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PPE application for 2025 entry

Hi I recently got my A level grades and need advice on where to apply. I did apply during year 13 to Oxford, edinburgh, lse for ppe then two safeties. I got no ppe offers but got into the safeties. I had 4a* predictions and 999999987A* at GCSE, but now I have opened my results I have A*A*A*A in Maths, French, English Literature and Economics respectively. This wasn’t the worst case scenario, but my economics being four marks off an A* worries me as I am taking it on, and I don’t want to give universities a reason to reject me.

Nonetheless, I think the most important thing is that I have 3A* so hopefully they just ignore the A. The reason I had been rejected before was basically my GCSEs not being good enough, but that should be weighed less now that I have my a levels.

I was thinking Oxford, Edinburgh, Durham, Warwick, and Exeter. I really dislike london universities so I am not applying to any even though I have the grades and they may be conaidered ‘good’ . My only concern is my gcses dragging me down again, as I want to get at least one offer. I ultimately got none last year because I only got my safeties that I didn’t even like, which is why I don’t really want to put any down this time as it just wasted spots. I have considered resitting the gcses I did badly in, but I don’t know how impressive that would be now, and whether universities would take it into consideration as I would have to resit next summer.

Please let me know if you have any advice. I am just worried as they didn’t want me with my predicted grades, then I didn’t even achieve those. I wouldn’t mind doing an EPQ to make up for this and to make my application stand out, but I am not sure how I could do so as a Gap Year student.

Reply 1

jamsparkle

hi! try making a subject access request to the unis you got rejected from to see if there's any comments on ur file that you can improve on for next time

for oxford, grades don't really matter as long as you meet the AAA but gcses are taken into account for shortlisting (but it's the proportion of 8/9/A*s that matter so you will be fine)

edinburgh basically cares about a-level grades being very high which you have !!

durham ppe is sometimes in clearing and with those grades shouldn't be an issue, warwick should also be very happy about those grades

exeter i don't think is that competitive

if i were you i'd apply to oxford and edinburgh (i just really like edinburgh and i think you have a very good shot with your grades) and then see how you're feeling after they give decisions - i got my decisions from both of them last year on the 9th of jan so well ahead of the ucas deadline and so i didn't bother thinking about other choices too much

Reply 2

priyasahaa

Original post by jamsparkle

hi! try making a subject access request to the unis you got rejected from to see if there's any comments on ur file that you can improve on for next time
for oxford, grades don't really matter as long as you meet the AAA but gcses are taken into account for shortlisting (but it's the proportion of 8/9/A*s that matter so you will be fine)
edinburgh basically cares about a-level grades being very high which you have !!
durham ppe is sometimes in clearing and with those grades shouldn't be an issue, warwick should also be very happy about those grades
exeter i don't think is that competitive
if i were you i'd apply to oxford and edinburgh (i just really like edinburgh and i think you have a very good shot with your grades) and then see how you're feeling after they give decisions - i got my decisions from both of them last year on the 9th of jan so well ahead of the ucas deadline and so i didn't bother thinking about other choices too much

okay thank you for this advice it is really helpful!! btw what was the context of your application? did you apply for PPE last year and, if so, where did you end up getting offers from and later firming?

i did follow up on the unis. For oxford my admissions test went awfully, but I think I have enough A* statistically to have a chance if everything else goes well too. LSE said that the other applications were generally better which wasn’t that helpful as that is implicit, then edinburgh told me that if my gcse physics was a 9 instead of an 8 then i would have basically been taken (they said I was more or less the last person to be cut off from getting an offer as it was competitive)

Reply 3

jk999998

what were your safeties, out of interest? and rejected for low gcse grades???? you nearly got all 9s!!!

sorry for not answering your question, but I am thinking of applying for PPE this year and the fact that you had 4A* predicted and stellar gcses and were still rejected from 3/5 unis really scares me😭

Reply 4

jamsparkle

Original post by priyasahaa

okay thank you for this advice it is really helpful!! btw what was the context of your application? did you apply for PPE last year and, if so, where did you end up getting offers from and later firming?
i did follow up on the unis. For oxford my admissions test went awfully, but I think I have enough A* statistically to have a chance if everything else goes well too. LSE said that the other applications were generally better which wasn’t that helpful as that is implicit, then edinburgh told me that if my gcse physics was a 9 instead of an 8 then i would have basically been taken (they said I was more or less the last person to be cut off from getting an offer as it was competitive)

hi! yes i applied for ppe in the 2023-2024 cycle

i initially applied for ppe @ ox, edi, lse + philecon at st andrews. i got offers from ox and edi on the 9th and then i added ucl ppe (i didn't really have any interest in their course since they don't let you drop politics but i think i applied just to have a fifth choice) just before the ucas deadline. I then got into ucl and lse and then was rejected by st andrews (since my ps mentioned ppe and they "don't offer ppe" even though the degree is functionally identical to ppe elsewhere lol)

i firmed oxford (AAA) and insured edinburgh (ABB including maths - contextual but i wouldve got an offer anyway since i had 10 9s at gcse and predicted 5 A*s i think)

i ended up with A*BBB but oxford let me in anyway so i really dont think that grades are thatttttt important for them lol

but yes definitely make a subject access request asap - esp for lse since their feedback was quite vague

Reply 5

happygirl04

Original post by jamsparkle

hi! yes i applied for ppe in the 2023-2024 cycle
i initially applied for ppe @ ox, edi, lse + philecon at st andrews. i got offers from ox and edi on the 9th and then i added ucl ppe (i didn't really have any interest in their course since they don't let you drop politics but i think i applied just to have a fifth choice) just before the ucas deadline. I then got into ucl and lse and then was rejected by st andrews (since my ps mentioned ppe and they "don't offer ppe" even though the degree is functionally identical to ppe elsewhere lol)
i firmed oxford (AAA) and insured edinburgh (ABB including maths - contextual but i wouldve got an offer anyway since i had 10 9s at gcse and predicted 5 A*s i think)
i ended up with A*BBB but oxford let me in anyway so i really dont think that grades are thatttttt important for them lol
but yes definitely make a subject access request asap - esp for lse since their feedback was quite vague

Hey sorry to intrude on a different post but I was wondering of what you think of my situation (I have just finished year 13, got my a levels and want to apply to ppe at oxford too. I wanted to know if it's worth it taking the gap year and applying to oxford and any advice/ what you think).

I completed my A Levels in June 2024 and I've just got my A Level grades back recently. Unfortunately, I underperformed in my A Levels and got ABB in maths, economics and chemistry respectively. I've been upset over this, as this means I missed out on my firm uni where I wanted to study PPE. I've got my insurance choice at a decent uni but it just doesn't really appeal to me as much.I also had some extenuating circumstances (not sure how serious of a case this would be), but I was basically diagnosed with ADHD right after my exams ended. I thought for quite some time that I had adhd, but hadn't been able to get diagnosed officially due to waiting list. I think that I could have really benefitted with extra time during my exams, as I was unable to complete my papers. I know that having adhd does not necessarily mean you are entitled to extra time in exams, as you have to be assessed for this, but I have a very strong feeling that I would, as I have always had time management problems no matter how many times I practise or study compared to peers. This extra time would have aided me significantly as I would have been able to finish my exams off, and this is the main reason I could not do as well. My flare up of ADHD had been pretty hard on me in the exam season, and I am sure that therapy and access arrangements could have helped significantly as i was fully unsupported. I also had some migraine issues during the exam period, but I hadn't announced these on the exam day, only got a letter from the GP when I visited the day after exams finished, so I don't know how much this counts for.Now I am exploring the possibility of a gap year to resit my two Bs to get higher grades. I am currently predicted A* A for the resits. (I would also like to know if anyone has experience of people getting higher grades in resits without school help, any advice and how realistic).Now, I also want to reapply through UCAS to PPE courses. I have been considering Oxford, as it is my dream uni, and best for PPE, but I don't know how realistic it is that my application will even be looked at tbh as the entry requirements are AAA, and I currently have ABB achieved (also dont know how much they will look at my predicted A* A if they can already see my achieved grades in one sitting, nor if my extenuating circumstances are significant enough for them). I know several candidates would have straight A*s anyway.Still, I researched and found the following on the website :On the whole, candidates who need to retake exams in order to achieve the required grades have a lower chance of being offered a place. Nevertheless, we recognise that students sometimes fail to achieve their potential on their first attempt at school or college because of circumstances beyond their control, and would always take such circumstances into account if they are brought to our attention. Please tell us about them in your personal statement or academic reference; see our information on special circumstances for full details.I don't know how much of an impact my circumstances would have, especially if people are applying with straight A*s in yr13 or achieved already even. Maybe this paragraph on the website is more of a consideration for 1 phenomenal student who gets picked out of 10000 in my scenario? I wanted to try smash the TSA to at least get an interview invite and then from there it's just how well I do really and also my luck and how much of a gamble they are willing to take on me. Is Oxford even realistic though? Would appreciate any advice, help, suggestions or discussion. Thanks!

Reply 6

priyasahaa

Original post by jamsparkle

hi! yes i applied for ppe in the 2023-2024 cycle
i initially applied for ppe @ ox, edi, lse + philecon at st andrews. i got offers from ox and edi on the 9th and then i added ucl ppe (i didn't really have any interest in their course since they don't let you drop politics but i think i applied just to have a fifth choice) just before the ucas deadline. I then got into ucl and lse and then was rejected by st andrews (since my ps mentioned ppe and they "don't offer ppe" even though the degree is functionally identical to ppe elsewhere lol)
i firmed oxford (AAA) and insured edinburgh (ABB including maths - contextual but i wouldve got an offer anyway since i had 10 9s at gcse and predicted 5 A*s i think)
i ended up with A*BBB but oxford let me in anyway so i really dont think that grades are thatttttt important for them lol
but yes definitely make a subject access request asap - esp for lse since their feedback was quite vague

ahhh okay thank you for this advice!! well done for oxford and good luck there!

Reply 7

priyasahaa

Original post by happygirl04

Hey sorry to intrude on a different post but I was wondering of what you think of my situation (I have just finished year 13, got my a levels and want to apply to ppe at oxford too. I wanted to know if it's worth it taking the gap year and applying to oxford and any advice/ what you think).
I completed my A Levels in June 2024 and I've just got my A Level grades back recently. Unfortunately, I underperformed in my A Levels and got ABB in maths, economics and chemistry respectively. I've been upset over this, as this means I missed out on my firm uni where I wanted to study PPE. I've got my insurance choice at a decent uni but it just doesn't really appeal to me as much.I also had some extenuating circumstances (not sure how serious of a case this would be), but I was basically diagnosed with ADHD right after my exams ended. I thought for quite some time that I had adhd, but hadn't been able to get diagnosed officially due to waiting list. I think that I could have really benefitted with extra time during my exams, as I was unable to complete my papers. I know that having adhd does not necessarily mean you are entitled to extra time in exams, as you have to be assessed for this, but I have a very strong feeling that I would, as I have always had time management problems no matter how many times I practise or study compared to peers. This extra time would have aided me significantly as I would have been able to finish my exams off, and this is the main reason I could not do as well. My flare up of ADHD had been pretty hard on me in the exam season, and I am sure that therapy and access arrangements could have helped significantly as i was fully unsupported. I also had some migraine issues during the exam period, but I hadn't announced these on the exam day, only got a letter from the GP when I visited the day after exams finished, so I don't know how much this counts for.Now I am exploring the possibility of a gap year to resit my two Bs to get higher grades. I am currently predicted A* A for the resits. (I would also like to know if anyone has experience of people getting higher grades in resits without school help, any advice and how realistic).Now, I also want to reapply through UCAS to PPE courses. I have been considering Oxford, as it is my dream uni, and best for PPE, but I don't know how realistic it is that my application will even be looked at tbh as the entry requirements are AAA, and I currently have ABB achieved (also dont know how much they will look at my predicted A* A if they can already see my achieved grades in one sitting, nor if my extenuating circumstances are significant enough for them). I know several candidates would have straight A*s anyway.Still, I researched and found the following on the website :On the whole, candidates who need to retake exams in order to achieve the required grades have a lower chance of being offered a place. Nevertheless, we recognise that students sometimes fail to achieve their potential on their first attempt at school or college because of circumstances beyond their control, and would always take such circumstances into account if they are brought to our attention. Please tell us about them in your personal statement or academic reference; see our information on special circumstances for full details.I don't know how much of an impact my circumstances would have, especially if people are applying with straight A*s in yr13 or achieved already even. Maybe this paragraph on the website is more of a consideration for 1 phenomenal student who gets picked out of 10000 in my scenario? I wanted to try smash the TSA to at least get an interview invite and then from there it's just how well I do really and also my luck and how much of a gamble they are willing to take on me. Is Oxford even realistic though? Would appreciate any advice, help, suggestions or discussion. Thanks!

hey, I would definitely look into whether or not a late adhd diagnosis would qualify as extenuating circumstances but i am sure it does!! that is so coincidental though because the same thing happened to me- literally two weeks after my final exam I got diagnosed with autism and told I should have had extra time in all my exams (I would try and get this in writing from the people you got your diagnosis from). It is so annoying as you didn’t even get to finish the exams and so the grades aren’t a reflection of your full ability. I was just really lucky because I managed to write just enough that was good in order to scrape my grades, but it shouldn’t have had to be that way, I don’t understand why it is so time-pressured in the first place but it is even worse for us :/

I would contact some oxford colleges if I were you in order to see which ones don’t mind resits, but I am pretty sure that people can get in with them (especially if there is context). Doing well in the TSA is honestly the main thing, then they would probably want you to get AA in your resits I assume. I would research other unis that don’t mind resits too. What is your insurance and when do you have to decide by? I have seen people resit and get into LSE, for example, and there must be others.

Reply 8

priyasahaa

Original post by jk999998

what were your safeties, out of interest? and rejected for low gcse grades???? you nearly got all 9s!!!
sorry for not answering your question, but I am thinking of applying for PPE this year and the fact that you had 4A* predicted and stellar gcses and were still rejected from 3/5 unis really scares me😭

heyy!! my ‘safety’ options were bristol and bath- not saying that they are bad unis of course but I was almost definitely going to get in. Bath was an A*AA offer, so it was more safety in terms of getting the spot and not meeting the offer as that is a high offer. Bristol was contextual based on my specific college, so it was ABB (safety in terms of meeting the offer I’d say).

also I also agree my gcses were pretty good in the general scheme of things, but I attribute not getting 3/5 offers to them because of the 4A*
predictions in preferred/traditional subjects and good personal statement leaving my gcses as the only other factor really. they were good but literally a tiny fraction too low- one university told me that if one of my eights was a nine then I would have got an offer and I was basically the last person to miss out on one lol. for oxford i was rejected pre-interview because of my admissions test, and also this is one uni where my gcses are statistically below average for certain years. I really would not worry too much though, I have seen people with lower than me at gcse and a level predictions get in for the exact same courses at the same unis I applied to for the same year of entry- there is a lot of luck involved tbh and I basically got unlucky at the last hurdle

good luck with your PPE application and yeah please don’t let me situation put you off aha you should be fine!! If I had put the last two as other PPE places I wanted to go to then I am sure I would have got one offer. I have a friend who had straight nines and 3a* predictions and he also got 2/5 offers, but then people with much lower get in so I just think it is down to luck tbh.

Reply 9

ixxstr

Original post by jamsparkle

hi! yes i applied for ppe in the 2023-2024 cycle
i initially applied for ppe @ ox, edi, lse + philecon at st andrews. i got offers from ox and edi on the 9th and then i added ucl ppe (i didn't really have any interest in their course since they don't let you drop politics but i think i applied just to have a fifth choice) just before the ucas deadline. I then got into ucl and lse and then was rejected by st andrews (since my ps mentioned ppe and they "don't offer ppe" even though the degree is functionally identical to ppe elsewhere lol)
i firmed oxford (AAA) and insured edinburgh (ABB including maths - contextual but i wouldve got an offer anyway since i had 10 9s at gcse and predicted 5 A*s i think)
i ended up with A*BBB but oxford let me in anyway so i really dont think that grades are thatttttt important for them lol
but yes definitely make a subject access request asap - esp for lse since their feedback was quite vague

Hi! I would kill for your grades, I’m so confused on how Priyasha( the girl you replied to that made this post) also got such good grades and was rejected. I’m so scared to apply for 2026 entry because I basically wasted my academic potential due to not revising for my GCSEs. I sort of had this paralysation the whole year( not physically just mentally) and procrastinated so much I only started revising 3 days before GCSEs. But I got 988777766 and hopefully if you could provide advice and tell me if I do well in my GCSEs( since this setback has really motivated me), could I write a stellar personal statement, ace my admissions test and everything else and still have a chance at getting admitted to a London uni like lse or ucl. This will probably be my biggest regret in life since I could’ve easily gotten all 9’s but I’m ready to work for a levels now. Also any programmes or work experience, even just suppercurriculars you’ve don’t like read books would be helpful. Thank you