Will UCL keep my daughter’s 2026 offer if A levels are delayed?

[ByGreatOliveHam]

Pls can I have some advice . DD has been having a lot of health issues since last year and struggling with mental health . She has an offer from UCL for start in 2026 but we’ve decided she is going to take 2 A levels this year and one next year due to her health and not being able to manage all in one go . She is very hard working and worried about losing her offer . Does anyone know if uni would allow this and still agree to keep her offer if we email them explaining the situation or agree to give an offer next ucas cycle. She dosent want to reapply and this would cause lots of distress.

Hiya Definitely called uni admissions and ask? Some unis only accept the A levels if taken all together? Did she apply saying she’s doing x3 A levels? Uni Admissions are usually really helpful xx

You would need to speak to them. It seems like distress will be the case either way and I'm sorry about that.

If she is struggling, though, you should think very carefully about whether UCL is the right place for her. If you live in London that's one thing, but if she is planning to move that is a lot of pressure. IME ucls pastoral care is comparatively bad.

Yes she applied with three predicted A level grades and achieved GCSEs . Will definitely email/call to check. Her offer if based on A*AA in three A levels but she is only taking 2 this year as her healths been so bad. Am v worried she may not receive an offer again if she has to re apply which would be devastating for her.

Thank you! Yes I have heard this. She definitely wants to go and dosent want to go somewhere less ‘prestigious’ as she feels this will be her best option with getting a good job in future etc . She works v hard and is smart but just dosent cope well with health and anxiety so I don’t know what to do. We are in London so she would most likely live at home and commute

I think you are being unrealistic. You admit that UCL is prestigious. Thry can pick and choose their students. They will very probably only accept all 3 Alevels at one sitting. Your daughter is either going to have to sit all 3 this year and hope to get the results she needs or withdraw her application, ideally sooner rather than later do that some other student can be offered the place. Realistically she has no option but to reapply for 2027.

They might require them all in one sitting sadly.

I’m not sure UCL is the place for a student with anxiety. Also avoid Bristol. Sometimes plans don’t work out and new plans need to be made and that’s okay. Lots of reassurance. I’d call ucl admissions but I’m not sure I’d let dd know it might be an issue until after her exams.

She has been panicking since yesterday I have tried to reassure her there are other options . Don’t know what to do she says she has ruined her life if she can’t end up going to a good russel group uni as she dosent have anything else going for her and no other skills. She’s had her heart set on going here and I’ve tried telling her things will work out even if it’s not the way she imagined now. I’ve heard about UCL not being great pastorally anyway but I feel for her because she’s worked so hard and I know how much she wants to go

I think you need to be realistic. Will her mental health suit such a high pressure uni? Sometimes life takes us on a different route and she needs to learn the tough lesson that different doesn’t mean failure - hard to grasp at 17/18. My dd is currently a mess because she’s had an awful virus (Covid like) and is still not fully recovered. First exam Tuesday and the revision schedule is out of the window. I desperately want her to do well and get the grades she needs but it feels like the world is against her right now and I don’t know how to help. She’s currently in bed sleeping. It’s so hard. Just have to take a day at a time.

Aww thank you. Yes it’s so hard . I’m so sorry to hear about your dd I hope she feels better soon and is able to get the grades she wants in her exams . Mabey you could speak to the school and ask if they can apply for special consideration so she might be able to get some extra marks to help her?

Of course she wont, the RG is a self selecting group and far from the be all and end all and I went to one. My son left one to go to a non RG uni. Plenty of decent unis are non RG.

I’m not sure if she’s ill enough for that. She’s very up and down. It’s a Covid like virus but I thought she was over it yesterday but then she was sick today. Not like a tummy bug though. I’ve got her electrolytes and she’s resting all day. Fingers crossed it’s a blip she’ll get over quickly.

My son is at a prestigious uni with poor mental health. It is worth considering the pressure that brings. Not just from.the uni. A girl on his course told ds he makes her sick as has worked her arse off for ds gets whilst showing little effort. He is someone who does well by doing the bear minium which is irritating granted. But he is bearly hanging on and it's taken for being lazy.

However if she can get the grades I think the uni will still take them however they got them. Eg ds dropped out of one Russel group to walk into another one. I was flabbergasted they took him. He is a clear liability

I applied and got an offer from UCL, then emailed them in about April to ask to defer my offer for a year. They had no issues with it, so they do have the ability to be flexible with their offers.

I also dropped one half of my Joint Honours course after the first half term and again it wasn’t an issue. This was several years ago, but both times they didn’t have an issue with it and said it was quite common.

Ucl have poor pastoral services and dont really care about students but it partially depends on the subject your dd wants to do.

I highly doubt this - universities accept mature students all the time who have random A levels taken in different decades and equivalent quals etc. Not all universities look at entry as only for 18 year olds who knew exactly what to do aged 16.

As far as I know (I work in secondary) the exam entries are finalised so not turning up for one subject would mean a U. Please ask her school or college for support.

As a UCL graduate. I can’t imagine they will accept this BUT you never know. It’s worth having the conversation. If she struggles with her a levels then how will she fare with end of year exams? Even for humanities courses there are probably 6-7 written papers.

Speak to them. Only the admissions team will be able to answer the question as there are a lot of variables

I’d call ucl admissions but I’m not sure I’d let dd know it might be an issue until after her exams.

Surely DD would have to call herself?

UCL graduate here 🙋‍♀️ (albeit years ago).

I didn't find it high-pressured at all to be honest (I did Law). I found it to be a fairly easy-going environment.

Call the Admissions Team and ask them to defer her offer to 2027. They should be helpful.

@ByGreatOliveHam You need to defer her place and tell them why. You then need a conversation if they will accept A levels not taken at the same sitting. They might not accept this because they think their courses are pressurised and they want dc who thrive with this scenario.

I realise she might be upset about this and should email them. She doesn’t have to ring. What help might her school be?

She should consider other universities if the rule is all in one sitting. She’s right that UCL is prestigious but if she doesn’t meet their requirement, plan B is better. I would have my doubts about UCL ending well.

Thank you can I ask if this was a conditional offer and had you already met all the offer conditions if so?

@ByGreatOliveHam You would get more up to date answers on the HE board. @poetryandwineis a former admissions tutor and would have very good knowledge about this dilemma.

Thank you! I will have a look