Daughter started at a Russell group uni in 2024 and now contacted by UCAS offering her a place at her chosen uni in 2025, which didn’t offer her a place in 2024 but would have been her first choice.

[labsarelife]

Ok, I’ve never heard of this happening before; ever. Daughter gained a place at a Russell group uni in 2024. Had offers for all but one of her choices - the rejection came from her preferred uni but she ended up happily going to her second choice.
We receive a letter this morning - ‘signed for delivery’ from UCAS, offering her a place in 2025 (!) at her first choice uni, from which she was rejected last year.
Apparently, UCAS have ‘undertaken some work’ in conjunction with said uni and are now able to offer her a place - either joining in year 2 or beginning year 1, depending on course content already studied.
Complete dilemma. She is happy (ish) at the current uni - socially etc. Sometimes moans about some of the lectures being useless but to be honest, you get that everywhere and nothing is perfect.
Has on occasion said she’s not sure the uni was all she’d hoped it would be and at one point wanted to leave but has stuck with it; only to now be given the chance to study at her first choice.
Both are top ten unis - or thereabouts, depending on the league tables each year but both consistently good.
My first choice would have been the uni she received a rejection from but we were happy with her second choice and there’s not a huge difference between their stats etc - her first choice was the stronger performing uni of the two.
Location wise, both are in lovely cities.
Has anyone else ever been in this position or heard of anything happening like this before? Perhaps it’s a more common occurrence than I think it is.
Any insight, much appreciated.
Thank you.

Your post seems very odd. Have you tried reading the thread to find the actual reason for this? Engaged brain perhaps?

That is probably a good question to ask… the current years drop out rate. It would perhaps reflect the student satisfaction with course content.

Is it a science subject?

It was an admissions error.

Yes. It was an admissions error; all confirmed officially now.

Can you sit down and work out all the financial involved-

1. Deposit and rent for uni 1 year 2 that you'll have to pay as you already signed the contract
2. Tuition for uni 1 year 1.
3. Accommodation for uni 1 year 1 - can you ask for this?
4. What will happen with with Student Finance for the fifth year of study? How will UCAS handle this?

We have been asked to list all of the financial considerations that we think need attention - which isn’t an easy task.
We contributed heavily to bump up her maintenance grant last year. Term 1, she had £30 left after paying rent, so we subbed all of her living expenses.
Term 2 was better as she received a bursary. Term 3 is financially tough, as we need to pay rent from June on the year 2 house, as well as subbing her until she finds summer work - as many parents will be familiar with.
All well and good, if your child remains at uni.
A year of drained finances for us, if she decides to change uni.
Surely, we can’t be expected to just take all of that money invested in her first year, as our own personal loss?!?
There has been indication that her term of study would remain the same - 4 years and she would not be seen as having a 5th year of study.
We aren’t a wealthy family either. Not that, that should have any bearing on whether we receive any financial reimbursement- if it is owed, it is owed etc but it does make it particularly hard on us.
What a shame for her. It’s a decision I wouldn’t like to make. Currently, she is flitting back and forth.
I think we could do with a face to face meeting with someone, as I’m phoning UCAS and my daughter is and we have info pinging back and forth between us and she’s in the middle of exams at the moment. Very hard on her.

Oh I know - I read the thread. I was jesting at the expense of someone who clearly couldn’t be bothered to.

As it's a contextual offer, the least they can do is offer contractual money on top!

Sorry, I’ve lost track of my own thread!

We shouldn’t have to lose out financially - agreed. However, it’s her happiness that is our main concern - as with all parents.

Sorry, I meant contextual money on top - that'll teach me not to post at 1am...

I think it may be worth taking legal advice. UCAS has massively messed up and will be keen not to have this widely known.
Its whole raison d’être is to ensure fair admissions and this hasn’t happened. It is a huge breach of trust for your daughter and the two universities involved.
I have worked in HE and UCAS are very quick to point out if HEIs have not done anything in their admissions to the letter, so the same should be expected of them.
I’m livid on her behalf.
Hopefully her exams go well and this isn’t too much of a distraction.
She’s lucky to have such a thoughtful and smart mum on her side. I know of so many students who would have to navigate a situation like this alone

Wondering if a handful of young people are affected overall, or per institution.

This 👆👆👆

I’d add up all the costs. This is the minimum UCAS would have to pay. Add a bit more for the mental side of it. Then if she stays where Ashe is ask UCAS to pay 2/3 of that figure in compensation.

I am not surprised! It’s clear that a great deal of posters cba to read it properly.

FWIW, and an entirely different situation, but one of mine realised 3 weeks or so in that she’d made a terrible mistake with both university and degree. She stepped back, and reapplied to others restarting the following year at LSE. Her decision entirely, but wholly supported by us (much like you), and she says it was possibly the best decision of her life. She was older than others, obviously (plus is a September born), but that didn’t stop her making great friends.

Huge luck to her whatever she decides. It’s hugely personal and she’s clearly got a great crew behind her in you.

She could start in first year, with no additional year added to finance. This is the only way I’d recommend myself, as we all know friendship groups are mostly established through halls; especially if you aren’t sporty etc.

Or, read the thread and see that it is absolutely nothing to do with a university error and is entirely down to UCAS.

Are they talking to you? I find it frustrating that any communication has to go through the student (as they are adults), but when your money is tied up in it too, you want to make sure things are all sorted properly.

We had this on a minor scale with our dd who swapped courses at the same uni before starting last year, and it took ages to get the correct course listed which then meant she couldn’t register and get her id etc. The amount of red tape was enormous, and I couldn’t help, and dd was quite laid back…

I agree it’s a bit mean of the uni to contact her at this late stage as in some ways if she didn’t know about it she’d probably be happy with her choice, whereas this would make her question her choice.

i hope you get it sorted.

I realised quickly that we (parents) had been cut out of the correspondence loop and asked my daughter to email UCAS, giving permission further them to speak to me and they have agreed.
The uni has not contacted us; it is UCAS who we are talking to, as it was their mistake.
Yes, I can imagine the amount of red tape. That must have been a nightmare for you as a parent but I will have to refuse to enter in to organising any of that. UCAS will have to do it. I don’t have the time to be honest. I’m currently working two jobs to keep my daughter at uni and my husband works flat out too.
I actually set up my own business 18 months ago, with the sole intention of earning more money because I knew uni would be a killer for us financially.
Alongside that, I’ve slotted in another job too, along the way.
Reading that back, I realise that I cannot let all we contributed financially last year, go unchecked.
What a mess this all is.

i feel your pain, we have 2 at uni in 1st and 2nd year, both on min loans and are really feeling the pinch, not quite on bread and water yet, but not far off.

It does feel like a burden and i would not want to extend it by another year unless there was a big career benefit. For most, a decent degree from a decent uni is all they need.

I would say, although both of ours are having a good time, the courses have both been a bit underwhelming tbh. Not sure what i expected, but hopefully it’s a means to an end.

I still don’t quite understand how UCAS messed up just the offer from one HEI as your dd got others that presumably were contextual offers?
@labsarelife did they explain why it’s taken them so long to get in touch? Is it that they were doing the process again this year and realised the error from last year? Did you ask them how many students were affected by this?

Like pps have said you sound like a really supportive mum, and to be honest if you haven’t got the financial cushion to make the transition easy & if your DD is ready to roll into her 2nd year & has friends and a house share I would stick with that. Maybe your dd could draw up a pros and cons lisr for staying or moving?

Similar situation to us. We have three children. All young adults now. Yes, I don’t think any course is perfect etc and I need to really get that message across to her.
My only concern is that if you’d have asked me if I wanted to change uni after my first year, I would’ve said ‘no.’ That is because although my uni was far from perfect, I actually liked it and was happy there.
The fact that she’s even considering it, says something to me but she must also realise that it’s sometimes ‘better the devil you know!’
I need to ask a few of your questions next week, as they are my questions too! My daughter had 4/5 offers. Only two were contextual. She did not qualify for a contextual offer from all of the unis she applied to @Watermelonice

My daughter received 4/5 offers. Two were contextual and two weren’t. It was a hiccup with the data used for contextual offers that caused the issue.
We will have to ask her to list pros and cons. We will list our own but possibly not share them with her unless she remains uncertain and unable to make a firm decision.
If she does make a firm decision without our input, then great. That is what I’d like her to do.
It’s actually an interesting exercise, in learning how to step back as a parent and not interfere unless asked. I trust my daughter and I will respect her decision but I do feel sorry for her and would not like to be in her shoes (I won’t tell her that though!)

@labsarelife OP sending you a PM thank you.