What happens after you apply

Your application appears in My programmes the moment you submit it, and its status changes there as it moves. You do not need to keep the email.

The stages are the same everywhere on AYC. Submitted means it arrived. Under review means somebody is reading it. Shortlisted means you are in the smaller group being considered, and usually means an interview is coming. Then accepted or declined. If you are accepted and take part, it moves to attended and finally completed, which is when a certificate is issued.

How long each stage takes is set by the organiser, not by us. Most listings say roughly when applicants will hear, and every listing states how applicants are chosen — that section is written before applications open precisely so nobody has to guess afterwards.

If the deadline has passed and the date the listing gave has passed too, it is reasonable to write to the contact address on the programme page. One polite message is fine. Chasing weekly is not, and organisers notice.

Being declined is not a verdict on you. Programmes have a fixed number of places, and most receive several times more applications than they can take. The people who eventually get in are usually the ones who applied more than once.

If your circumstances change — you move, you take a job, you cannot attend after all — tell the organiser rather than going quiet. Places are scarce, and one that is given back goes to someone else on the list.