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The University process and receiving an "offer" - curious

I read an article from UCAS which states the overall percentage of students achieving certain grades at A level in the UK. It interested me because there are many courses for AAA and above for a wide degree of courses at a wide degree of universities.

According to the article only 6% of students achieve AAA or above, which would translate to around 1,500 home students. Given that there are so many courses which require this an entry standard, I concluded that it would be impossible for all of these courses to not let a student in for not achieving the entry standard. So realistically, you're looking at on average, many respectable courses at respectable Universities regularly accepting students with lower grades than the entry standard.

Thoughts on this?
Reply 1
Avatar for Pathway
Pathway
20
My university (insurance choice) allowed me to get in with grades lower than my offer, I did have extenuating circumstances though. It's pretty common to be let in with lower grades, many people have similar experiences to me (e.g. still getting in with lower grades).
Reply 2
Avatar for Juno
Juno
20
The problem with missing your offer is that you get a stressful few hours on results day. Unis can take some students who miss their offer, but they can't take everyone. It's awful if your friends are all celebrating and you're not.

But I really feel that you've done your maths wrong somewhere. In 2016, there were 434625 UCAS applicants who had taken A Levels. Assuming the 6% figure is correct, that's 26077 applicants who got AAA or above, which is a much more realistic figure. Most Oxbridge and medicine students will achieve AAA or higher, and 1500 is not enough to cover all of those.

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