What we’ll cover:
- What is a conditional university offer?
- What is an unconditional university offer?
- Other types of university offer
- Accepting your university offers
- How do universities make their offer decisions?
- How to choose which university offer to accept
- What to do if you don’t receive any university offers or your grades
- Clearing at Heriot-Watt University
What is a conditional university offer?
A conditional university offer means that you have been accepted at the university and have a place if you meet the set entry requirements. The condition can be made up of a few variables including GCSE grades, A-level grades, UCAS points, IELTS and English language requirements. Entry requirements are usually different for UK students and international students due to the difference in education systems and varying native languages.
It is common to receive a conditional university offer, as you usually haven’t completed your exams at the time of applying. This means that the university will be awaiting results day to firm your place if you have achieved the terms of the offer.
Can a university withdraw a conditional offer?
It is not common to have a conditional offer withdrawn. However, there are a couple of scenarios that this can happen.
For example, if you have purposefully inputted incorrect information on your application, or you have changed your mind about the course you are applying for.
If you have made a firm or insurance decision, it is very rare a university will have to make changes to their offers before acceptance.
What is an unconditional university offer?
An unconditional university offer is given to those who do not need to meet any further conditions. This means that if you accept this offer, you will have confirmed your place on the course. These offers are more common for those applicants who have already secured their grades and have possibly taken a gap year, or are returning to education.
It is less common that universities will give out unconditional offers to students who haven’t taken their exams yet. Circumstances where this may happen is if you have high predicted grades that really exceed the minimum entry, secured a scholarship or have had a really strong interview. Whilst this takes off the pressure of getting into university, you should still aim to perform the best you can during exams.
Should you always take an unconditional offer?
There are positives and negatives to unconditional offers, depending on the situation that you are in. It gives you the peace of mind that you have a university place but this doesn’t mean you should make the quick decision to accept. It is important to take a step back and think about your choices, just as you would with a conditional offer.
If you accept, you are guaranteed a place, and it’s only under extremely rare circumstances such as the course being cancelled that it will be revoked. Remember that whilst having security is a great position to be in, you don’t always have to take it!
Other types of university offers
You may see other types of other status notifications on your application tracker. These include:
Unsuccessful Offer: this means that your application has been rejected by the university and you cannot attend for that specific course. You won’t always receive a reason for this decision but you can reach out to the university directly to discuss.
Withdrawn Offer: you can withdraw the offer if you have changed your mind, or the university can revoke your offer if you haven’t made a decision by the final deadline.
Accepting your university offers
On your UCAS application tracker, you will receive notifications when a change to your application status has been made. If you have received conditional offers, you will be allowed to firm two choices, one firm choice and one insurance choice.
Your firm choice is your first choice university and your insurance choice is your second choice university. You can decide you don’t want to attend your firm offer, or you may not meet the first choice conditional requirements. Often students will opt for their insurance choice to have slightly lower entry requirements to give you better options once you have received your final grades.
With an unconditional offer, the terms work slightly differently. If you accept an unconditional offer, you are guaranteed a place on that course for the next academic year. You do not get an insurance option.
If you decide to change your mind after the deadline date, or you have confirmed your choices and are now unsure, you will have to take a different course of action.
How do universities make their offer decisions?
A University will try and process your application as quickly as possible, to firm their offers. In some cases, this may take slightly longer if you need to attend an interview for your course but it will always be in time to make your decisions before the deadline.
Application factors that will be assessed before an offer is made include:
- Your predicted grades for your upcoming exams, to assess whether you have the potential to meet the entry requirements
- Any previously achieved grades (e.g. GCSE’s)
- Your personal statement including why you want to study that course, how you demonstrate your suitability and any supporting information including extracurricular activities or achievements
- Your supporting references to showcase your character and demonstrate your academic ability
How to choose which university offer to accept
Before you accept your offer, really take some time to think about your choices and what actually is being offered to you. Here are some steps to take before you firm your place:
- Make sure you’ve taken a physical or virtual tour of the campus
- Research into your surroundings and the city you will be living in
- Look at the additional things the University campus can offer such as Student Union opportunities, facilities and career support
- Have a look for scholarship opportunities and ensure you are clear on the fees and funding
- Follow your ambitions but be realistic about achieving the requirements
- See what previous students have said about the course or university
- Read over the course modules and see if they align with your expectations and goals
If you’re still unsure, reach out to your current teachers and talk through your options. Whilst it is ultimately your decision and path, talking through each option may make you feel better about making a decision.
What to do if you don’t receive any university offers or your grades
There are several options available to you if you don’t receive any university offers, if you get rejected from your first choice university, or you have decided on a change of course.
If you don’t receive any university offers, you can add more applications via UCAS Extra. If you have applied to multiple universities, you should not have to pay an additional fee for this. One application will be considered at each time but you can continue applying depending on the outcomes. You cannot submit a new personal statement via UCAS for your extra applications, so keep this in mind if you are applying for different courses.
If you haven’t received an offer, or you have had a change of mind after the July deadline, you can apply for apply for clearing courses. This will give you further opportunity to apply to different universities and courses.
Find out more about this process through our Complete Clearing Guide.
If you have unexpected A-level results, Clearing is also a great option to apply through after results day. If your conditional offer requirements are not met for your first choice, you don’t want to attend your insurance offer, or you also didn’t achieve the grades for your insurance place, you can find a course for the next academic year.
Clearing at Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt are proud to take part in Clearing. We offer students access to a wide range of courses to follow their academic ambitions. Find out more using the links below, or get in touch for more information. Applications are open 5th July - 17th October.
Contact Us | Register For Clearing Priority Pass | Why Study at Heriot-Watt