Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Flip

Original poster

A question about Offers - University starters Sept 2021

17 replies

BrendasBlessed · 28/01/2021 22:24

So setting aside the shit show that is exams/no exams/summer tests etc etc what is the timescale for getting offers?

Dd put her UCAS form in the back end of December. She had offers from two universities straight away.

Her 1st/2nd/3rd options - she hasn't heard anything. Is that usual? She's my eldest and it's about 3.6 million years ago that I went through this process, I can't remember how any of the timings went!

OP posts:

smoothchange · 28/01/2021 22:27

DS did his in December and he got an offer the same day from his second choice. First choice offer came through today!

breatheslowandtrust · 28/01/2021 22:57

Ds applied for an AHP course back in October, he heard back from 4 unis and has interviewed for them all, one didn't even offer him an interview so I don't assume he will get one at this stage.

DahliaMacNamara · 29/01/2021 00:18

It's quite normal for many universities to wait until the UCAS deadline has passed before making most of their offers. Some will take a good long time about it even then, so there's no cause for concern about the non-appearance of offers just now.

Original poster

BrendasBlessed · 29/01/2021 09:15

That's great Smoothchange!
Breatheslow - don't know what AHP is but great that your son heard so quickly.
Dahlia - thanks, that's really reassuring!

OP posts:

Ginfordinner · 29/01/2021 09:25

Some universities ate notoriously slow to offer. Durham seems to be one that most people complain about.

MarchingFrogs · 29/01/2021 13:40

AHP - Allied Health Profession.

SeasonFinale · 30/01/2021 09:01

the UCAS deadline was extended by 2 weeks from 15 January to yesterday evening so all applications that are in by that date have to be given equal consideration.

We have already seen some offers coming in yesterday evening and this morning so things are definitely starting to move. Just keep an eye on track/emails.

PresentingPercy · 30/01/2021 18:05

Brighton was ludicrously slow for DD2. Nothing heard in April. Durham was late for DD1. It really is not a race to get offers. There are three months left! All I would say is that very late offers means accommodation deadlines pass for some universities. DD2 was sick of waiting for Brighton after a Feb interview and ditched them at the end of April! As they were still advertising for applicants for her she assumed she was not wanted. It was just a poor experience.

PresentingPercy · 30/01/2021 18:05

for her course.....

TheresAwholeWideWorld · 31/01/2021 22:08

@Presenting Percy, that's rubbish! In some ways it would be easier if they could just say to the student, sorry we won't be making you an offer so at least they know one way or the other.

We're waiting to hear too - luckily Brighton isn't on my ds's list! He's waiting for Durham and Edinburgh.

That's a bit worrying about the accommodation. It's our first time going through this too, I didn't know that could happen

PresentingPercy · 31/01/2021 23:12

Well it wasn’t expected by us. Another university was very late too. DD had her two top offers though so she went with them. It seemed to us she wasn’t rejected, just held. For the bums on seats purposes if they could not find anyone better. Who wants to go anywhere on that basis?

redsquirrelfan · 01/02/2021 07:58

@PresentingPercy

Yes ds feels a bit like that over Exeter, although they did send him an email at the end of last week to say they'd been saving all the applications of consideration together. I am not sure why they couldn't have said that at the outset though, rather than having to guess which courses they do that with (as other people have been receiving offers for different subjects).

His other four universities made him offers before Christmas, he applied in mid November.

PresentingPercy · 01/02/2021 09:07

Well to be fair it’s only 1 Feb! DD2 didn’t have her interview (arts course) until mid Feb. Hanging on for 6 weeks doesn’t hurt. DD1 didn’t get a Durham offer until mid March some years ago. The competitive ones don’t always offer immediately. DD2 got immediate offers from 3/5 of hers.

The interview was bizarre at Brighton too. DD had done 2 interviews before that one. Mostly they ask about portfolio but she had questions she wanted to ask. As school had limited time off for open days, we hadn’t been able to visit Brighton university but DD knew Brighton so we decided it was one to miss. They didn’t like her questions and said she should have come to the open day! I actually complained to the faculty about that. We are well off but I know poorer DC find it difficult to go to open days due to cost. Maybe they thought she wasn’t a serious applicant?

They also complained that she wasn’t doing a foundation year. Yet their prospectus detailed suitable A levels as an entry qualification or a foundation year. She was interviewed by a lecturer and a student 2 hours later than the invitation. Shambles.

I wouldn’t jettison Exeter just yet unless they were his least favoured choice. Exeter often come up as being slow. In DDs day (both of them) no university gave any indication regarding process. You just waited. I don’t think Exeter will leave it until the end of April though. DD got to 30 April and still nothing!

SeasonFinale · 01/02/2021 09:18

Most unis make a certain number of early offers and once they are made then the rest are placed in the wait until after the deadline for equal consideration pile as that is the point of that deadline. You are just unlucky if the early offer quota is already full by the time you apply.

Places like Exeter will generally have had many of the early entry applicants apply there (Oxbridge/med/vet med) so mid November may have been rather late for that particular course at that uni.

Durham are notoriously late anyway and once some people get their Oxbridge offers they get a better handle as some firm/insure elsewhere or wthdraw applications.

This year with exams cancelled and the grades going to some form of TAGS one can assume they are being a bit more mindful that fewer offers should possibly be made as there will be fewer people missing their offers again and they need to find places if they over offer.

It is no reflection on your child when their offer arrives. They do want the applicant who gets an offer in March just as much as the one they made an offer to in November. It is just a combination of when their application arrived and how many they have also received at the same time or earlier.

breatheslowandtrust · 01/02/2021 11:42

When do they have to make their firm and insurance choice by?

chopc · 01/02/2021 13:48

@breatheslowandtrust june10th

Xenia · 02/02/2021 12:05

On the accommodation issue I remember with Bristol the accommodation offers went out after you knew if you had a place and looks like that is still the case.

"Guaranteed applicants timeline 2021

11 May - applications open. Applications will open from midday on Tuesday 11 May 2021. ...
30 June - first round applications close. ...
24 August - A Level results day. ...
01 September - accommodation offers made. ...
03 September - offer acceptance deadline."

www.bristol.ac.uk/accommodation/undergraduate/guaranteed-applicants/

"11 May - applications open

Applications will open from midday on Tuesday 11 May 2021. You should apply for accommodation as soon as your place to study has been confirmed (you will not be able to access the form before that). When you complete your application you'll be able to list up to nine preferences of the type of room you'd like, the residence and the maximum rent. You will need to let us know about any health issues you have that affect your accommodation choice."

Flip