The Admissions Wait
Your child’s UCAS application is in and now you wait for news. For some, the wait is painful.
Key UCAS Deadlines*
- Mid-October: Early deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, and most medicine, dentistry, and veterinary courses.
- Mid-January: Main deadline for most other undergraduate courses for equal consideration.
- School Deadlines: Your school or college may set an earlier internal deadline to allow time for references and checks.
- Mid-January: Most Oxbridge decisions have been made.
- March/April: Most Medicine/Dentistry decisions have been made.
- Mid-May: University decision deadline for most courses.
- Early-June: Offer response deadline for students to select their Firm and Insurance choices and decline other offers.
- Early June: UCAS Clearing opens for applications to any remaining course places.
*The exact dates change every year.
News can come at any time
Within this time period, universities don’t all follow the same processes or timelines during admissions. Some universities make offers as soon as they receive applications. Some will wait until the January UCAS deadline to give ‘equal consideration’ to all applicants before making decisions.
Some universities receive such a high volume of applications, that they need the full admissions period in order to process all decisions.
Not only does the approach change from one university to the next, but also from one course of the next so try not to read anything into it about what this signals for your child’s success.
The peer pressure is tough
It’s hard to hear classmates getting offers while your child is still waiting, especially if they are applying to the same universities, or to other study destinations that make early offers (such as the USA).
Don’t make assumptions about this (i.e. ‘If they haven’t heard, they haven’t been successful’), universities are wading through tens of thousands of applications during this time, and it may be that they have just not got to your child’s yet.
Hang in there. Focus on the right thing.
Although this is easily said than done, your child needs to try and put the applications out of their mind and stay focused on their final school year. It’s vital that they stay on track to achieve their predicted grades, as universities will make conditional offers based on these. Placing their energy and effort on their final exams instead of worrying about offers coming in will maximise their chance of admission.
Don’t jump the gun. Make smart decisions.
When offers do come in, don’t accept them prematurely, wait until all your offers are on the table, even if that means waiting months for a final decision to come in (it’s tough, we know!). Use the time you are afforded to your advantage; to make an informed and smart decision.
Holding off on accepting any offers until close to the offer acceptance deadline (early June) allows your child to see how they are doing at school and if they are on track to achieve their predicted grades. This important data can help them make a strategic decision about which is their best and realistic Firm choice, and which would make a smart Insurance choice. This maximises their chance of admission and cushions them from unexpected outcomes.
If the unexpected happens…don’t panic
By results day, your child will have selected their Firm and Insurance choices and will find out if they have successfully met the grades of their offer conditions.
For those who haven’t reached their offer conditions, they may be back to the drawing board with no offers on the table. Don’t panic, all is not lost. There is still time to find a suitable course and university to go to through Clearing. It can be a hit to their self-esteem but if they are pragmatic and proactive about it, it can be resolved quickly and the ‘hit’, short-lived. Ultimately, it can be a very positive experience of navigating challenges and making good independent decisions, with support when needed.
The UCAS admission process can feel like a an anxious time but it is a rite a passage for your child; experiencing excitement and sometimes, disappointment about their next step in life. This is just one step in their very bright future and whatever happens during admissions, they will land safely.
The UK Study Options Team have decades of experience guiding students through university admissions. We can help you maximise your university potential.
Get in touch if you need strategic offer selection advice or results-day support.
