Making Your Decision After Offers

You have done the research, visited the open days, and submitted your UCAS application. Now comes the waiting — and then the responding. The period between sending your application and starting university involves several stages, each with its own decisions and deadlines. Understanding this process in advance means you will not be caught off guard.

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What Happens After You Apply

Once your UCAS application is submitted (the deadline is typically 15 January for most courses, or 15 October for Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science), each university considers your application independently and responds with one of the following:

Conditional Offer

The university will give you a place if you achieve certain grades in your exams. For example: "We offer you a place conditional on achieving AAB at A-level." This is the most common type of offer for students who have not yet taken their exams.

Unconditional Offer

The university offers you a place regardless of your exam results. This might happen if:

• You have already achieved the required grades (e.g., you are a mature student or resitting)
• The university has a policy of making unconditional offers to attract applicants (increasingly controversial)