How likely will Lancaster give unconditional offer?

BangPitung

Deleted

(edited 5 months ago)

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by BangPitung

I wanted to apply for computer science and I am still deciding on my fifth choice, one of the options I am considering is Lancaster. I think it's a great school but it's more of safety compared to my other choices. I know that it might not be recommended but my plan is to have Lancaster as my unconditional insurance (so not conditional-unconditinal), how likely is this to be given for their master computer science with industry degree? I just want to have that free of mind of definitely getting into university just like if I apply to the US, that's all. But if I get into one of my other choices, I will probably firm them and insured Lancaster.

I am an international students taking the full IB diploma, the course that I want has an entry requirements of 36 with 16 from 3 HL, but they also said I will be considered for a lower offer If I took IB HL math or computer science, which I have both.

My prediction is
43 total score HL 7777 in math AI, computer science, economics, and business

Given that you take you are "taking the full IB diploma" and you refer to your "prediction" - i.e. you do not have you exam results - then I'd say that the chances of receiving an unconditional offer are zero.

Universities just don't make unconditional offers to students without actual exam results any more.

Reply 2

BangPitung

I thought Lancaster is one of the few universities like and have been defending unconditional offer. In 2019 they give out 10% of unconditional offer, excluding conditional-unconditinal offer. In 2020 they send out an Instagram post in which 59% of people responded get unconditional offer. I haven't seen any information about 2022 and 2023 which is why I wanted to ask, have they dropped the unconditional offer scheme? If yes, then that's a shame

Reply 3

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by BangPitung

There are different types of unconditional offer, it's not entirely clear to which you're referring. This are how UCAS define the various types:

• Conditional unconditional offer: Offers which are conditional at the point of offer, and adjusted by the provider from conditional to unconditional if selected as an applicant’s firm choice.
• Direct unconditional offer: Offers which are unconditional at the point of offer.
• Other unconditional offer: Offers which are conditional at the point of offer and become unconditional before 30 June – the final date on which main scheme applications can be submitted, and are not identified as conditional unconditional.

Lancaster used to run what they called the "Unconditional Offer Scheme". The blurb which introduced this scheme was as follows (archived source):

"At Lancaster University we are proud of our reputation for academic excellence and we want to encourage applicants with outstanding academic profiles to study at Lancaster. The Unconditional Offer Scheme enables us to demonstrate to exceptional students our belief that they will continue to excel by choosing to study with us. An offer for a place on our Unconditional Offer Scheme will be made to applicants who have the strongest academic profiles in terms of existing qualifications and predicted grades. Personal statements and references will also be taken into account and, for some courses, an interview will form part of the assessment. The eligibility criteria for the Unconditional Offer Scheme will vary across departments as requirements for specific courses differ. The unconditional offer will be confirmed once a selected applicant has made Lancaster their firm choice on UCAS." (my emphasis)

That final sentence makes it clear that the offers are what UCAS call "conditional unconditional offers"; it also makes it clear that it would never have been appropriate for you as you were not planning to firm Lancaster.

We can see from the published UCAS statistics (source) that Lancaster used to hand out thousands of such offers. That has now stopped, and they made no conditional unconditional offers for 2021 or 2022 entry (the last years for which UCAS have published "end-of-cycle" data).

UCAS Data - Lancaster University - Unconditional Offers.JPG

UCAS Data - Lancaster University - Unconditional Offers.JPG

The number of other types of unconditional offers made in recent years is tiny.

Reply 4

Ghostlady

Original post by BangPitung

Hi in 2019 when my daughter applied, they did offer unconditional offers out (not as insurance places though, only for firm choices) but then covid hit, and then there was a reform with the unis and the chances of getting an unconditional offer are now much lower. In 2020 was a bit of a unique case because of the restrictions back then and no-one knew whether anyone was going to actually start uni in 2021 as a lot of students that year took gap years.

Lancaster do still offer a reduced offer. They did for my youngest in 2022 for 2023 start and dropped one of the alevels by one grade.