When Do You Hear Back From Universities
Is there anything more agonising than waiting for your university offers? It can be tempting to check the UCAS portal every few minutes, but trust us – it won’t make those offers come in any faster. So when do universities give offers? Let’s take a look at the university offer process, and when you can expect to hear back.
What is a university offer?#
A university offer is a way to let you know that your university application has been successful. You may receive a conditional or unconditional offer, which will determine whether or not there are certain conditions (usually achieving certain grades) to your offer.
Overview of the university application timeline#
Some universities or courses have slightly different timelines, but broadly speaking, the university application timeline is as follows:
September: Applications for most courses open via UCAS Apply
Mid-October: Deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge universities and most medicine, veterinary and dentistry courses
End of January: Deadline for most other undergraduate applications
End of February: UCAS Extra opens
Mid-May: Deadline for universities to make decisions on all on-time applications
Early July: Clearing opens
Mid-July: Deadline for universities to make decisions on late applications
August: SQA and A-level results days
August-October: Clearing opens
Timeline: When Are University Offers Made?#
Many students are surprised to find that university offers aren’t always made in ‘working hours’. UCAS Hub (formerly UCAS Track) could be updated at any time of day, so keep an eye on your emails to make sure you don’t miss any offer updates.
Early applications and decisions for specific courses#
Applications for courses like medicine, veterinary sciences and dentistry tend to close much earlier than most undergraduate courses (usually October), so if you’re hoping to study in one of these areas, be prepared to make an early application. As a result, you could receive a decision as early as January.
General timeline for undergraduate courses#
The vast majority of undergraduate offers are made from early February to mid-May. Some universities (and departments within universities) make offers much earlier than others, so don’t worry if it seems to take a while!
How Clearing affects offer timelines#
Clearing opens in early July, where applicants without any offers can start applying to other courses. The Clearing process is busiest after results day, as applicants who missed out on uni places apply elsewhere, and you may receive offers until mid-October.
Decisions Universities Can Make#
What is a conditional offer?#
A conditional offer means you have a place on your chosen course, as long as you meet the university’s conditions. This will usually mean achieving minimum grades in your A-levels or other exams, and these grades will be included in your offer – sometimes with specific grades required in specific subjects. Most people in their final year of sixth form or college will receive a conditional offer, as you haven’t yet taken your final exams.
What is an unconditional offer?#
An unconditional offer means that no matter what happens, you have secured a place at a university. If you’ve already completed your exams, for instance if you’re applying in a post-sixth form gap year, and have already achieved the required grades, you will probably receive unconditional offers.
Other decisions: Unsuccessful or withdrawn application#
An unsuccessful application means that the university has decided not to offer you a place on the course. If they don’t provide a reason, you can contact the university to see if they can provide one.
A withdrawn application means that either you or the university have withdrawn the application, for instance if you change your mind or you missed a required interview.
Tracking your application and responding to offers#
You can track all of your university applications in the UCAS Hub. In the Hub, you can check on the status of all your decisions and respond to the offers, whether that’s accepting or declining places.
How Do Universities Decide to Give Offers?#
Criteria used by universities in making decisions#
University admissions teams consider a range of factors when they’re deciding whether or not to offer you a place – it’s not all about grades!
- Academic and non-academic achievements (or predicted achievements)
- Experience and skills
- Passion for the subject area
- Personal references
- Fit with the course and university
- Individual circumstances (such as disabilities, mental health conditions or growing up in care)
The importance of personal statements and references#
Personal statements are your one opportunity to show your enthusiasm for your course. You have 4,000 characters (around 550-1,000 words) to talk about why you’re interested in the course, what you’ve done to prepare and how you’ve demonstrated your passion for the subject area.
You can also choose one reference to support your application – this will usually be a teacher or tutor who knows you well. Ideally, choose someone who taught you in a subject relevant to the course you’re applying for. Don’t ask a friend or relative for a reference – this can result in your application being cancelled.
Responding to Your University Offers#
UCAS Firm and insurance choices: What they mean for you#
Once you’ve received all your offers, it’s time to choose your top two universities. Your top choice is called your firm choice – this is where you will go if you meet the conditions of your offer (or if they have made you an unconditional offer).
If you have a conditional offer, you will also choose a second option, called your insurance choice. This will usually have slightly lower grade requirements than your firm choice, and this is where you will go if you don’t achieve your grades for your firm choice, but do achieve the grades for the insurance choice. Alternatively, you could choose an unconditional offer as your insurance choice to guarantee that you get a place at one of your top two universities.
Deadlines for accepting offers#
You must reply to all university offers by early June to secure your places.
What to do if you miss the deadline?#
If you miss the UCAS reply deadline, contact UCAS straight away. All your offers will have been automatically declined, and only the UCAS advisers can help you accept your chosen offers.
What If I Don’t Receive Any Offers or Change My Mind?#
Entering Clearing: An alternative pathway#
Clearing is a way for applicants without offers to be matched with a university course that still has spaces left. It’s a total myth that Clearing is just for the courses nobody else wanted to do – you can find almost any course in Clearing, and an increasing number of Russell Group unis can now be found in Clearing.
A big worry for those applying through clearing is finding accommodation - but we have a handy guide containing everything you need to know about applying for last-minute clearing accommodation.
Applying through UCAS Extra#
If you’ve applied to all five universities on your original UCAS form but don’t have any offers, you can add another option with UCAS Extra. You can then wait for the decision and accept or decline the offer as normal in the UCAS Hub.
Considering other options beyond university#
If you don’t get any university offers or aren’t sure if uni is the right choice for you, there are plenty of other options to consider:
- Apprenticeships combining work and study
- Industry-specific qualifications such as the NCTJ for journalism
- Going straight into work
- Setting yourself up as a self-employed freelancer
- Taking a gap year to travel and decide what you want to do next
Special Considerations #
Handling gap years and deferred entry#
If you want to take a gap year before uni or defer your entry, this can be handled within the UCAS Hub. Simply choose the deferred start date when you enter the choice on your UCAS form, and you will go through the same process as someone applying to start university without a gap year.
Dealing with changed circumstances or missed grades#
You have options if your circumstances change. The best thing to do is contact the university’s admissions department to find out what choices are available, whether that’s deferring entry, retaking exams or changing courses. If you miss your grades for a course, contact the admissions team to discuss your options – they may accept you anyway, especially if there are extenuating circumstances to consider, or you could apply for a different course via Clearing.
Tips for a Smooth UCAS Application Experience#
Keeping track of deadlines and requirements#
It’s vital to stay organised when you’re applying to university, so make a note of the UCAS deadlines to ensure you don’t accidentally miss any important dates or application requirements.
Utilising UCAS Hub effectively#
UCAS Hub (previously UCAS Track) is where you’ll manage the entire UCAS application process, from selecting courses to submitting your application form to replying to offers. You should receive an email when anything changes in the Hub (such as a new decision from a uni), so make sure the UCAS emails aren’t going into your spam folder so that you don’t miss any important messages.
Contacting universities directly for queries#
UCAS can’t help with university-related questions, so if you have any queries for your unis, contact their admissions teams directly. This includes questions about admissions requirements, changes in your circumstances or queries about your offer.
Conclusion#
It can be nerve wracking waiting for your uni offers, especially if your friends start receiving theirs before you, but rest assured that you haven’t been forgotten! The best thing you can do is keep a close eye on any emails from UCAS Hub for any updates – as tempting as it can be, there’s no need to obsessively refresh the website!
Hopefully you get the offers you want, but even if you don’t, there are still lots of options open to you, whether that’s UCAS Extra, Clearing or taking a different route entirely. Best of luck if you’re waiting for your uni offers right now!
