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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

DS missed grades but accepted anyway- will he cope?

38 replies

NCworries · 14/08/2025 15:01

DS uni offer was ABB but he got CDD. Not high in the grade boundaries, they’re all middle of the road. Firm uni has accepted him without blinking. It’s RG so I was surprised. Is he guaranteed to struggle to keep up? I’m thinking they don’t care because if he drops out they can swallow a year of fees. Should he be looking at a course somewhere else? Anyone else’s DC gone in like this and been ok?

OP posts:
ZacharinaQuack · 14/08/2025 15:06

If they're taking students with CDD, then he won't be the only one. So I shouldn't think he will struggle to keep up with his peers - though there may be a wider range of abilities on the programme than you would originally have expected, if they were all getting As and Bs.

Otherwise, I guess it depends why he thinks he got CDD if he was originally predicted to do better, which will have got him the original offer? If he's a CDD student and his school was inflating its predictions, then although he may be fine on the course, he might need to adjust his expectations about what degree class he's working towards. But this would apply even if he got a place at a less prestigious university. Or it might be that he thrives at uni and catches back up to where he would have been if he'd come in with ABB.

Readandsew · 14/08/2025 15:15

Clearly uni do not think he will struggle if they have accepted him. Is it for a humanities course, or a science, maths based course? I'd be a little bit worried if it was for a Maths heavy course, eg Engineering.

tennissquare · 14/08/2025 15:26

The grades and offers are all over the place this year. DC I know getting in to RG unis with odd combinations of grades. If they offered he won't be the only 1 on the course with that set of grades .

Beamur · 14/08/2025 15:28

He'll be fine. Lots of opportunity to mature and study better 👍
Be grateful that the Uni is giving him the chance

PollyannaGladGame · 14/08/2025 15:30

DD’s offer was AAB and she’s in with BBC, also a RG uni. Two of her mates are in a similar situation.

We’re surprised, but delighted! I think he’ll be fine - they’re unlikely to accept him if they think he can’t manage it

user4750 · 14/08/2025 15:30

Clearing grades are super low this year since most of the universities are struggling financially and want bums on seats. The reality is though that most of the kids who have done A levels are likely to be ok to progress to degrees. For some who have done other courses which haven't involved essay writing etc they can sometimes struggle. I wouldn't worry.

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 14/08/2025 15:35

What is the end purpose of University for him? Is it a relevant qualification, or is it just ‘oh well, everyone goes’ ? Because with graduate recruitment or rather unemployment ) at record levels, might it be better to think about training schemes or apprenticeship?

Im presuming it isn’t a passion for the subject….

kiwiane · 14/08/2025 15:35

He will be fine - just be happy for him!

Fentyfan · 14/08/2025 15:37

I’d want to specifically ask this question to them and why they think he’ll be ok, and know more about the content that he couldn’t understand that got the lower grades, and how that relates to his degree. It got be ok but I wouldn’t assume the university had thought about it.

TheNightingalesStarling · 14/08/2025 15:38

Does he know why he got a lot below predicted? Was he struggling with the subjects or was it a case of not enough diligence? Or just a bad time around exams (stress, unwell etc?)

Dies he feel he can cope with the course?

MeringueOutang · 14/08/2025 15:40

Assuming it's not maths or engineering, he will probably be fine. I've just said this on another thread, but my course was RG and typical offer was AAB, but I got CCD, and they let me in anyway. I came out with a 2:1 and went on to do a PGCE and an MSc (which I got a merit on). He might need to pay special attention to his study skills to help him write better essays or do his work further in advance or whatever it is that held him back (for me it was really bad circs) but they clearly believe he can do it.

Topseyt123 · 14/08/2025 15:40

I'm sure he will be fine, and he must be very relieved. Just let him enjoy it.

user4750 · 14/08/2025 15:42

You really cant predict intelligence from a level exams. There are kids up and down the land who will have been predicted a high grade based on what the teacher has seen all year and has then under prepared or panicked and received much lower grades,

I was predicted a A for one of mine and got an E. I went in and blanked and it was as though maths was a completely foreign concept to me.

Id be more concerned about his ability to cope if he had been predicted CDD

Cinaferna · 14/08/2025 15:47

user4750 · 14/08/2025 15:30

Clearing grades are super low this year since most of the universities are struggling financially and want bums on seats. The reality is though that most of the kids who have done A levels are likely to be ok to progress to degrees. For some who have done other courses which haven't involved essay writing etc they can sometimes struggle. I wouldn't worry.

Bear this in mind. They want his money. What matters is whether he thinks he can cope, whether he is fully engaged with the work, whether he got CDD because he didn't get around to revising properly and struggled with understanding or whether it's due to external forces like illness, exam nerves, ADHD, which can be worked through. (DS2 had terrible exam nerves and managed to organise his degree so that he never sat a single paper. He did a lot of extended essays instead.)

If he's just not that into the subject and academic study please don't encourage him to saddle himself with huge debts. He may well drop out but the money will still need to be repaid. He could defer for a year and take a gap year, do a bar job, some travelling etc and work out what he wants.

Fentyfan · 14/08/2025 15:48

Yes exactly - university is a big investment of time, money and effort, it’s worth a bit of thought.

Anon987654567i91 · 14/08/2025 16:17

I was predicted AAB at A level, and got CBB. I had an unconditional offer so got to my firm choice, and graduated with a first class sciences degree. I found A levels significantly harder than university because they want very precise answers and try to trip you up. If he is willing to study and put the work in, he'll be fine.

WombatChocolate · 14/08/2025 16:18

I agree that he needs to think about why he got those grades. And is his work ethic up to independent study at uni. It could be, or not.
So I wouldn’t automatically be accepting. It’s a moment to pause and reflect as a degree is v expensive and not just something to do as you can’t think what to do next.
It’s worth thinking about. A study was done about how Clearing students were more likely to drop out or fail units. On one hand it’s obvious that they’re more likely to, but a lot of it was about not being emotionally committed to the place they ended up. And he’s not a Clearing student so hopefully he is committed to going there.
Many middling unis are finding the insurance students they used to rely on aren’t coming as the firm choices are taking more near misses. That means they have to drop their own accepted grades substantially. Your DC is being taken with a 6 grade drop. That’s a lot. Unfortunately it will be more about bums on seats than if he can cope.
Could you chat to his Sixth Form for advice?
It could be abs fine but I think you’re right to think about it and not just say ‘phew’ and rush in.

SozMate · 14/08/2025 16:24

I think it depends on what he’s studying- if it’s something like maths he may struggle

and also depends on why he got much lower grades than his offer - is he really A & B level but just had a bad few days or didn’t revise enough?

and also I think it depends on what level the other students are at. DS was given conditional offers of ABB from RG unis and those courses have been in clearing for weeks now at BCC, CCC and CCD. So there could be lots of other students at a similar level to your DC rather than all A grade students.

gerbo · 14/08/2025 17:02

My dh works for a RG uni.

He said its def not in the uni's interests to take someone who is likely to drop out - they want 3 years of fees, not 1 - all the financial modelling for the uni is based on on students working for 3 years. It's not good for the uni's reputation if lots of people drop out, plus they do care about their students.

Hope that helps! Good luck to him.

gerbo · 14/08/2025 17:03

What I should've added is - therefore they hopefully are expecting him to be able to cope, and wouldn't offer the place otherwise.

Readandsew · 14/08/2025 17:12

PollyannaGladGame · 14/08/2025 15:30

DD’s offer was AAB and she’s in with BBC, also a RG uni. Two of her mates are in a similar situation.

We’re surprised, but delighted! I think he’ll be fine - they’re unlikely to accept him if they think he can’t manage it

Exactly the same scenario and grades for my DC, thank you for sharing on what has been an up and down day. RG uni have accepted them, it was the insurance offer, was initially upset them, but firm was aspirational. C grade has taken us by surprise was in their strongest subject

Fentyfan · 14/08/2025 19:48

I’m sure universities do broadly care, but you and your son know their strengths and weaknesses best and you need to match that to the course and look at the gap. I’ve had two family members drop out of university in the last few years due to course and skills mismatches, and that is painful, and expensive.

rhabarbarmarmelade · 14/08/2025 20:21

And this is how RG kills the rest of the HE sector which they have not allowed to join the magic RG club….but how, in all honesty, are they different, if students with same A levels are being taken? It makes me sad because my brilliant uni suffers because of this.

HPFA · 14/08/2025 20:54

rhabarbarmarmelade · 14/08/2025 20:21

And this is how RG kills the rest of the HE sector which they have not allowed to join the magic RG club….but how, in all honesty, are they different, if students with same A levels are being taken? It makes me sad because my brilliant uni suffers because of this.

Agree totally.

The few genuinely elite unis in the RG should form a organisation if they want to work together. There is no longer any rationale for some of the unis in that group being seen as "better" than the rest.

Crispynoodle · 14/08/2025 20:59

He will be fine! As a lecturer I’m always amazed at how well students do at undergraduate level after doing not so well at A’level