Why Did Unis Do This?

[kmo0416]

For some universities that I applied to I needed to provide evidence for things like being in care, Free School Meals, having missed school due to an illness etc. (Not that those all applied to me but just as an example).

The evidence needed to be provided via an official letterheaded-piece of paper and sent via email to the university that asked for it.

I did this and they said everything was fine. All of the letters I sent were legitimate.

However, when I asked my doctors and teachers whether they had been contacted for verification purposes, they said they had not. So, why is this?

Why would they bother to ask for the information if they aren't going to verify it?

Do universities rarely not verify these sorts of things and just expect honesty?

I mean you have to think about staff numbers, there simply isn't the time.

They won't do the work yet because you haven't accepted the place/got the A-Levels yet. Once your place is confirmed, then if the circumstances you have provided proof of amount to meeting the criteria for something (a contextual offer, or an additional scholarship/bursary, then they will do the work to confirm that your circumstance declarations are correct.

They don't have the time or resources to follow all this up if you then go to a different uni, or change your mind and start a job instead.

Because you haven’t given your specific circumstances I can’t tell you but it might me:

• something we’d only verify after results day, to reduce workload
• something we’d verify in the slower period between offers going out and results day, if needed
• something we’d only spot verify (so we check 10 in 100)
• something that we’d get verification through another method (SfE for example)
• if you came from a school we have a close relationship with, we might not verify if we trust e.g. your head of sixth form
• The person you’re speaking to might not have been contacted for verification but someone else at the institution has - so not your specific teacher but another teacher.