Deferred entry

[GrealishHairband]

Did is 18 and applying for unis in year 13, she’s known that she wants to take a year out for ages and with Covid I don’t think this is a terrible idea. She’s planning on still applying this year but for deferred 2023 entry so that she still gets all the help etc from the school in her application.

Will she still get offers this year for entry 2023 or is it just the application she is submitting and hers won’t get looked until next years cycle?

She'll get her offered this year for a deferred place

Ace thank you.

Just another Q re deferred entry if you get rejections based on predicted grades and then somehow pull it out the bag on the day is it possible to reapply to places that have turned you down? I guess it would be a fresh application/cycle.

Yes you can reapply with your known grades the following year. Or go through clearing

My DD is planning on taking a gap year too. She is going to apply next year. Does anyone know whether she still gets a school reference etc? I was assuming she will.

@TorringtonDean my DS applied post-results in a gap year and his ex-school supported him in his application, happy to do a reference and let them use the school log-in etc, even though he was 'year 14'. However, it obviously depends on the school and I'd be asking them now if they'd still support an application next year. The only problem we found was that we had to keep chasing and chasing them by phone and email, as he wasn't there on the spot (... and there were lockdowns ...), but that might just be them ...

@kitnkaboodle this is helpful to know. Will make enquiries.

Just so you know, my DS applied for a deferred place (medicine) in the most recent cycle from Year 13 (ie so most people were applying for 2021 and he applied for 2022). It is very easy, the UCAS form gives you the option to apply for the current year or the following year, so he just clicked on 2022 (so your DD can just click on 2023). He was interviewed as per the rest of his cohort, and since he was lucky enough to get offers, he got offers to start 2022. Now he is off on his gap year knowing his place is sorted (it shows as unconditional on UCAS).

Great thank you @bimkom

BTW we were told by various people that it is harder to get an offer if you apply for a deferred place (they want to make sure you are likely to be as good as/better than both the current year and the next year so we were told) but that certainly was not our experience. Maybe it was a benefit of Covid, but it felt like he was treated the same as though he was a member of the 2021 applying cohort, and merely flipped to 2022 (not that we can be sure of that, as we don't know what went on in the deliberations of the admissions officers, but it didn't feel like he was being held to higher standards than other applicants).

My DD wants to apply after she has her results as last year (year 12) was not a full year of teaching and so grade predictions are flaky.

That’s interesting @bimkom, I guess we will have to see what happens. And she can always reapply next year once she has her actual grades if needs be.

@TorringtonDean will your daughter just look at clearing then once she knows the grades
My sons predicted not great but he thought he might apply to lower level ibis then if he does better look at clearing places but is this possible ? So confused !

@upecorinopolly I think there is adjustment if you do better than expected as well as clearing. My DD is pretty set on having a gap year though and has only really started thinking about what she would do at uni. I think if she suddenly changed her mind next summer and wanted to go there would still be clearing - it’s only the most competitive courses that are not in it and she’s not really aiming at those.

@TorringtonDean. When predictions seem unfairly low, there is an argument for applying anyway this cycle (for 2022 or deferred entry as preferred) as a sort of insurance just in case results do come out close to the predictions, as is that happened one would have wasted a cycle if one hadn’t applied, if you see what I mean.

Then forget about the application and get on with proving the predictions wrong. If all goes well, the candidate might be able to pick up a higher level place in adjustment but otherwise can abandon the back up offers and reapply afresh next year to a more ambitious selection of courses.

Only makes sense of course if the predictions allow one to vaguely sensibly apply to a course and institution one would be willing to go to if the grades came out that way.