Conditional v unconditional college offers - Year 11 - how do they decide?

[BigSandyBalls2015]

Is it purely based on predicted GCSE results?

Or interview, or a mixture?

Just looking at colleges and 6th forms and it's confusing.

We did this last year.
dd filled out application forms for her sixth form choices.
She was then interviewed before the "offer" was made.
For some courses there may be tasks to carry out as part of the interview.
For most courses, offers will be conditional on obtaining certain grades at GCSE for level 3 / A level courses.

Is it purely based on predicted GCSE results? Or interview, or a mixture?

At some places, it's just based on what grades they need in order to be able to access the course they're applying for.

DS1 got two conditional offers:

Offer 1 was ABBBBB (to do three A-levels).

Offer 2 was CCCC (to do a Level 3 Diploma).

At both places, other students wanting to do the same course were given exactly the same offer, regardless of GCSE grade predictions.

Offers for sixth form or FE college courses are almost never unconditional Are you sure these exist?

Offers for sixth form or FE college courses are almost never unconditional

The only post-16 courses I can think of that have no entry requirement are if the student will be retaking Maths and/or English GCSE or studying for other level 2 qualifications. However, they don't usually apply for these in the Autumn of Y11.

Most sixth forms offering A-levels will require a bunch of B grades and often an A grade in the subject to be studied for A-level.

Most FE colleges offering Level 3 courses require several C grades plus at least a grade 4 in Maths and English (grade 5 next year).

If the prospectus says anything about "open access" then it's not selective. There may be an interview but that plays no part in the offer (it's to make sure that what they want to study is in line with their long term plan or keeps their options open). Everyone gets the same offer which in our case was five A-C grades with Bs in whatever it was DS wanted to study.

If they are selective then they will have published admissions criteria, if it's a sixth form then this might be different from the criteria that applies to Y7 but it will still say in the prospectus what it is they are looking for.

By the time you've been to two open evenings you will know all there is to know.

DD had an unconditional offer for the 6th form college to which she applied - on the basis of her having good GCSE predictions, rather than there being no entry requirements.

6th firms with academic subjects usually require at least a B in the GCSE subject that is being taken at A level. Not sure about other courses but they usually have selection grades that are required.

As far as you choosing which one, I would start by looking at the success of the students in the subjects you want. Do they have outstanding teaching and lots of high grades? When you decide which one is best, check their selection criteria and go for it!

I thought perhaps I was getting confused with unis but looking at the application form there is a part for the college to fill in which is a tick box, conditional or unconditional.

Great results at this college, 99% pass rate and 3 times over subscribed every year.

I suspect the "unconditional" offer may be for students who already meet the entry requirements e.g. those who are repeating Y12 (which sometimes happens).
Some colleges also have minimum grade requirements to progress from Y12 to Y13 and this will affect pass rates and final results.