Rejected from all five choices

[Rolla23]

So I’ve no experience of further education and totally unsure how it works. My DD is at college and has applied through UCAS to university. She didn’t know her predicted grades before she applied so applied to 5 universities. She found out today that she has only been awarded a pass grade ( as a predicated grade) so this means she hasn’t been accepted to any of her chosen unis. They aren’t big posh ones I don’t think they are just normal ex poly type ones.
she has said no one gets rejected from all 5 choices.
Obviously her actual grade would possibly be different.
Do people get rejected from all five? If she does only get 75 ucas points can she still go to uni?
she said her chosen uni take people on a first come first served type offer so even if she passes now with a higher grade she won’t get in? Is this true?
if anyone could help a confused parent that would be amazing!!

Is an HNC/HND at college not an option? Completion would allow direct entry into 2nd year of university if that’s what she wanted and the entrance requirements are almost always lower than uni.

Courses tend to be more vocational too so she may not need to go to uni and might find work at the end of the HND.

University isn’t for all and if her grades are sitting at Ds at A level the. I’d suggest perhaps university isn’t for her yet. I went the HND route as I wasn’t mature enough for uni straight from school and loved it.

Are you sure university is going to be the right choice for her?

With those points she doesn't sound overly academic, and she may end up struggling at university.

Not to mention it costs about £9,000 just for teaching fees alone, without the cost of accommodation, food and living expenses.

Would she not just be better trying to get a job in the fashion world, building a portfolio and working her way up?

OP

This is not about predicted grades if she is doing a BTEC. You can't suddenly upgrade a pass to a distinction at the end of the year / course.

The teacher's grade is 'provisional', it will be internally assessed and then externally assessed then the grade becomes final. It is very rare for the grade to change.

So a predicted Pass means she has been working at pass level.

I think a foundation year looks like a good bet tbh. I did see one in Cardiff but maybe it’s booked up now though and she’s missed the space for this year

It doesn't work like that, the student applies through UCAS (or UCAS extra) and the university make offers to students or reject their application.

Places are only finalised when the A Level results come out, the uni get the grades the day before the student.

What is the actual qualification she is doing called? Level 3 can be any number of course, A Levels, T Levels, BTEC, OCR...

There is some great advice here but it's worth looking with her at what is on her application beyond just grades. I don't know how competitive fashion courses are specifically, but am assuming they are comparable to the drama courses I was apply for thousands of years ago.
Places like Leeds and Manchester Met will have so many applications and as much as the grades will be important, they'll be looking at extra curriculars too - work experience, portfolios, school or college projects etc. She needs to show them she'll be the student who gives her all and brings her own different experience to the course.
I say all this too as someone who got 6 rejections on my first year of applying. I gritted my teeth, took a year out, submitted a much better application, which also had better grades than my predictions, and got into my first choice the second time round.

Foundation years are free

Foundation year is a great option and so many local colleges offer them especially in the arts

She could do textiles if there isn't a SKE if if fashion one but there should be

She needs to ask her teacher what she needs to do to get a better grade

You also need to email the head to get the teacher to email you exactly what your DD needs to do to get the best mark possible

I emailed my DD school for an art related subject and I got a really decent comprehensive email back detailing what DD could be doing to get the best grade possible.

I have no idea why SKE came up

Start applying for Foundation courses they are always really good and worthwhile

Yeah I’m with all the PPs on this one OP.

The issue here is that she applied to unis without knowing predicted grades. I’m also not sure how this happened. It was a while ago but I remember going to uni open days (before applying) and specifically discussing my predicted grades, which I already knew, with the course leader. Maybe escalate this matter through the college? Likely too late do much apart from clearing though sadly.

I think she would be best off forgetting about UCAS for now and focus on getting the best grades possible. She should make plans for a year out of education including some time spent earning money, possibly travelling. Then with real grades in hand (hopefully higher than pass!l she can apply next year and will be first in the first-come-first-served queue.

If she can't improve on a pass she would be best applying for foundation or diploma courses rather than full degree courses to improve her study skills before embarking on a degree.

Was your daughter aware that universities accept students according to their grades, rather than just first come first served? If she’s predicted a Pass then she’s just sort of scraping through at the moment, and she’ll know this as BTECs consist of lots of coursework.
It sounds like her college hasn’t advised her well, but it also sounds like she hasn’t done much research, and that she’s hoping to do a degree in a subject she’s not very good at.
Getting pass grades at BTEC is not difficult at all, which also makes me wonder what the teaching is like.
I think you need to unravel what’s going on, is she working at Pass level because she’s not being taught well? You say she’s working hard, and has a a passion for the subject so that could be the case, particularly given what else you’ve said about the teacher.

If my child had such low grades I wouldn't be supporting them even attempting applying for uni and coming out with debt and me having to top up any loans. It's a bit different if they had underperformed at GCSE and then turned themselves around and was getting better grades thereafter

I don’t even get how she managed to put her application in! When mine did theirs, the sixth form tutor check3d every single application and every single personal statement before the student were given the go ahead to submit.

Their choices had to reflect their predicted grades and even if they were very bright they were encouraged to choose one university with a lower entry requirement as a back up.

Great advice, but one clarification; some foundation courses are free, especially the "Foundation in Art and Design" (FAD) offered by many colleges. Others aren't, if they're tied to specific courses at specific universities, where they count as an extra year on the degree course.

Be careful if your DD looks into this, OP, as it's a bit of a minefield and the wording can be confusing! (Nothing's ever easy, is it?)

No they are not.

Foundation courses are free but only if you are under 19 and do not have a full level 3 qualification. The OP's daughter is taking a level 3 qualification.

The two are not the same.

But... FAD (Foundation in Art and Design) is often offered at Level 4, and is then available to people who have finished Level 3 courses (free if under 19). It is a very standard way into art/design degree courses after A-levels/BTEC/etc.

There is indeed a lot of confusion caused by the way that very different things are given such similar names!

My children are in 6th form at different schools and their reports have always included their predicated grades from the first term. For your own interest maybe look at her reports to see if this is the same with your daughter?

I don't understand how neither you or your daughter had no idea how she was doing

I know someone who did fashion, she's now. Fashion buyer
The industry is cut throat, she did lots of internships (even did a month in New York) a lot of this was free to gain experience
Your daughter doesn't sound that proactive and I worry uni isn't for her with her grades
Is she doing extra curricula work to support her application?

I agree with some other posters about whether uni is the best choice for her. I went as mature student, the uni took some under 100ucas points students in clearing. Quite a few had massive issues with coursework and the academic side and were so so so stressed permanently, some ended with 2.2, some repeated year, some left. Some did do well of course.

Some people are better in practical setting and there is absolutely no shame in that. She could look at different courses providers or apprenticeships which go up to level 6 I think. You can get advanced learner loan but I think you have to be 19+, I am sure there will be some financing option for under 19 for non uni courses

There has been some excellent advice given.

My son got 3s in all his GCSEs due to extenuating circumstances. However, he has done well at Level 3 BTEC extended diploma and is predicted DDM. His extra curricular activities, including degree related voluntary experience, St John Ambulance cadet, and personal statement made him stand out and he has 5 offers, with some unconditional offers.
Places can be competitive, with many people applying with similar results. References and personal statements can really help. Perhaps a gap year is an option?

A lad I know from school is now CEO of a fashion brand, he did a gap year and got industry direct experience, including working in Canada on their student work experience programme. Sometimes thinking differently on how to create an application that is different from the rest is vital.

can she retake a year?

i just read she hasnt done a foundation course,
she needs to do this

This. Her predicted grades didn't get her offers for a reason.
She should look at getting internships or similar in the field she wants to work in. She'll be much further ahead in 3 years than if she does a degree she's not really suited for.

People DO get rejected by all their choices yes.75 points is relatively low so this will be limiting How is she managing her studies? If she's applying herself and putting in the hours it might be that this isn't the best route for her.
Clearing occurs right at the start of the academic year so that could be an option. If shes adamant uni is the route for her have a look at her Personal Statement. Look at ways to improve this as it counts for more than you might realise.
It's also worth looking at alternative routes towards her career goals eg Higher Apprenticeships etc
Above all don't let her feel like a failure. Her A level results don't define her.

Your DD can also apply for a foundation degree which is an extra year added on. She has the minimum UCAS points. Hope this helps good luck.