What inducements might universities offer

[Jewel1968]

Was told by teacher to beware some universities offering unconditional or inducements to secure a place. My DD is predicted very high grades. I am curious about what inducements might be offered. He did tell us to ignore them but we struggle financially so am intrigued.

Lancaster University offer scholarships to students with AAA at Alevel

Have you checked out how much student loan your DD would receive based on household income? Some universities offer bursaries based on the same calculations as student loans which can be well worth looking into.

Income is too high so she won't get enough. As not means tested doesn't take into account dependents which is why we struggle. She predicted 3 A* and A.

Will check out Lancaster

DS was offered one-off 'entry scholarships' by several Russell group universities if he firmed them and got grades higher than the offer; with his results he would have ended up with £1000 - £1500. One also offered a music scholarship which included free instrumental lessons for the first year (he was applying for a non-music subject).

Every university wants their offer to be selected as the firm choice, and they are not above a bit of bribery.

It's flattering, but it didn't influence his decisions - he was thinking more long-term than this. He ended up firming the only one of his offers which didn't have any financial incentives attached.

Obviously if the courses she is most interested in are at universities which are offering incentives, then she might as well take full advantage of them. But I think the teacher is wise to warn against making decisions based on this.

Here is a starting point:

www.ucas.com/finance/scholarships-grants-and-bursaries/scholarships-grants-and-bursaries-academic-excellence-and-merit

Further details if you search for the individual university + scholarship

Thanks will look into it. The course she wants to do is a bit niche and not all universities offer it in the format she wants so that limits the choice but that might be a good thing.

My dc got £1000 to go to Manchester (think it was for getting A*, can't remember now)

Hi, OP -

Former Russell Group Admissions Tutor here. My School offers merit scholarships. They are not unusual, but they are not of a magnitude to sway the decision of a talented young person like your DD. Particularly in a niche area, she should aim for the best programmes at the best universities she us enthusiastic about. (Lancaster is very strong in some areas.)

I don’t know whether Oxbridge might suit her academically and otherwise. I mention it now because I don’t think you should be put off by concerns about costs. Students who live in pay residential expenses only during the short terms, and many Colleges offer the option of living in for the whole of UG studies. There are also a number of scholarships.

BTW the link from @Ironoaks is excellent

Lots offer scholarships for high grades if you pick them as your first choice.

Unconditional if you firm them.
First choice of accommodation if you firm them.

Some will give scholarships to those exceeding the offer, Kent and Lancaster did a few years ago. Others you can apply for scholarships once you have firmed the offer.

Her teachers are pushing her to consider Oxbridge but she thinks the course isn't quite what she wants. Durham's couse is but she has taken a dislike to it for some reason I can't quite fathom.

Thanks for all your insights and link and mentions of specific universities. I am quite a practical person and suspect I would be swayed by inducements. My DD is more sensible and more focused on the course. Perhaps between us we will reach the best decision.

I think "inducement" is the wrong word. As PP say, there are often bursaries or scholarships for high achieving applicants, particularly those from low-income families, or are the first of their family to go to university.

There are also some commitments from some universities to make unconditional offers if an applicant confirms that university as their 1st choice. This is usually only for applicants that are likely to have very high A Level results.

Some universities (mine included) have a local "Town X Scholars" scheme for local applicants who make the Town X University their first choice. This is sometimes linked to widening participation (WP). My town has a highly-ranked university in an otherwise not very socio-economically rich area, so we try to offer good opportunities for local applicants - which can include offering places to them even with slightly lower A Level results than the usual tariff. We engage with them from lower Sixth onwards, and if they do well in their A Levels, and make us their first choice of a place, they also receive either a bursary or a small reduction in the tuition fee.

So a number of different opportunities, mostly because universities want to encourage the best & brightest in spite of socio-economic disadvantage.

The bribe is in effect to make you take the wrong choice seduced by money. The lower the status of the university and the worse it will be for your career the more likely you will be offered these things including these days unconditional offers.
In her case the best choices are Oxbridge, then places like good London ones LSE etc, Durham, Bristol, Exeter, Warwick.

If she picks a less well regarded one it may affect her whole life so do choose with care. Perhaps loko at the careers which will pay her the salary she will want and the linkedin profiles of very recent graduates who went to those universities and decide on that basis.

These are not attempts at seduction by money @Xenia and they're often offered by the best universities in the UK.

Some examples: Oxford & Cambridge offer a range of bursaries & scholarships, and student accommodation is highly subsidised by the colleges. Birmingham has in the past made the offer of an unconditional place to the most promising applicants, if those applicants make Birmingham their 1st choice ("Firmed" in UCAS parlance).

The top universities are looking at ways to attract the best & brightest, and to try to mitigate financial or other obstacles for those applicants from disadvantaged socio-economic circumstances.

@Xenia some of those are on her shortlist. She is wary of the 'posh' universities - fear of not fitting in etc... We are not 'posh' 😁The course structure is important to her so that will be a big factor.

Thanks all. Very helpful insights.

DD2 was interviewed for a course (non RG) and received a very fair offer. The uni then contacted her again and said they would change it to unconditional if she firmed it. DD was a bit sceptical so as DH had taken her to the interview and I hadn't seen the place, I offered to go with her to see what the place and accommodation was like. It was lovely and we both got good vibes. DD was anxious about accepting the offer because it was non-RG and the head of 6th form was sniffy about it (I work with him, so told DD to send him to speak to me...) So she accepted and they contacted her a few weeks later to say that some recipients of unconditional offers stopped working for their A levels, which made starting the course more challenging. As a result, if DD got x UCAS points which equated to 4 B grades, they would give her a £4k bursary in February of year 1. Guess who smashed that and ended up with better? It paid for almost all her 2nd year accommodation fees.

It's very interesting to read real life examples. I was vaguely aware of this type of thing thanks to MN but when I read exactly how it worked in some cases it is very educational.

We had similar with DC1, in the sense of two unconditional offers if firmed. So not financial, but I’d agree with the word inducement.

Thank goodness they stopped the unconditional offer trend. It’s too easy for sixth formers to be swayed off course at a fraught time. My advice would be to treat the scholarship offers as though they don’t exist and focus on the fundamentals, which it sounds like she’s doing.

She is wary of the 'posh' universities - fear of not fitting in etc... We are not 'posh'

Oh please! I hope you are able to help her to choose the best university for her interests and her styles of learning.

Please don't pay attention to whether a university is 'posh' - it's a minor thing, and she'll find her people. Honestly. She'll fit in. There's a point at which university students stop judging other students' backgrounds & start focusing on what counts - usually their first examined assessments! They realise what's actually important.

It really concerns me when young people are put off what could be very good universities for their passions by stuff like this.

@BirdinaHedge I have tried. I have friends who went to Oxbridge and they are lovely and not that posh. They have offered to speak to her but she is very determined. Her teachers are also pushing her to consider Oxbridge. As it happens the courses on offer in Oxridge are not aligned with her choice of course structure but the one in Durham is. I think Student Room influences the young today a lot!

She certainly needs to make her own choices, but Oxbridge is mostly state school these days and is much cheaper than most other places (short terms, lots of subsidy etc), but some inducements have meant people go to a worse place. My son's private school friend picked Warwick rather than a much more white university as he is Asian. I do thnk it is a pity if the mixing together which is part of the university experience particularly at the better universities disappears because people rule themselves out because they think they are "lower class" and would not fit in. Grammar school at 11+ (which my parents from relatively modest homes used ) and university at 18 have been traditional routes out of poverty for plenty of people who are not very well off will well paid jobs after that.

to make you take the wrong choice seduced by money

Imperial have a bursary scheme, you need household income > £60k to not qualify IIRC. I guess Imperial is a wrong choice for some.

Oxbridge is mostly state school these days

Ruddy well ought to be when private-ed kids are only 9% of 18yos !!