Scottish Highers? How many?

[theferry]

Does anyone know the maximum number of Scottish highers that can go forward to make up the UCAS points to get into an English university? For Scottish universities we’re looking at 4 highers for DD, but is it different for England?

I don’t know the max that get counted, but a lot of schools do 5 or 6 Highers. That way if you need eg. AAAB the best grades would be counted even if you also got Cs.

Many thanks @DangerMouseAndPenfoldx

My 2 kids both sat 5 highers in S5 and then advanced highers and another higher in S6

What’s the context of the question @theferry Maybe people can help with more info.

Are the school not helping with choices, or are you home educating? Is there a particular course or university being considered?

@dementedpixie DD took 4 higher plus a National progression award. She’s currently doing an advanced higher, another higher and retaking one higher. She’s doing another National Progression Award

But given English universities use UCAS points, it’s a huge advantage if they would take five highers to make up the number of points.

My eldest sat 4 Highers in S5, he wasn't interested in doing five. He wanted to concentrate on getting four solid passes rather than five average passes. Each child is different.

I sat 3 Highers in S5, and 2 Highers in S6. Got there just the same and graduated with a degree three years after leaving high school. I don't think it matters unless doing a course which is very competitive.

She wants to do film and we’re realistically looking at English universities as there are few Scottish universities (I won’t go into that, trust me that’s the situation)

we’re looking at film at Northumbria. She would need 104 points based on a contextual offer. There’s also a foundation year that needs 80 points. For Highers she got BCCC plus progression award (that equates to a C). That’s 90 points with four of those qualifications. But if they would take five, she could get a B in the advanced higher to meet the 104 UCAS points, which would be BCCCC. So would they take the five qualification to make up the 104 points?

It makes a huge difference when you’re working on UCAS points for entry. If she can only put her best 4 results, she’s got a fight on her hands to get to 104 points. If she can put 5 down, it would be much easier to make it to 104 points. What we want is for 5 qualifications to be accepted, but I don’t know if that’s the case.

I know this sounds like a cop out, but definitely get your DD to contact the university (herself!) and work with the admissions department. They will be able to tell her exactly what they will and wont accept, and it can be seen as a real positive to be that proactive.

UCAS requires all qualifications to be recorded (passed or not), so she would need to list all the National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers that she has taken already, plus those that she intends to sit this year (as 'pending' qualifications), including the Narional Progression Awards, if they are listed s attracting UCAS tariff points.

It would then be up to the university to calculate the points (not all universities offer on tariff points; a lot only offer on grades, but presumably your DD has already sussed this).

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/applying-to-uni/ucas-points#UCASpointsScottishHighers

Would she not use the following grades in that case?
B advanced higher
BCCC higher?
Or even using:
B advanced higher plus BCC higher would get her enough points using only 4 subjects no?

Its normally advanced highers that are expected, regardless of ucas points. So AHs on top of some Highers, because they consider Scottish students to be a year behind English students (hence why we do 4 year degrees up here)

One of my DC had 5 good Highers but the offers from the 2 English unis she applied to were for 3×A at Advanced Higher. The English unis she applied to didn't make points offers. On that note, your DD needs to check with the unis she's interested in to confirm that that do make points rather than specific grade offers.

A lot of English unis don't really use UCAS points but I see she's looking at a particular course where they do. There are so many things that can add in points, but any individual uni will vary on which they actually consider if they have a points based offer, so I agree with others - she should contact the university admission and ask about how they would calculate her points. Good luck to her, hope she gets what she needs for the course she wants.

wrong thread