Universities and colleges send their decisions to us

The time taken by universities and colleges to make a decision depends on where an applicant has applied and the courses they have chosen. Sometimes an applicant will need to take an admissions test or attend an interview, depending on the subject and popularity of the course. Students applying for art and design courses, for example, might need to present a portfolio of their work. We give the universities and colleges a deadline which allows enough time for interviews and tests to be completed and lets the applicant know when they should find out what decisions have been made. The deadlines vary depending on the courses chosen and when the applicant applied.

Find more relevant dates and deadlines

The university or college sends its decision to us and we notify the applicant via our online tracking system; applicants can log in to Track at any time to find out the status of their application.

Offers can be conditional or unconditional: if the offers made are conditional on obtaining certain grades or points, then two of these offers may be accepted - one as a 'firm' choice, and one as an 'insurance' choice. The 'firm' acceptance should be the place where the applicant wants to go; the 'insurance' acceptance is a second choice should they not meet the requirements for their first choice. If they accept an unconditional offer as their firm acceptance, they cannot accept another offer as an insurance acceptance, but an unconditional offer can act as a perfect insurance choice if the firm choice is conditional.

All decisions are made at the universities and colleges. We do not have any involvement in deciding to make offers or reject applicants.