The Student Room Group

Huge rise in unconditional offers

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-44954154

"There has been a huge rise in the number of unconditional offers being made to students for university places, admissions service Ucas says.

The total made to 18-year-olds from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales has risen by 65,930 over the past five years - from 2,985 in 2013 to 67,915 in 2018.

This means nearly a quarter (23%) of applicants received such an offer.

The government said the figures pointed to a "bums on seats" mentality.

And unions said the situation risked encouraging students not to strive for the best A-level results possible."

What are your thoughts about this? Obviously, this is an interesting trend since the introduction of the 9K fees. But does receiving an unconditional prior to you getting your grades lessen the worth of a university place?

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No. People that get unconditionals are usually high achievers regardless, its a good thing because it helps the student make a good decision about risk. I doubt those people with unconditionals stop doing well after getting one and just give up.
Reply 2
I'm not particularly surprised, especially since the introduction of the new A level specs - admissions departments know that students are panicking about how the reforms will affect their grades, making many of them more likely to accept a 'safe' offer, rather than taking the risk of accepting a conditional offer they might not meet.
Reply 3
This is quite obviously a tactic for universities to attract more students who wouldn't be able to meet A level requirements.

This is quite shameful tbh as unis care more about profits than actually providing an education. Top universities dont give unconditionals without A levels grades so I assume it's only the Mickey mouse unis giving them out.
(edited 5 years ago)
Get a bit annoyed with this bums on seats narrative. Yes it may be true for some courses but for some, like mine the unconditional was a result of 4 As at AS and an interview with portfolio which I worked really hard for.
Unconditional should only be given to individuals who already have grades.
Original post by exam freak
No. People that get unconditionals are usually high achievers regardless, its a good thing because it helps the student make a good decision about risk. I doubt those people with unconditionals stop doing well after getting one and just give up.


Unconditionals are almost always given when the student already completed their exams, or when a mediocre university wants to attract more students. Very few good unis will give them just because their predictions are high.
Original post by DarthRoar
Unconditionals are almost always given when the student already completed their exams, or when a mediocre university wants to attract more students. Very few good unis will give them just because their predictions are high.


This is *******s. I know people that have got unconditionals based on AS grades from unis for my subject in engineering and others from Nottingham up to UCL. Also Warwick, St andrews, Edinburgh, Leeds, and Loughborough.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by e^iπ
This is quite obviously a tactic for universities to attract more students who wouldn't be able to meet A level requirements.

This is quite shameful tbh as unis care more about profits than actually providing an education. Tip universities dont give unconditionals without A levels grades so I assume it's only the Mickey mouse unis giving them out.


You actually have no idea what you are talking about.
Original post by exam freak
No. People that get unconditionals are usually high achievers regardless, its a good thing because it helps the student make a good decision about risk. I doubt those people with unconditionals stop doing well after getting one and just give up.


The only way that argument holds true would be if there was also a 33 fold increase in students getting high grades.

That is demonstrably not true.


If the 'bums on seats' narrative is true then that probably shows they are trying to secure their funding for the upcoming years as early as possible, most likely because other areas of funding (central government, the EU) are becoming more precarious.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by mojojojo101
The only way that argument holds true would be if there was also a 33 fold increase in students getting high grades.

That is demonstrably not true.


You don't understand, I'll give you an example, a girl on my course at Notts was given an unconditional after she got rejected from oxbridge, then had to pick between loads of basically equal unis, she picked Nottingham for giving her an unconditional as it lowered her stress levels, She got like 6 A's at AS level. She got like all A*'s at A level regardless.

This probably happens for a lot of people who are high achievers or have AS grades that would indicate they would reach the grade requirements for course regardless. Its non oxbridge unis using this strategy to compete for good candidates like this.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by exam freak
St andrews, Edinburgh


Scottish universities will often give unconditional offers to those who already meet the entry requirements from their highers when they apply.
Original post by Smack
Scottish universities will often give unconditional offers to those who already meet the entry requirements from their highers when they apply.


I see. Thanks!
Reply 13
Original post by exam freak
I see. Thanks!


The news report says that Scottish unis were not included in the stats.
Original post by e^iπ
The news report says that Scottish unis were not included in the stats.


Everything else still stands.
Original post by exam freak
You don't understand, I'll give you an example, a girl on my course at Notts was given an unconditional after she got rejected from oxbridge, then had to pick between loads of basically equal unis, she picked Nottingham for giving her an unconditional as it lowered her stress levels, She got like 6 A's at AS level. She got like all A*'s at A level regardless.

This probably happens for a lot of people who are high achievers or have AS grades that would indicate they would reach the grade requirements for course regardless. Its non oxbridge unis using this strategy to compete for good candidates like this.


So they are giving unconditional offers to students who 5 years a go they wouldn't have done so.

Why they are doing so is the question, I get why students want to avoid the stress of conditional offers and potentially being in clearing, why the universities are offering is what interests me.
Reply 16
Original post by exam freak
You don't understand, I'll give you an example, a girl on my course at Notts was given an unconditional after she got rejected from oxbridge, then had to pick between loads of basically equal unis, she picked Nottingham for giving her an unconditional as it lowered her stress levels, She got like 6 A's at AS level. She got like all A*'s at A level regardless.

This probably happens for a lot of people who are high achievers or have AS grades that would indicate they would reach the grade requirements for course regardless. Its non oxbridge unis using this strategy to compete for good candidates like this.


So one piece of anecdotal evidence is enough to justify your position?

Let's bit beat around the bush, unis nowadays are businesses and in order to compete, they need to get as many students in their course as possible and giving out unconditionals does just that. They are lowering g standards to get funding plain and simple.
Reply 17
Original post by DarthRoar
Unconditionals are almost always given when the student already completed their exams, or when a mediocre university wants to attract more students. Very few good unis will give them just because their predictions are high.


This is true, only mediocre unis give out unconditionals
Original post by mojojojo101
So they are giving unconditional offers to students who 5 years a go they wouldn't have done so.

Why they are doing so is the question, I get why students want to avoid the stress of conditional offers and potentially being in clearing, why the universities are offering is what interests me.


I just said to compete for candidates rejected from oxbridge for example. Also Nottingham gave away about 20% unconditionals to people with those sorts of grades who accepted once they had been rejected by oxbridge and imperial. For chemical Engineering.
Reply 19
Original post by exam freak
I just said to compete for candidates rejected from oxbridge for example. Also Nottingham gave away about 20% unconditionals to people with those sorts of grades who accepted once they had been rejected by oxbridge and imperial. For chemical Engineering.


Most students who get rejected from Oxbridge don't usually go to Nottingham.

It's quite obvious what they are doing, they want to undermine the competition and in the process lower standards

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