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UCAS offers

When will UCAS offers stop coming through over Christmas holiday? Is it too late for sending in applications to get offers before Christmas?
Original post by withered.rose
When will UCAS offers stop coming through over Christmas holiday? Is it too late for sending in applications to get offers before Christmas?

probably...
Original post by A Rolling Stone
probably...

Thanks for that very helpful answer
Reply 3
Original post by withered.rose
When will UCAS offers stop coming through over Christmas holiday? Is it too late for sending in applications to get offers before Christmas?


Nah, I sent mine off on the 6th and I've got four of five offers, it's just depending on the university...is it a Russell group
Original post by Jovid
Nah, I sent mine off on the 6th and I've got four of five offers, it's just depending on the university...is it a Russell group

Congrats on the offers, but as mine will be (hopefully) sent by the end of the week, it is nearing the end of dec and the holidays will be starting soon so maybe ucas will stop sending offers out. Also, I am unsure of what you mean by Russel group, sorry
UCAS will likely keep updating Track every day, (I would imagine excluding bank hols), but Uni’s generally stop processing over the Christmas period.
Original post by withered.rose
Thanks for that very helpful answer

you are asking TSR users if we know the specific date in December that university Admissions teams' annual leaves begin...
Original post by A Rolling Stone
you are asking TSR users if we know the specific date in December that university Admissions teams' annual leaves begin...

Well, I thought maybe someone would have an estimation from last year when offers don’t come through. But tbh I think there are far worst questions that have been asked on this forum, tbh I knew it was a reach, but worth a try
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 8
Original post by Jovid
Nah, I sent mine off on the 6th and I've got four of five offers, it's just depending on the university...is it a Russell group


Original post by withered.rose
Congrats on the offers, but as mine will be (hopefully) sent by the end of the week, it is nearing the end of dec and the holidays will be starting soon so maybe ucas will stop sending offers out. Also, I am unsure of what you mean by Russel group, sorry

https://russellgroup.ac.uk/

Normally the "top 24" unis, however, this isn't exactly true, but they receive floods of offers, if you're uni is one of these they most likely will reply later
As above universities generally close over the Christmas period (the one I work at is closed from the end of this week until the new year), and of course staff may be taking their annual leave earlier if permitted so it might be slower in the run up to that anyway. As noted it's not really an answer anyone can definitively give you as the administration of different university staff contracts etc is likely to vary quite widely. Some may allow staff to take annual leave in term, some not - if the latter, more staff might be taking time off after the end of term but before the start of Christmas closures. There might be sickness or unexpected leave which means staff are off anyway....etc, etc.

Universities are contractually obliged to consider all applications received before the January 15th deadline equally, so there isn't going to be much difference between submitting it now and submitting it in the new year as long as it's before the deadline. Getting an offer earlier doesn't make any difference in the long run, and provided all your offers are received by the deadline UCAS encourages unis to make offers by, you will have the same amount of time to consider and respond to all offers. Thus, it doesn't make a difference what the answer is really anyway, as it won't materially affect your prospects as long as you submit it before the deadline.
Original post by Jovid
https://russellgroup.ac.uk/

Normally the "top 24" unis, however, this isn't exactly true, but they receive floods of offers, if you're uni is one of these they most likely will reply later

Ok, thanks
Original post by artful_lounger
As above universities generally close over the Christmas period (the one I work at is closed from the end of this week until the new year), and of course staff may be taking their annual leave earlier if permitted so it might be slower in the run up to that anyway. As noted it's not really an answer anyone can definitively give you as the administration of different university staff contracts etc is likely to vary quite widely. Some may allow staff to take annual leave in term, some not - if the latter, more staff might be taking time off after the end of term but before the start of Christmas closures. There might be sickness or unexpected leave which means staff are off anyway....etc, etc.

Universities are contractually obliged to consider all applications received before the January 15th deadline equally, so there isn't going to be much difference between submitting it now and submitting it in the new year as long as it's before the deadline. Getting an offer earlier doesn't make any difference in the long run, and provided all your offers are received by the deadline UCAS encourages unis to make offers by, you will have the same amount of time to consider and respond to all offers. Thus, it doesn't make a difference what the answer is really anyway, as it won't materially affect your prospects as long as you submit it before the deadline.

Just thought the more people to get unconditionals now and accept them, the less space, but clearly I’m no expert on the subject and that’s why I was asking
Original post by withered.rose
When will UCAS offers stop coming through over Christmas holiday? Is it too late for sending in applications to get offers before Christmas?


Probably,

Whilst technically speaking the professors and admin work till the end of this week, the vast majority will have booked this week off on holiday. Most will come back on Jan 6th but will have full inboxes and a busy couple weeks at the start of the new year. That said the sooner you put your application in the sooner you will hear back. TBH most people will have applied by now.
Original post by Jovid
https://russellgroup.ac.uk/

Normally the "top 24" unis, however, this isn't exactly true, but they receive floods of offers, if you're uni is one of these they most likely will reply later

IGNORE, this is so far wrong. The Russell Group is a research lobby group, nothing to do with UCAS or even undergrad studies.

Yes the more traditionally prestigious unis are part of the RG but this is not true throughout all members of the group, and some very good uni are not members.
Original post by withered.rose
Just thought the more people to get unconditionals now and accept them, the less space, but clearly I’m no expert on the subject and that’s why I was asking


Most universities don't make unconditional offers except for post-qualification applicants or those applying to courses with audition/portfolio requirements. The ones that do tend to make "unconditional-if-firm" offers and have come under fire from the media and government groups so may well see a downturn (particularly since the practice is being investigated as a potential violation of distance selling regulations). Unconditional offers, including unconditional-if-firm, are by far and away an exception and are far less common than you may think (the only notable university that regularly makes them is Birmingham off the top of my head).

That aside, as stated universties are still required to consider all applications received before the deadline equally. Universities will make more offers than they expect to fill, since students will normally apply to 5 universities and can only go to one of them. They know some will go elsewhere or fail to meet their offer, and universities use a lot of statistical data to estimate their "yield" from a round of applications (i.e. successful applicants that take up their place). The situation where they "fill" all the spaces before the deadline, other than potentially violating the terms of their contract with UCAS, just doesn't happen in reality.

So, don't worry about it, just make sure you submit before the deadline in January :smile:
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by mnot
Probably,

Whilst technically speaking the professors and admin work till the end of this week, the vast majority will have booked this week off on holiday. Most will come back on Jan 6th but will have full inboxes and a busy couple weeks at the start of the new year. That said the sooner you put your application in the sooner you will hear back. TBH most people will have applied by now.


Yes I know that most people will have applied. Don’t remind me. That’s why I’m getting stressed about it.

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