University deferral rates up 12% this year - did you defer your place?

Obviously it's far from the only cause, but the large incentives provided by some oversubscribed med schools may have something to do with it!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/exeter-university-medicine-accommodation-defer-b1888661.html

Reply 2

StrawberryDreams

OP

19

Original post by SarcAndSpark

Obviously it's far from the only cause, but the large incentives provided by some oversubscribed med schools may have something to do with it!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/exeter-university-medicine-accommodation-defer-b1888661.html

PRSOM!

Reply 3

astronerd

10

Original post by SarcAndSpark

Obviously it's far from the only cause, but the large incentives provided by some oversubscribed med schools may have something to do with it!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/exeter-university-medicine-accommodation-defer-b1888661.html

Agree, if the government is offering you 10k to defer a year, you can imagine a lot of students to take that offer, they'd be crazy not to. That's the most logical reason for the rise in deferral this year.

Also another reason might be the fact quite a few universities are still are going to be doing online learning for 2021-2022 which students won't want to pay full fees for, here are all the universities so far for online or blended learning: https://www.studentcrowd.com/article/university-responses-to-covid-19

Reply 4

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by astronerd

Agree, if the government is offering you 10k to defer a year, you can imagine a lot of students to take that offer, they'd be crazy not to. That's the most logical reason for the rise in deferral this year.

Also another reason might be the fact quite a few universities are still are going to be doing online learning for 2021-2022 which students won't want to pay full fees for, here are all the universities so far for online or blended learning: https://www.studentcrowd.com/article/university-responses-to-covid-19

I think online/blended learning is here for good, to be honest. It's cheaper for unis, more flexible for studnets, and allows unis to use parts of their buildings for more proffitable activities year round.

I do think people who defer for a year expecting everything to be "back to normal" next year in terms of no blended learning may find themselves disappointed.

Another factor around deferrals might be those chosing to appeal/resit- I think some unis have offered defered places around this.

Reply 5

astronerd

10

Original post by SarcAndSpark

I think online/blended learning is here for good, to be honest. It's cheaper for unis, more flexible for studnets, and allows unis to use parts of their buildings for more proffitable activities year round.

I do think people who defer for a year expecting everything to be "back to normal" next year in terms of no blended learning may find themselves disappointed.

Another factor around deferrals might be those chosing to appeal/resit- I think some unis have offered defered places around this.

Again I agree, however tuition fees should technically decrease if blended learning does stay for the long-term. Nine grand is simply not a justifiable amount to pay for online/blended learning. Students waiting might get disappointed, but probably more angry that the government hasn't done anything to compensate their 'no-longer on-campus learning', (and by compensate I mean reducing their fees).

Students should go uni anyways, especially if you're doing a STEM subject, a year out isn't always best. Blended learning and remote working is the future 100%.

Reply 6

Admit-One

The vast majority of deferral requests that I have received this year are from international students who are concerned about safety with regards to COVID. Obviously there might be an element of using that reason to keeping multiple options open, but most of the requests look genuine to me.

One student even specifically credited the incompetence of the UK government, which you know, fair play :smile:

Reply 7

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by astronerd

Again I agree, however tuition fees should technically decrease if blended learning does stay for the long-term. Nine grand is simply not a justifiable amount to pay for online/blended learning. Students waiting might get disappointed, but probably more angry that the government hasn't done anything to compensate their 'no-longer on-campus learning', (and by compensate I mean reducing their fees).

Students should go uni anyways, especially if you're doing a STEM subject, a year out isn't always best. Blended learning and remote working is the future 100%.

I think for blended learning it probably is justifiable. £9000 doesn't cover the costs of running a lot of courses, especially STEM ones. The problem is, if the government asked unis to reduce their fees, they'd make this clear, and that would create a difficult position for the government.

Right now, a lot unis rely on cheaper humanities courses to subsidise STEM courses which are more costly to run. And the government don't want to admit their funding model is ****ed and unsustainable.

FWIW, I don't believe many unis mind a year out, for subjects other than maths, and some explicitly encourage it for e.g. engineering. The aditional maturity can also help students a lot.

Personally, I think students should do whatever they feel is best for them.

Original post by Admit-One

The vast majority of deferral requests that I have received this year are from international students who are concerned about safety with regards to COVID. Obviously there might be an element of using that reason to keeping multiple options open, but most of the requests look genuine to me.

One student even specifically credited the incompetence of the UK government, which you know, fair play :smile:

I mean, I think that's completely valid. Also, knowing you'd either struggle to get home or spend most of the holidays in quarentine due to covid has to be offputting.

Reply 8

Admit-One

Original post by SarcAndSpark

I mean, I think that's completely valid. Also, knowing you'd either struggle to get home or spend most of the holidays in quarentine due to covid has to be offputting.

International travel during a pandemic + quarantine + blended learning for term 1 + uncertainty about UK's handling of pandemic. I wouldn't exactly be chomping at the bit myself tbh.

Reply 9

SupposedlyIronic

Universities Forum Helper

I had finally settled on going this year, and then I got an email this afternoon offering £5k to defer.

Pros of deferring: get by first job, learn how to drive, get healthy before uni, get ahead of reading, possible that they may have spaces for the course I'd prefer next year (they don't currently), and now the £5k.

Cons: feeling left behind and FOMO, continuing to be long distance with my boyfriend who I'm very attached to, getting out of an academic routine, if I decide I don't like my uni/course and want to reapply then I'll be two years behind everyone else.

I think I just want to get stuck in and give it my best go. I don't know if I'd stick to some of the things on my "pros" list, and I'd rather know now if I want to be reapplying. £5k is a lot of money on the one hand but I don't want to let it sway me because it's not even a year of accommodation.

I'm in year 13 and I feel a little bit worried about increased competition. nothing major tho :yy:

Original post by Obolinda

I'm in year 13 and I feel a little bit worried about increased competition. nothing major tho :yy:

Same here

… but I think I’d have felt a bit nervous about competition either way
can’t believe we’re in year 13 now though :eek4:

Reply 12

username5821865

15

Original post by Obolinda

I'm in year 13 and I feel a little bit worried about increased competition. nothing major tho :yy:

Same here. More competition for us but I've been preparing for about a year now. Just worried about how our grades are gonna stack up against the re-applicants because of grade inflation. Also, we didn't sit our GCSE exams so they might be sceptical about our grades and I've seen a lot of people in our year with really high GCSE grades.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 13

Admit-One

Yeah, likewise lots of questions about what the teaching will look like this year. "Well here's what we're planning for week 1, but after that we'll see what happens" apparently isn't confidence inspiring.

Original post by _Mia101

Same here

… but I think I’d have felt a bit nervous about competition either way
can’t believe we’re in year 13 now though :eek4:

I know

Reply 15

Wired_1800

Original post by Obolinda

I'm in year 13 and I feel a little bit worried about increased competition. nothing major tho :yy:

Hope you select Cambridge as one of your 5 choices, if you are leaning towards going to University. Good luck.

Reply 16

notonthehighroad

5

Original post by ashtolga23

I had finally settled on going this year, and then I got an email this afternoon offering £5k to defer.

Pros of deferring: get by first job, learn how to drive, get healthy before uni, get ahead of reading, possible that they may have spaces for the course I'd prefer next year (they don't currently), and now the £5k.

Cons: feeling left behind and FOMO, continuing to be long distance with my boyfriend who I'm very attached to, getting out of an academic routine, if I decide I don't like my uni/course and want to reapply then I'll be two years behind everyone else.

I think I just want to get stuck in and give it my best go. I don't know if I'd stick to some of the things on my "pros" list, and I'd rather know now if I want to be reapplying. £5k is a lot of money on the one hand but I don't want to let it sway me because it's not even a year of accommodation.

Yes exactly. I was offered 10k to defer next year and i really want to do it. However, I'm really struggling to find work experience and things to do to fill up that year. I applied to do law, and most internships are down in london or they want you to be in your final year of your law degree or its just summer schemes or online. I have found a volunteering opportunity to do with law but it just requires one day a week and with virtual experience i can do both these things whilst I'm at uni. And most gap year schemes to go abroad have closed their deadlines so im a bit stuck.
Everything i've seen on gap years has been so positive, its like 'yeah! Do it, it'll change your life, you'll really get to know yourself and find out your true purpose and go back to uni with a determined mindset.' And my god would i love to do it but i think I'll really struggle to make the gap year worthwhile and regret the whole thing. So for that reason, i think I'm going to start in September.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 17