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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be angry and upset on son’s behalf - university admission related

94 replies

Jaspermcsween · 08/02/2019 19:54

My son applied to university on the last day allowed -
Deadline was 15th January at 6 pm .
He has an email showing his application was received by UCAS at 00.55 hours. On that date.

Today he got an email saying his application was unsuccessful.
Reason?
I t was received after the deadline.

Except it wasn’t and he has the email to prove it !

He will phone ucas and the university on Monday.

In the meantime does anyone have any advice or similar experiences?

Thanks for reading. I hope someone can help

OP posts:
Boyskeepswinging · 08/02/2019 19:59

No, you are doing the right thing to contact the uni directly. Send the admissions team a copy of the email. I take it you mean the application was received by UCAS very early on the morning of 15th January?

bumblenbean · 08/02/2019 20:01

Perhaps I’m being dense but my reading of your OP is that the deadline was 6pm but the application was received at 00.55. Presumably that means your son sent his application at 00.55, which is several hours after the 6pm deadline.

Or are you saying he sent it earlier on that day but the email confirming receipt is timed later, I.e. at 00.55?

anniehm · 08/02/2019 20:01

Dd had the same last year, she was waiting on her teachers reference thing and only received it on deadline day (she had been applying through the conservatoire process and only got her rejection in early jan hence last minute!) But it didn't matter because she got a place no problem, it's a low birth year!

Original poster
Jaspermcsween · 08/02/2019 20:01

Yes , in the wee small hours.

He left it to the last minute which is never a great idea but I can’t complain as he gets that off his mother

OP posts:
bumblenbean · 08/02/2019 20:02

Ah sorry I have misunderstood then!Blush The application was sent in the early hours of 15th, not 16th?

Mumteedum · 08/02/2019 20:03

Just speak to admissions. It's an applicant's market! He'll be fine.

Waffles80 · 08/02/2019 20:04

Still unclear on when he actually sent it?

MyDcAreMarvel · 08/02/2019 20:05

Whoever is doing his personal statement forwards it to UCAS so maybe they didn’t get chance to do that on the 16th.

SallyOMalley · 08/02/2019 20:08

I work in Admissions. If you've got the email to show it made the deadline then there is no reason why the university in question shouldn't process the application. Your son should contact UCAS first, but will probably be advised to then contact the university.

We see this all the time - sometimes we get applications with a date of (for eg) 18 Jan and yet according to UCAS they were received on time. Not sure how that works but we always process them! And I got one today where the reference had been delayed - the school's fault. The school asked us to process it as if on time and we did.

There is more flexibility in the system than you think! 🙂

Original poster
Jaspermcsween · 08/02/2019 20:08

Bumble , he sent it just after midnight on the 15th and got the confirmatory email immediately.
Deadline was 6 pm that day, ie 18 hours later

OP posts:
MyDcAreMarvel · 08/02/2019 20:10

Op was the reference completed if not it’s not classed as on time.

Original poster
Jaspermcsween · 08/02/2019 20:12

Yes reference was completed !

OP posts:
Original poster
Jaspermcsween · 08/02/2019 20:13

Sally that’s wonderful - thank you, very reassuring!

OP posts:
cricketballs3 · 08/02/2019 20:26

I'll be honest....leaving it until the last minute was always inviting problems!

Just because your DS has pressed send doesn't mean it's sent as his 6th form lead has the final release as they have to check all the data and attach the reference

Stillabitemo · 08/02/2019 20:36

Whenever he presses submit he’ll get confirmation but it goes to a named contact at school to add a reference. It’s only when they’ve completed it that it’s actually sent to unis. Is the problem that the reference wasn’t done before the 6pm deadline? He could ask the referee.

What course/uni? If less competitive I’m sure it won’t be an issue as it’s a buyers market at the moment../

Original poster
Jaspermcsween · 08/02/2019 20:37

Cricket , he has an email confirmation from ucas showing he was 18 hours inside the deadline.

OP posts:
Boyskeepswinging · 08/02/2019 20:39

It's an applicant's market! He'll be fine
Only for some courses at some universities. Despite the low birth rate many courses are still heavily oversubscribed. The fact that he was rejected for being too late would indicate that this is a popular course. A course where they're struggling to fill places would ignore the 15th January deadline.
Having said that, if he has proof from UCAS that his application was received before the deadline the university will need to consider his application. Thems is the rules!

Blissx · 08/02/2019 20:45

Cricket , he has an email confirmation from ucas showing he was 18 hours inside the deadline.

I’m confused too. When he pressed submit after paying, he will get a confirmation but it won’t get sent to UCAS until checked by his school or collage with their reference added.

Did he really wait until the night before the deadline, expecting the school/college to check it and add their reference on time????

It could be they didn’t submit their end by the 6pm deadline. Or the school/college did (and they are bloody superheroes for doing so) and this is easy to query and fix.

BowStreetStunner · 08/02/2019 21:05

It is only an "applicants market" for some courses as a teacher I advise against this attitude seen few students fall foul of it and be very disappointed!

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 08/02/2019 21:06

Hope he gets it sorted Jasper and let this be his wake-up call !

My DS started last Sept , we were contacted by the University for his 2nd Open Day (basically the Students who have been given places ) to be given the date and Parents/Parent were expected to attend .

we were all taken into a room (while they went off to their future classrooms) to be given all the information about their funding, supporting them, and the vital dates , including when to apply for funding and acceptance dates .

There was no hint of "Well they're adults let them get on with it" , it was very much " You are the Parents , you are the back up"

He's 19 now and TBH , we aren't kept in the picture now so it is all down to him. He needs to know his dates and deadlines .

So he needs to get his diary sorted .

Good Luck .

MyDcAreMarvel · 08/02/2019 22:51

@Jaspermcsween Yes reference was completed ! but the school send it to UCAS not the student. The confirmation email was just him
sending the form it’s not the final thing that needs to be done.

Original poster
Jaspermcsween · 08/02/2019 23:55

70isalimitnotatarget

Hope he gets it sorted Jasper and let this be his wake-up call

This in spades! I’m upset for him but also angry at him.
He is very clever but very disorganised and I refuse to do his adult work for him

OP posts:
Original poster
Jaspermcsween · 09/02/2019 00:12

Blissx’

I’m confused too. When he pressed submit after paying, he will get a confirmation but it won’t get sent to UCAS until checked by his school or collage with their reference added

He was applying independently, not through the school. His reference was included in his application before it was sent to UCAS

OP posts:
Original poster
Jaspermcsween · 09/02/2019 00:16

MyDcareMarvel
Jaspermcsween Yes reference was completed ! but the school send it to UCAS not the student. The confirmation email was just him
sending the form it’s not the final thing that needs to be done.

He was applying independently, not via the school.

OP posts:
BubblesBuddy · 09/02/2019 00:20

Why leave it so late? Hope his school/university work isn’t always on the deadline because he’ll end up being stressed. Chat about this with him.