How flexible are universities if your grades miss the offer slightly?

[MediumHigh]

Are universities really strict with the entry requirements for degree courses if you don't quite get your predicted grades?
If the entry requirements were ABB and you got A*BC would they make allowances or would they just say no?
Or does it vary?

I would be very surprised if your DC knew enough to know this for every subject and every student in their year.

No, @Fractala . Please try not to blame yourself, or let DD blame herself. Easier said than done, I know, which is why I’m putting it that way.

If it matters, I am not sure what the outcome would have been in my School, in DD’s longer term best interests. Long experience of Mitigating Circumstances panels shows that the single biggest mistake students make is minimising distress, thinking they can plough on regardless, sinking deeper and deeper into a psychological quagmire. Experience tells us that recovery time can be very helpful. But that is in the context of a plan, not a slammed door.

I am very sure that DD was owed a sensitive conversation with an admissions tutor (an academic) in her degree programme at Bristol and York, discussing a path forward. Even programmes that don’t generally take resits should accept them in this situation.

Hopefully the collective Mumsnet wisdom can help when DD is ready for her next steps.

Would anyone or their DC know every subject and every student? What a ridiculous statement!

Yes

You were the one who stated that Durham did not accept anyone with a grade missed in your DC’s year. So I would look closer to home if you are throwing around the word ridiculous.

@MediumHigh the historical entry data for Fine Art at Edinburgh in the 2023/24 academic year is here: https://discoveruni.gov.uk/course-details/10007790/UTBAHFINAR2F/Full-time/

Almost every oversubscribed course at almost every uni will over-offer to some extent because they know some offer holders won't get their grades. But their aim is to be full, so if fewer applicants hit their grades than they expect then they will take students who missed their grades. Obviously there is more chance of this happening on undersubscribed courses than oversubscribed courses.

My own son accepted an A-star A A offer from an oversubscribed course as first choice and the same offer from a relatively undersubscribed course as insurance choice. He ended up getting ABBB. However he still got into his insurance choice (which was actually by far the better course, just at a less fashionable uni).

I work at Edinburgh in the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (but not in the Art School), and am aware that the MA(Hons) Fine Art programme is wildly competitive. If his portfolio is excellent, though, there may be more of a 'bending' done, if he doesn't meet requirements. It's a programme which I've never seen go into Clearing, so there may be more likelihood of accepting a slightly lesser points total. If there's any reasons/extenuating circumstances applicable to your DS, I'd say get in touch with Edinburgh now. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.

Whether or not a university lets a student in with a dropped grade or two varies wildly, as PP have said.

However, it is really important to be academically prepared enough to succeed on the course of study and students need to be realistic with themselves. You don't want to be struggling along at the bottom of a cohort.

A level predicted grades reflect what students can achieve on a good day, but not everyone has a good day when it matters most. At uni, the style of learning & teaching is significantly different to A level, so the pecking order of results can often be turned on its head.

My DS was disappointed with his A level grades but is thriving at uni.