How soon to expect replies from Uni applications?

[SleepQuest33]

DS completed his UCAS application during the first week of October. He received his first offer a few days later but nothing yet from the others.

He has applied for Engineering, two of his choices are Bath and Bristol. For those of you who have already gone through this, how long did it take for those 2 unis get back with a reply? I am wondering if it will be months or waiting or is it common for them to reply sooner?

Thank you!

DS has so far applied for Computer science to Durham, Cambridge and Bath. He took the TMUA last week for Cambridge and will wait until he gets his results in a few weeks before deciding his final two choices.

Durham and Bath both replied to say they won't be making any offers until after January. It's such a competive course he's not confident of any offers :-(. And as @dunnott said he's heard some unis don't even come back.

Wait... What?? Some universities don't come back on offers at all? That's shocking!

Nope - a couple of years ago Kings didn't bother to come back on loads of applications.

Correct. Edinburgh are notorious for this. Durham did it for the September 23 intake, but now seem to have reverted to bulk rejections on the UCAS cutoff date instead.

Appalling behaviour IMO especially given the UCAS cutoff date is after A Level exams have commenced.

Durham do it because they are absolutely limited on accommodation with no wriggle room. They leave the offers until the last minute so that if they are not the first choice then some people firm and insure and thus drop out elsewhere. So for example if someone has put in Cambridge Durham as possible first choices and then Bath Manchester and Lancaster as possible insurances then the likelihood is that they will firm Cambridge and an insurance (which won’t be Durham due to grade expectations being as high as Cambridge) and Durham application gets withdrawn.

I don't really understand all the complaints about Bristol putting applicants on hold. The application deadline is 29 Jan and they have to give equal consideration to all students who apply by then: it isn't a first come, first served system. They can't make offers to some students in October and then reject some better qualified ones in January. And it wouldn't be appropriate to reject applicants in October and then offer to reconsider them in January.

Every other selective university puts applicants on hold. Bristol seems to be getting flak for having the courtesy to tell them.

Durham do it because they are absolutely limited on accommodation with no wriggle room

Have Durham admissions informed you that is the case or are you just making an assumption @user1494050295 ?

I work for LSE. No idea about Durham

Exactly! I can't see the problem really.

The problem is that Bristol don't put everyone on hold and then send a courtesy email to say to all applications will be considered after 29 January.

They apparently offer to some immediately, and then email many many others to tell them they weren't good enough for a straight offer, but they might give them an offer if no one better applies.

It's the telling students they are second choice that gets people's backs up.

It's nicer not to hear anything for a few months than to be told you weren't a first choice.

The only places that can get away with this (I believe it is called the Pool) are Oxbridge because they are so prestigious.

Aargh sorry - tagged the wrong user

Bloody hell that is so insensitive. We have had a flurry of requests from Bristol since my DD applied several weeks ago. Request - silence - 12 days pass, another request, and so on. It's torture.

But MANY unis except Oxbridge do what Bristol do - some may wait until after the Jan deadline to look at anyone, but loads start cherry picking off the best applicants early - in the knowledge many won't accept and will go elsewhere, but also in the knowledge that they'll be flattered to get an offer so soon and it may raise Bristol in their estimation. Bristol's crime seems to be the on hold email but they're only acknowledging common practice. Zero drum to bang for Bristol here btw, I know very little about the uni except friends' dc there like/d it.

Durham do it because they are absolutely limited on accommodation with no wriggle room

Have Durham admissions informed you that is the case or are you just making an assumption @user8754387 ?

In our experience Bath took ages to send an offer. I did talk to my yp about withdrawing her choice and just firming the uni she wanted (who also took a while to reply) but she wanted to know what the offer was if she got one. York were very quick to offer.

Even with the new colleges at Durham - and redevelopment of others?
It seems to be expanding more than anywhere else I saw.

DD applied last year. Got an offer from Bristol in October (contextual due to school rating), offers from Exeter and Warwick in November, rejection from Oxford in December and an offer from Edinburgh mid-March. I think the late offers from Edinburgh (and other Scottish unis?) are because they have to try to balance places by fee status between Scottish, rest of the UK and international students.

You may be reading too much into it. At the University where I worked, applications were dealt with within a few days and nobody was put on hold, they didn't have the resource to do this extra process, and also were not particularly over subscribed. Honestly it can depend on staffing levels and other random factors especially for the more cash strapped institutions.

Does anyone know if applying with achieved grades makes a difference? My nephew has the grade requirements for all the universities he has applied to and a very good personal student.

Don't worry OP, DD hasn't even submitted her application yet and I don't know how I'll get through the next few months worrying about her offers!

Hi Op, not sure if you've heard back yet. If not, this was our experience:

My DS applied to both Bristol and Bath last year Mech Eng. Honestly he was practically sitting his A Levels by the time he heard back. The last one in his whole school to hear back on offers. In a strange way though, it was a blessing. He realised he couldn't afford to be complacent. The only thing I suppose is if they get a rejection that close to exams it could knock them, but it meant that we discussed alternatives, opportunities for a year out, apprenticeships etc etc so much by that stage that I think he would have bounced back ok whatever happened - loads of pathways and who's to say which one is better. And who cares when you hear back, makes zero difference in the end, as long as they are happy whatever happens next.

I don't know about OP, but my DS still hasn't heard from Bristol. They'll lose out if they don't come back soon though as he's attending offer holder days elsewhere now. Bristol isn't so fantastic that he's going to wait for them forever. Their loss!

Why are you taking it as an insult?

You could equally view it that the Uni doesn't necessarily prioritise those who put their ucas in early just because they are applying to Oxbridge. There are plenty of brilliant students who don't apply to Oxbridge for whatever reason and may only have put their application. Just as there are plently of brilliant minds who decide not to go to Uni at all.

I think more power to Bristol and Bath that they really do look at all the talent and I think as a result they get higher calibre students who are resilient and motivated and really want to go there.

Why does it actually matter when he hears back, except for bragging rights? It doesn't matter accommodation-wise as they all get considered at the same time, once all offers made, if that is his concern

I could understand him switching if he desparately needs an insurance offer and isn't happy with the other Uni's he's already heard back from or he has changed his mind and genuinely prefers somewhere else, but otherwise what's the issue? If he's a strong candidate, he'll get in.

Actually that last sentence is not entirely true. From reading the student boards there are a number of strong candidates that don't get offers. That's not an insult either - there are a lot of strong candidates.

@FiveFoxes I apologise, I've only just read your earlier post and I actually think I may have mixed up the post I wanted to quote.

I thought everyone either got an offer or were put on hold for Bristol. I didn't realise there was such a thing as a third category. If there is & it is just as you say, then I agree with you, I don't understand the third category's logic or communication style either. They could sort applications however they want internally, but externally offer or hold.

I know sometimes both Uni's give alternative offers, but that's different again.