UCAS OFFERS 2015 DEADLINE
The 25th June 2015 is an important day for UCAS. It marks the deadline for students to accept UCAS offers. For parents and students, this can be an extremely stressful process.
In this blog, we’ll show you how to respond to your UCAS offers on deadline day.
UCAS offers explained
If you have been offered a place by either a university or college, this will come in 1 of 2 forms:
- Conditional UCAS Offers. If you have been made an offer on a conditional basis, then this means that the
university or college making the offer will only accept you if you meet certain conditions. For example, you might need to match certain grades in the subjects that you are taking. You might also need to meet a certain number of UCAS tariff points. Not every uni uses this system though, and the large majority will simply have certain grade criteria that you need to meet.
- Unconditional UCAS Offers. If you have been made an unconditional offer, then you have met all of the academic requirements of the uni. This means that they will be happy to accept you.
Types of Reply
When you reply to your offers, you will need to do so using UCAS Track. You then have 3 options. These are:
- Firm Acceptance. Firm acceptance is your first choice. You can only have 1 firm choice on your list. Make sure you think it through before replying.
- Insurance Acceptance. If you have only been made a conditional offer by your firm choice, you can accept another offer. This will be an insurance choice, in the event that aren’t accepted by your first choice. You can only have 1 insurance choice. If you don’t meet the conditions for your firm choice, but do so for your insurance choice, you will then be committed to your insurance choice.
- Decline. Once you have made your decision as to your choices, you need to decline all of the other offers. You also have the option to decline all offers, which will take you through to either Extra, or Clearing.
Extra
If you aren’t holding any UCAS offers, you can use Extra to apply for any course with vacancies.
Extra normally closes in early July, giving you more time to find an available spot.
- If you are eligible for Extra, you will be given the option to use it in choices section of ‘Track’. You will only be eligible if you have already used all five choices on your form. For example if all of your choices were unsuccessful, or if you have declined all of your offers
- You can add extra choices using ‘Track’. Just click on the add extra choice tab. Then, enter the details of your chosen university and course. You can only make one choice at a time. However, the number of times that you can add an extra choice before July is unlimited.
- Courses that have a place will be located with a grey x under the course search option. Remember that not every university will
have extra places available. Therefore you may need to search thoroughly before you find anything. - If you are still waiting for a decision from some of your choices, you can cancel these choices via Track. Then, the ‘add extra’ option will become available. You won’t be able to get these choices back after you have done this, so think carefully.
- You will be committed to your Extra choice unless you fail to meet the conditions of their UCAS offers. In this case, you will become eligible to go into Clearing
Clearing
Clearing allows students to apply for courses that still have available spaces. This applies to students who haven’t received any UCAS offers, have rejected all of their offers or have missed the conditions on all of their offers.
If your track status reads, ‘You are in clearing’ or ‘clearing has started’ then you are eligible for clearing.
- First of all, search for a list of available courses online. Once you have made a shortlist of the courses that you would like to take, you’ll need to call up individual universities.
- Make sure that you have to hand both your clearing number and your personal ID number. You should also have a copy of both your A Level and GCSE grades, and their UCAS offers points value.
- When ringing universities, the first person that you’ll speak to will be a member of the clearing team. They’ll pass you on to one of the course leaders.
- The next conversation will take the form of a phone interview. Here you will need to sell your qualities. You will need to tell the lecturer exactly why you want to take the course. The more research you can do, the better.
- Once you have completed the phone-call, the interviewer will either make you a verbal offer or inform you that you haven’t been successful.
- Once you have received the offer that you want, add this to your choices on track. You can only add one course (unless your chosen course fails to confirm your offer) so think carefully before making a decision.
- Purchase our guide on How To Pass Telephone Interviews, visit the UCAS website or login via UCAS login.
