Understanding the options
Students can apply to up to five universities.
Universities will then send your student one of the following responses. Your student may receive a conditional offer to review, meaning they are accepted if they meet the entry requirements, which can include certain grades.
Your student may also receive an unconditional offer, where they are accepted regardless of grade and do not require an insurance choice (this is more unusual and often made to those who already have their qualifications). The final option is that the university will decline your student.
If your student selects an unconditional offer, they are guaranteed a place and don’t need to select a firm or insurance option. However, if they only receive conditional offers, your student will need to choose two universities, with one as their firm and one as their insurance option.
Choosing a firm and insurance
Their firm choice is usually their preferred course at their ideal university, and selecting this as firm means if they meet the required conditions they will attend. Selecting another university as an insurance choice means if your student does not meet the criteria for their firm choice, they have another option.
We recommend their insurance choice be different from their firm choice. For example, it could have a lower grade boundary in case they do not achieve their desired grades. It could also be a university with a course they were particularly drawn to or a university they got a good feel about when visiting.
If your student decides they don’t want to accept any offers, they can decline them all and add more courses in the UCAS Extra service. Alternatively, they can see what courses still have vacancies later on during Clearing. We have information for parents and supporters on how you can help your students prepare for results day and Clearing, as well as what to do on the day.
They should also consider deadlines to choose a firm and insurance university which can be found on the UCAS website. These are based on when students receive the last decision from their universities or colleges.
Consider university life
When considering which universities to make their firm and insurance, you should encourage your student to consider the ‘full-package’ of the universities they have chosen.
If they want to work alongside their study, they should consider areas where they can get work to suit their student lifestyle, such as retail. Or if they enjoy sport or other hobbies, they should research whether their chosen university has societies or facilities to support this.
The location of the university should also be considered. Your student should think about the average cost of living there (such as accommodation), what the wider location is like, and the cost to travel home. Many students rely on public transportation, so it’s worth researching if their desired university is well-connected.
Visit universities
If your student is struggling to decide between their university offers, there are ways you can support them. You can encourage them to visit their chosen university for open days or explore the virtual experience many universities offer.
Your student can also get a better insight into their prospective course through applicant or offer holder days, which give a taster into what the course will be like to study. They can often meet their tutors and fellow students as well as experiencing the learning environment.
Your student can also explore the University of Sunderland's virtual experience to get a feel for our University, the subjects we offer and what living here is like.
Listen to their intuition
After researching and visiting the universities, do they still seem excited to go? Are they enthusiastic about the course, the student life, and the university’s location? That genuine enthusiasm and ‘gut feeling’ counts for a lot and should be taken into consideration when making their decision.
As a parent or supporter, you can assist your student by helping them research, joining them on open days, and supporting them to make their firm and insurance choices to give them multiple options.
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