Shocked at university entry requirements

When I went to uni they asked for higher grades than I got and I got in.

I don't know if it's the same now, but I checked my UCAS application before going into college to get my a level results - it said I'd been offered a place! When I got my results and one was lower than I was hoping, I wasn't really that bothered as I knew I was already in uni.

Aim for those 3As is the best option. If you can get ABB then with determination you can probably increase the grades. Don’t settle for second best.

Then choose the five universities carefully. The one they really want and at least one insurance offer lower down. If she’s considering engineering then some universities have specific ‘women into engineering’ programmes aimed at increasing the number of women taking the subject.

I have been visiting undergraduate Physics departments with DS2, so have fairly up to date information on this.

There are a few universities that are oversubscribed; they can pick and choose who they give that A* A A offer to, and are very unlikely to drop the requirements on results day: Oxford, Imperial, Durham etc.

There are a few universities that also tend to be oversubscribed (depending on the year group) and are unlikely to drop the grade offer on results day: Manchester, UCL etc.

There are many other good universities that on results day may well be willing to drop a grade below the offer, and give her a place even if she narrowly misses the grades. Look at Nottingham, Southampton etc.

For a pupil with an AAB / ABB prediction, it's also worth looking at some safety choices e.g. Leicester.

Lastly, I would recommend looking at the BSc Physics courses (not the MPhys / MSci four year courses) as the typical offer is slightly lower.

With your 5 uni options you normally would put down one or two aspirational choice (so aaa), then some safe choices.

Depending who makes you offers you put down an aspirational choice as your first one, then a safe one as your insurance.

I personally don’t think universities have caught up with the new Linear exams and the one chance only to sit them, after two years. They don’t want to lose their ‘prestigious’ status by advertising more realistic grade requirements and therefore, are having to lower heir expectations on results day or offer more unconditional offers, as a consequence.

Please don’t worry. At my school, last year’s Year 13 had a success rate of 74% getting their firm choice, despite only 36% of them getting the grades originally required (of As and A*s). The universities were desperate to have them!

In reality you pick one as aspirational and an insurance offer as one with grades you are confident of getting. And not be afraid of holding off a year.

This is quite standard for top tier unis, the offer is made on the predicted grades, and a grade slipping will usually mean the student still gets in,

If her grades are predicted lower, then she may struggle to get an offer at the higher entrance ones, can she speak to her teachers about the reality of her predictions?

If she is considering taking a gap year she can apply after she has her grades, if you think she might do better and get unconditional offers. Why do you think that she will do better in the actual A levels than predicted? Is she not working hard enough? Teacher not quite understanding her and underestimating? Work harder than expected? I would try to focus on this issue and hopefully that will help to support her and find the right uni for her.

There does seem to be a big difference at the moment between what universities say that they want and what they actually offer. One of my students applied last year, expecting an offer of AAB and was then given an unconditional (EE). To be fair, she then rejected that offer and instead went elsewhere - but you may well be surprised at what is offered once the applications are in.

Most entry requirements for universities are quite high now, but the published grades are often not the same as the actual grades achieved by the entrants. Sometimes students will get an ‘alternative offer’ if they have something else to show the uni, such as a good grade in their extended project. Sometimes students miss the grades on results day, and universities will ‘confirm down’ by a grade in one subject. Students who outperform can enter ‘adjustment’ during clearing and change to another university, though not that many do. You have my sympathy, it’s very confusing. The best thing to do is ask the admissions tutors at visit days and see what they say.

Have you looked at mainly Russell Group universities OP? There will be lots of second-tier universities with lower requirements than that.

*Clearing opens on results day and I think she would have to contact UCAS.

If she gets better grades then predicted she can apply through clearing to a university with a higher entry criteria if they have space.