Applying to Universities with grades in hand

[mushroom3]

DD has taken a gap year, so is applying with 2020 grades
. Should she re-apply to her previous choices (missed firm by one grade, insurance was full), or just new ones? Should she apply to places whose standard offer matches her grades or apply to those who advertise 1-2 grades higher? (particularly as if firmed grades may be one grade lower) It's a bit difficult for her to judge what to do with the unprecedented circumstance this year!

That is is a good idea mushroom and if you are following the 2021 uni thread you’ll see which universities are sending out offers already. It tends to be the high ranking ones that hold back (Durham, Warwick etc), albeit some of those are trickling out. Hope she gets the offers she wants!

@mushroom3 DS2 applied with grades in hand to a mix, for what it is worth, of RG and non RG. 3 choices with a standard offer higher than achieved grades, one matching and one lower. Received offers from all 5 within a matter of days. Given the understandable inaccuracies with predicted grades, applying with actual, real grades may carry some advantages.

Thanks for sharing @boys3 and the other responses!

Just reviving this thread briefly to ask a fundamental question! My DS took A levels in October and will get results on December 17th. He's then going to apply to unis with those grades in hand before Jan 15th deadline. Basically.. what happens then? Presumably he gets some unconditional offers if he has pitched them right. Can he bide his time weighing them up against each other? And when would he have to make a final decision? The main reason for wanting to know is because the winter travel restrictions have meant that he'll be applying blind to most of them! I'm hoping he doesn't need to decide until the spring and can maybe actually visit a few of the towns if not the campuses themselves. Hope someone can sort this out for me!

Normally the deadline to accept offers, assuming all are received by end March, is early May although I think this was extended this year due to pandemic. With unconditionals obviously you only need confirm for one.

Thanks so much - so with grades in hand you are able to juggle your offers for a while and needn't decide which to accept for a good few weeks?

You can with conditionals too. whether any open days or offer holder days will happen in the meantime in rl remains to be seen. The advantage of unconditionals and earlier acceptance of offers is at accommodation can often be applied for earlier, some unis open their applications as early as Feb/March.

The relevant dates will all bevon the UCAS website.

This year, the stipulation is that universities must respond to ontime applications by 20th May and then the applicant has until 10th June to enter their decisions re their firm choice (plus insurance where relevant).

www.ucas.com/ucas/events/find/cycle/2021/scheme/undergraduate/type/key-date

That's great - many thanks! We aren't holding out much hope for open days, but we're in the south of England, and any opportunity to travel north of Birmingham or across the Severn would be better than nothing!

To update, DD went up a grade in the subject she sat in October and so has now met the grades of her 2020 firm!