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Original poster

Can uni force a deferral? Oversubscribed

33 replies

SunSeaSangria · 07/08/2025 13:55

Posting here for traffic as we are currently away, though packing to come home, and my DD is worrying.

She has an unconditional offer for her preferred uni on a popular course. She should easily meet the grades required.

She has just received an email saying they are offering a small number of students the option to defer and in return she would be guaranteed a place next year, £5000 payment this year, £5000 payment on starting the course next year and a £2500 bursary for travel/accommodation.

She doesn’t want to defer, will be living at home anyway so no change to accommodation, but in the WhatsApp group for that intake, lots of people are saying the same. No one wants to defer. Some are guaranteed their places due to routes they took or from a previous deferral and some seem to be worried that if there’s not enough people taking they offer, they will be deferred anyway. Can they do that?

OP posts:
crumblingschools · 07/08/2025 13:58

Should they be emailing now, as doesn't the embargo kick in tomorrow?

TreesOfGreen99 · 07/08/2025 14:00

Yes. I believe Durham did this a few years ago. I suggest you re-post in the Higher Education thread as there are so many knowledgable posters there that will be able to advise.

Mumofteenandtween · 07/08/2025 14:02

Those who want to take it won’t be posting online about it as they won’t want to encourage others to do the same. £12.5k is a lot of money for someone who was vaguely fancying a gap year anyway.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Higher education
roundaboutthehillsareshining · 07/08/2025 14:03

No, they can't just force some applicants to defer if the course is still running. That's why they're making a (slightly desperate) offer, and contacting the unconditional applicants (so no embargo issues). Experience tells them that some of those applicants are likely to choose to defer, and usually it's applicants who are unconditional and not waiting for results who are most likely to be tempted by this kind of offer - as they aren't part of the "uni focussed" cohort.

BeatriceAndBeau · 07/08/2025 14:03

I’d advise her to take the opportunity. A gap year may be a blessing in disguise - £10k is brilliant and she could use the £5k they’re offering this year to pay for a bit of travelling. My DD had to take a bit of a forced gap year and it’s honestly the best thing that has ever happened to her - spent 6 weeks travelling in Australia and ended up having the time of her life!

Elizabeth1000 · 07/08/2025 14:03

They can't force anyone. But with that kind of financial incentive, some will probably accept.

Cinnabonswirl · 07/08/2025 14:04

God I’d take 12.5k
get a job and save some money, do an internship or travel whatever, not often you can take a year ‘off’ in life and be given 12.5k for the pleasure.

Cinnabonswirl · 07/08/2025 14:05

The people taking it aren’t going to post in there that they need the money
so I wouldn’t worry

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 07/08/2025 14:05

That's a pretty good offer simply in exchange for deferring for a year. I imagine that there will be takers!

stackhead · 07/08/2025 14:05

The opportunity for a paid gap year? I'd grab that with both hands!

Heck even shoving it in a LISA and working for a year means a huge headstart on a house deposit.

I'd be encouraging DD to consider the offer rather than rejecting outright.

Snorlaxo · 07/08/2025 14:05

There will hopefully be people going along with what the majority are saying but taking the money. Mine would have taken the money to upgrade their car or do some travelling tbh

TokyoSushi · 07/08/2025 14:07

I'd be tempted to take it too, it's a good offer!

Original poster
SunSeaSangria · 07/08/2025 14:08

She really doesn’t want to defer, and while the £12,500 sounds great, only £5000 will be this year. The rest will be October 2026.

She bought herself a car in April as one requirement was to have a full driving license, so she won’t want to change it.

I am hoping some people would take the offer and run though, unfortunately she has her head set into starting this course.

OP posts:
MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 07/08/2025 14:10

SunSeaSangria · 07/08/2025 14:08

She really doesn’t want to defer, and while the £12,500 sounds great, only £5000 will be this year. The rest will be October 2026.

She bought herself a car in April as one requirement was to have a full driving license, so she won’t want to change it.

I am hoping some people would take the offer and run though, unfortunately she has her head set into starting this course.

Sounds like she is coming from a relatively comfortable financial position. There will be plenty of other students for whom this offer will be too good to turn down, so tell her not to worry about forced deferrals.

Original poster
SunSeaSangria · 07/08/2025 14:12

I will see if I can get it moved.

Thank you for the replies so far. I do agree that it is tempting, and she is money orientated but she keeps saying she will be a year behind her peers. 🙄

OP posts:
3bluellamas · 07/08/2025 14:13

A few years ago various universities did this. It was an issue following covid where students were just given their grades by school so far more met their predicted grades than would generally be the case. Bristol, Manchester Durham and others. Its a really good offer and I suspect quite a few will accept.

Original poster
SunSeaSangria · 07/08/2025 14:15

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 07/08/2025 14:10

Sounds like she is coming from a relatively comfortable financial position. There will be plenty of other students for whom this offer will be too good to turn down, so tell her not to worry about forced deferrals.

Show quote history

She is a good saver and managed to get herself a nice little car for less than £1000. It’s not going to last forever and she could upgrade but she is far too tight to spend on something that she doesn’t need if you know what I mean.

She would definitely need to work as we have said we won’t charge her anything for staying home while she studies, but she needs to fund her own lifestyle.

If it was me, I’d be sending them my bank details and spending it by midnight 😅

OP posts:
3bluellamas · 07/08/2025 14:16

If she needs a car for the course is it something like nursing/social work etc. If so then I would definitely be banking that money and working for a year. She will save herself a small fortune in student loan repayments.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 07/08/2025 14:19

SunSeaSangria · 07/08/2025 14:12

I will see if I can get it moved.

Thank you for the replies so far. I do agree that it is tempting, and she is money orientated but she keeps saying she will be a year behind her peers. 🙄

It's her choice. She doesn't have to defer if she doesn't want to. But she will probably find that lots of her peers will have taken a gap year in any case.

surreygirl1987 · 07/08/2025 15:04

No they can't force her to defer. But unless I've read your post wrong, there is no suggestion of that. They've merely offered a financial incentive - which some students will no doubt accept, as it's a brilliant offer. To be honest, I'd be accepting that like a shot! If your daughter doesn't want to, that's fine.

surreygirl1987 · 07/08/2025 15:07

SunSeaSangria · 07/08/2025 14:12

I will see if I can get it moved.

Thank you for the replies so far. I do agree that it is tempting, and she is money orientated but she keeps saying she will be a year behind her peers. 🙄

A year behind her peers... how? She'll be joining the first year so her uni peers will be in exactly the same place as her.

spoonbillstretford · 07/08/2025 15:07

I'd be tempted to bargain and say, "Call it £20,000 now, quits, and it's a deal 😅."

Actually though not an unheard of amount for deferral.

LIZS · 07/08/2025 15:08

You say she has an unconditional offer but should get the offer grades, was it a co dirional one in which case they can’t really do this until offers day. If it is a degree involving placements there may be a limited number of opportunities so it could get competitive. Personally I’d seriously consider the offer bit wonder if same might happen in a year’s time.

surreygirl1987 · 07/08/2025 15:10

stackhead · 07/08/2025 14:05

The opportunity for a paid gap year? I'd grab that with both hands!

Heck even shoving it in a LISA and working for a year means a huge headstart on a house deposit.

I'd be encouraging DD to consider the offer rather than rejecting outright.

Same! I expect she will regret not grabbing this opportunity later on. However, if she's positive starting uni now is what she feels she needs to do for herself, then good luck to her

spoonbillstretford · 07/08/2025 15:11

DD1 had an unexpected year out as she missed grades for her first choice and decided not to go to her insurance, and there was nothing she fancied in clearing. She worked for a year, full time, in her previous PT job, they promoted her, had a slight change of heart with courses, applied to and got in probably a better fit of university and course (and the best rated university in the country for that course). Honestly, she earned a stack of money and it was the making of her. It really doesn't matter being a year behind school friends in the grand scheme of things.