The UCAS University and College Admissions Service is a UK-based organization whose main role is to manage the application process for UK universities. UCAS was formed in 1992 by the merger of the Central Universities Council (UCCA) and the Polytechnics Central Admissions System (PCAS). 
Where does the name UCAS come from?
The name UCAS is a contraction of the former acronyms UCCA and PCAS. An initial proposal was made for the new merged body to be called PUCCA (Polytechnics and Universities Central Admissions Council), but this was never adopted.
The history of UCCA
UCCA is the older of the two organizations. It was set up in 1961 to act as a clearing house for university applications in the UK. It was created in response to concerns expressed during the 1950s that the increasing number of university applications was unmanageable using the systems then in place, in which each student applied individually to as many institutions as they chose. This concern led the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals (CVCP) to set up an ad hoc committee in 1957 to examine the issue. In its third report of January 1961, this committee recommended the creation of a central body, which later became known as UCCA. Its first and second reports had already made a number of recommendations aimed at harmonizing admission procedures at the various universities.
A long way from UCAS, UCCA was the first system in place
The name UCCA originally referred to the Board of Management (the Central Council) responsible for overseeing the new student admissions process. Initially based in London, it moved to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in 1968. The new program included a pilot year, processing a subset of applications in 1963, and its first full year of admission in 1964. The program was essentially a collaborative initiative between independent universities, and membership was voluntary. Most English universities joined from the outset. Oxford and Cambridge joined (with slightly modified procedures) for the 1966 entry; London’s medical and dental schools, as well as Belfast and Stirling for 1967. In 1965, UCCA processed 80,033 applicants, rising to 114,289 in 1969. The acceptance rate of applicants by universities in 1969 was just over 50%. Initially, applications were processed using punch card technology. In 1964, UCCA began using the services of a computer office with a Univac machine; in 1967, it installed its own Univac computer. Although polytechnics were institutions of higher learning, through the CNAA awards system they could not be admitted to UCCA, as they were reserved for universities with degree-granting powers. Despite this, polytechnics were involved as early as 1972 in discussions with UCCA and the Central Register and Clearing House about the possible form of one or more admission schemes. At this stage, applicants dealt directly with each polytechnic. 
The origins of PCAS
In 1983, the Polytechnic Directors’ Committee entered into negotiations with UCCA to share its computing, technical and office facilities in Cheltenham in order to establish a course access system based on the existing model used by UCCA. A grant of £210,000 from the UK Department for Education and Science was awarded to set up a new unified admissions system, provisionally called PUCCA. However, instead of a unified system for English universities and polytechnics, a separate system for polytechnics emerged from the negotiations, modelled on UCCA, but known as PCAS. Course applicants were given the option of applying separately to universities and polytechnics, or to both. The PCAS system came into force in 1985. In its first year, it handled around 140,000 applications for polytechnic courses, of which 40,000 per year. for polytechnics. Although many polytechnics offer art and design programs, and some also offer teacher training courses, these admissions systems remain outside PCAS.
The merger of PCAS and UCCA
Although the goal of creating a unified application system for universities and polytechnics was not achieved by 1985, PCAS Managing Director Tony Higgins continued to advocate the merger of PCAS with UCCA. In 1992, following the change in status and name of most polytechnics to universities, the two organizations merged under Higgins’ leadership. Initially, the application form bore the joint UCCA / PCAS trademark, but in 1994, the newly merged organization was officially renamed UCAS. In 2015, Amsterdam Fashion Academy became the first non-British educational institution to be admitted to UCAS.
