DD got an offer from York. What does it mean?

[PrincessOfPreschool]

Obviously it means they have offered her a place but why so early? She only got the UCAS application in a week ago. It's lower than the advertised offer. Does it mean they really like her? Or is it that they struggled to fill places this year so they're trying to get in early? Are they struggling in certain subjects? Or some uni's just do offer earlier than others? I'm just really surprised and trying to work out what is going on.

It coming so early, and being lower than standard grades, must mean they really like her, surely?

It means they have an admin team that issues offers rather than an academic looking at each individual application and personal statement! It’s quite common, but nice place to have an offer from!

Offering a grade lower is to tempt applicants into choosing them as firm - if you check the grades they asked for in clearing they may have been even lower.

Years ago I got an offer from Leeds Uni within about a week and months before I got any others

I ended up there eventually.

It will also depend on how full the course was last year

It's normal for them to offer early (not for every course). If you meet the grades then computer says yes, and I think that they have made a decision to get on with it. Not normal to offer under tariff. Are you sure there isn't a grade range or it's an unexpected contextual offer?

The UCAS deadline is January 2027, so she is super early for non-Oxbridge Universities (assuming not Medicine, Vet or dentistry). With only a few applications to deal with at the moment York can clearly have a faster turnover.

It means they think she is a good bet and they want her. Lucky girl.

Lots of universities, York included, are needing to ensure a good supply of domestic students, as there are tighter restrictions on overseas student numbers. Add to this a growing domestic adolescent concern about whether student debt is worth it …

Great for your daughter as it is a fab uni and a lovely uni experience.

What course?

They think she is a good candidate. No rush to decide though.

Yes a lower offer means they like her!

It might be a contextual offer. I think York were the first to give an offer to dd2 after about a week and she did get a contextual offer from there but not from others.

Ps for those saying it isn’t normal to offer under tariff… for non- stem, non-law degrees, I’m not sure this is true.

My friend’s kid’s offer for a humanities course was pretty middling this year gone, and he still got in despite having missed the middling offer by quite a few grades.

They certainly take dropped grades, not aware of any large scale offering under tariff though.

As others have said, are you sure it's not a contextual offer? It's usual to make a standard typical offer as shown on the course pages.

Yes, we make offers quickly as we receive them if predicted grades are comfortably within range. We don't hang on to them all until later in the cycle.

Congrats to your daughter!

(Yes, I have insider knowledge!)

@titchyHow do I check for the grades offered at clearing last year?

It may be a contextual offer as her school is @Ellesatree@Ellesatreepretty dodgy. Is it possible to find out?

She has applied to Cambridge but without much @BeBesideTheSeahope so she was excited about this!

@DogAnxietyIt's English

Ps. Sorry the tagging functions don't work well on my phone app! @s

I got at least three offers by the end of November back in the autumn of 2012, having played the system and sent my application in on the 18th of October (just late enough to obviously not want Oxbridge, but early enough to look like I could have applied to Oxbridge if I'd wanted to...) Two on the same day!

I did the above on my UCAS coordinator's advice and it obviously worked 😅

So yes, it can happen. Believe it. 😀

Not true. Like many universities, York accepted grades below offer level in August but it has not dropped grades in the main cycle.

But ... Who knows what will happen next August. So many factors at play across the sector 🤷

Contextual offers. Look at this page on York's website:

Contextual offers and admissions - Undergraduate, University of York share.google/lfe6Xbe87bsX1BOkY

Yes, that was what I was saying.

Sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you meant the main cycle.

Btw Joan, thank you for your input on a thread about York a few years ago. You have a lot of detail and I found it really helpful. DC had visited but I wasn't able to.

Thank you. Postcode said she is eligible for a contextual offer. She been offered ABB. The website course requirements say AAA/A*AB.

The early offer is not particularly unusual IME, certainly from some unis. DD had her form in by early October and had five offers by the end of Nov. It suggests though that your DD is a good candidate and they want her. Is she perhaps applying for a less popular subject? but that's just based on DD's choices which were not medicine or economics or similar.

ETA: just read your update @PrincessOfPreschool yes DD was English as well :) ABB is great from York. DD was offered ABB from Brum if she firmed them but a cold ABB is excellent, well done.