Can you apply for deferred entry for some courses but not others,

[littlequestion]

Quick question - do you have to apply to start the same year for all courses on your ucas form?

My ds is in year 12 and just planning his applications. He wants to defer for a year and start in 2024. He wants to travel and says he'd prefer to get everything sorted now rather than applying once he has his grades.

However he's been told it's extra hard to get an offer for Cambridge if you want to take a gap year. He'd sacrifice his gap year and go in 2023 if they offer him a place. But can you tick a 2023 box for some applications and 2024 for others?

The UCAS application has to be either all courses for this year ie 2023 or all deferred ie 2024.

My two DC both chose to make deferred applications and both obtained offers from Oxford but it does vary from subject to subject. They also had pretty detailed plans as to what they wanted to do and they linked to their courses.

Maths and many sciences are against years out or at least not so keen on deferred applications. Geography and Modern Languages are okay. The other point to note - or at least Oxford say is that in order for the to give an offer a year in advance the candidate need to be in the top 25% of people they are making offers to. Hope that makes sense. My DC2 was asked in her interviews if she would accept a place for 2022 rather than 2023.

That said I did a mock Cambridge interview for someone who applied for direct entry but wrote on his additional info Cambridge form that he was waiting to hear from the army about a 1 year placement and if he got it would they let him defer. Cambridge offered him a place and the option to defer depending on the outcome of his selection. But that was for a specific placement not just travelling.

Worth your son emailing the tutor directly at the college he is thinking of applying to.

No it is one or other. What course is it? Maths/science based courses tend not to like gaps but applying with grades in hand and solid plans can be a benefit to others. Bear in mind if he applied to Cambridge during a gap year there is still assessment and interview prep until Christmas, which might restrict his plans.

Thanks for the replies - it's HSPS. Good tip to ask the admissions tutor.

Good luck to your son. HSPS is v competitive - lots of mums with experience from last year on posts from last year. Image below is the 5 year data. You can also look up by college: www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics