2026 UCAS - Offers, Rejections and Waiting to Hear

[EducatingRosemary]

For those whose DC have submitted their UCAS application without having yet taken the A-level (or equivalent) exams…

How are your DC getting on with hearing back from the universities?

That’s really reassuring. He got 4.7 in TMUA so not great but not terrible. Predicted 3A* and A. I’ve got everything crossed.

My DD had to wait till end of April for her Warwick maths offer last year (4.6 TMUA and 4Astar predicted). It was a painful wait as it was her first choice, though she had come round to really loving Bath too. She’s just finished second term at Warwick and has absolutely loved it. Fingers crossed for your DC.

Yes, we also looked at scholarships but DC won’t qualify for either. They’ll receive the lowest maintenance loan ( but that is still not a high joint income) and will have to top that up. Much less to top up in Warwick as we have another a little older also studying…so expensive. Both took gap years to work, save and travel a little and worked throughout 6th form. So hoping they pick Warwick over Imperial but will leave the decision up to them.

My DS hasn’t shared his exact TMUA score but said it was ‘very average’ so I’m guessing in the 4.5-5 region. He got 3 A s at AS level and is predicted 3 A⭐️ this year. His Warwick offer came at the end of October for MORSE.

Warwick doesn’t use the TMUA for MORSE, Maths and Stats and Data Science. I think they only use it for Maths so Maths offers keep coining out slowly up until the May deadline.

He took the TMUA for his LSE application.

Notts

Has he heard from LSE? Nothing here for my DC. Where will your DC firm?

No, still nothing from LSE.

looking like being Warwick but Bath and Manchester haven’t been completely ruled out 🤷🏻‍♀️

I am hoping mine goes for Warwick over Imperial. Both as far from us as we live in the middle of nowhere 😂.

We had a successful visit to Sheffield yesterday, and of the offers that n hand just now it is the top choice, with a very achievable offer. Just need for Warwick to say yay or nay before making a final decision. It’s annoying some universities take so long given accommodation booking is open everywhere else, and Sheffield lets you book specific accommodation rooms. A good offer from Warwick would make for a difficult choice, but I actually think Sheffield is a much better fit for him.

Did anyone go to the OHD at Exeter this weekend? We didn't go as it's a long way and we went to the open day last year. DC is probably putting it as his insurance choice.

Yes we did. We hadn’t been before because it’s a fair trek for us. DS absolutely loved it and will probably firm it.

That's great @CatkinToadflax. What course are they doing? DC is choosing between Exeter and Bristol for his insurance choice for History. Most likely Exeter as it's a lower offer. I loved it when we visited last year.

@Fabfabfab, we also went to the Exeter OHD yesterday. The campus looked stunning in spring blossom and everything was really well organised and impressive. It confirmed to DS that it should be one of his two choices, now waiting for the Warwick OHD at the end of April to decide whether it will be firm or insurance.

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo, hope that Warwick offer comes through soon! But Sheffield sounds like a great option!

He’s doing drama and film. I agree with PP that the day was very well organised. DS was in 5 hours of talks and workshops so I did the accommodation tour and “why should you study here” tour. We were both very impressed by it all.

Hi, @YellowEllie13 and @Llangewydd57 I wondered if you remember whether or not Warwick Maths requested a Step exam grade instead (due to lower TMUA ) from students with TMUA less than 5 ? Thank you

Hello,
My son got a high TMUA score so no step. However, his mates who got offers with scores of 4.2 and 4.7 I think, maybe a bit lower, were not asked for a step. They had the standard A star, A star A offer (did 4 A levels) but they were offered on three.
Is your DC waiting for an offer? Hope this helps.

Not wanting to derail thread over [potential] high achievers but wondered how the cohort who are being asked for Astar Astar* *As+ are holding up? Took DS out for 18th yesterday with GF who is being asked for the same high grades. Both are feeling very very pressured and getting upset when class topic tests/mini mocks are producing the odd B grade rather than A/Astar. The system seems so inhumane really.

Apparently only 4000 students a year get 3xAstar (across all subjects, not just STEM) so it cannot be possible that even half of those offered on the courses citing Astar Astar A and above as a requirement are actually achieving them, can it? I’d imagine the total number of students getting Astar Astar A or above is double that stat, so 8000ish? Just looking at UCL offer/places data there are 1500 places each year in sciences/medical sciences all of which must require 2-3Astars - if their prospectus is anything to go by. Manchester offers 330 places in physics dept alone and 100 on the MEng course… the offer data doesn’t seem to tally with the national stats for A passes? Oxford and Cambridge, all subjects, have about 8000+ places each year which must be Astar Astar A - 3x A stars (and above where 4 A levels are offered)? So surely they would absorb the lot?

Anyway, I am in the camp of trying to soothe anxious teens by saying: control the things you have power over (revision, exam practice) and try not to fret about the actual exams, grades and unis at this stage because as far as I can see if you miss a grade or two there is still chance you may get in? My feeling is that there is a strong marketing drive to make these courses appear elite by advertising these high requirements but the reality is that the majority of students will have closer to AAA/ UCAS points of 140ish. Or am I being naive?

ETA can’t get the blooming to appear

Formatting issue - could not get the star/asterixes to work consistently but was obvs reference 2xAstar+A offers and above 🤦🏽‍♀️

My DC achieved 4 A Stars last summer. As a teacher I thought very few do-in fact over 1800 achieved this across all subjects. DC then pointed out that this was in fact only 0.6% as over 290000 students sat A-Levels.
Good job I taught English not Maths.

All A-stars (four or three) at A-level is a massive achievement but it's not worth your jeopardizing your mental or physical health for. I know several girls in their mid-20s who were top performers at school and who have horrible MH issues from over pressurizing themselves and some have literally dropped out of society. Not worth it.

Yes, I saw similar stats, but I guess the point I am confused about is that there are clearly more places on courses asking for Astar-Astar-A (and above) than there will ever be actual candidates who get those grades? So from that table there are 5600 students with all A stars nationally across all subjects, so possibly a similar number again with 2 A stars and an A, so maybe 10,000 students in total with A*A*A or above? MPhys and MEng at Manchester Uni alone total 450 places. Add in Warwick, Birmingham, Imperial, UCL, Oxbridge etc and even if those 10000 were all maths/physics students, there is no way they all have the required grades? The stats don’t scan?

Many will have missed a grade on at least one A Level, surely? But I suspect they don’t advertise that fact because of marketing? I am wondering whether it is about culling the number of applicants from the outset because only those who really think they have a shot at an Astar will apply?

I’m not explaining myself very well. My DS was told they interview for MPhys so they have a record of each candidate to refer to if a grade is missed - and may accept the candidate who has missed the mark as a result. His GF wasn’t offered an interview (MEng) so feels very daunted by the offer as there is no implied leniency if she has a near miss?

I agree and as a teacher saw so much of this pressured burnout. My DC just rocked up and sat then with very little work.

I agree - am trying to encourage both to just give their exams their best shot, accept that if on the day that doesn’t result in Astars, they will be fine as they both loved their insurance choices (Southampton… total fluke that they have drilled down to the same unis, but I think it is adding to the stress now as there is the chance they could be at the same unis 🤦🏽‍♀️). I am trying the ‘wherever you end up will be the right place’ and ‘I know lots of people who ended up going through clearing and really loved where they went, so it was all for the best’ but they both look like rabbits caught in headlights at the moment. :(