Mitigating circumstances

I'm thinking of applying for Mechanical Engineering at Surrey, Queen Mary, Brum, Loughborough and Warwick. First question is how lenient are they with their entry requirements in case I miss the offer by 1 or 2 grades. Second question is does the fact I moved to the UK for year 11 from Ethiopia fall under mitigating circumstances as I joined GCSEs halfway from a completely different education system. Is it worth mentioning on my personal statement or elsewhere?

Reply 1

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by hideous-spokesma

First question is how lenient are they with their entry requirements in case I miss the offer by 1 or 2 grades.

No one can really tell you this with any accuracy. The uni themselves determine it on a year by year basis, depending on the grades achieved by that years offer holders. In brief, there is a always a chance you might be admitted as a near miss.

Original post by hideous-spokesma

Second question is does the fact I moved to the UK for year 11 from Ethiopia fall under mitigating circumstances as I joined GCSEs halfway from a completely different education system. Is it worth mentioning on my personal statement or elsewhere?

There is a space in the reference specifically for anything that might have affected your sudies and/or results. Make sure your ref includes it. Don't waste space in your PS about it - keep everything in there relevant to your suitability and motivation for the course.

Reply 2

McGinger

Ask your school/college to mention this is your UCAS reference, and its also worth checking on each Uni website for their Mitigating Circumstances process - some will need you to complete an extra form, others might want an emailed letter from your school. If you can't find the information on their website, just email their Admissions team and ask,

Just be aware that this usually does not mean you would get a lower grade offer - unless of course you are eligible for a Contextual offer etc anyway - but it would give you 'extra consideration' next August of you just missed your offer grades, and most Unis would 'excuse' any low GCSE grades