughout, either by phone, email or our online chat.
Important Information
Our enrolment process is fully online and there will not be the opportunity to come onto campus to enrol, so the better prepared you are now, the quicker and easier it will be.
So, choose your ID photo and take pictures of your existing exams results now, save them onto your phone, laptop or tablet, and then be ready to take your next steps on Thursday 21st August when GCSE exams results are published.
Good luck, if you have any questions please call us on 01206 712777 or email admissions@colchester.ac.uk
First of all, please don’t panic! Some courses have different levels and they might still be able to get a place; all applicants must still upload their results as soon as they can, then course tutors will review their grades and make that decision. If no place is available, we will send them an email to invite them to book a slot on one of our advice sessions on campus.
Advice sessions offer applicants an opportunity to talk to tutors in other subject areas to discuss alternative options, or to meet with a careers guidance adviser. Unfortunately the College will not be open for drop in support, so places must be booked in advance on this website, the booking system will go live on Thursday 21st August 2025, GCSE results day.
More information about our August Advice Days for 2025 can be found here.
