HELP! gap year, deferred entry in scotland

hi
im currently in my final year of school in scotland. im hoping to study chemistry at uni but im not sure about when to apply for and generally how the whole ucas system works for deferring. if you could help at all with any related experience, knowledge or advice please please do it would be greatly appreciated!!
for context, i achieved 5 As last year in my higher exams and im currently studying AH bio, chem and maths. if i was going to uni, i would want to move out of my city so i would need to at least somewhat support myself with paying for accommodation and general living costs. up until now, i have only considered a gap year to basically just work at my minimum wage job and save some money for uni. however, a few weeks ago my schools careers advisor sent an email about a paid year in industry in stem opportunity for S6s. i thought this could be a great option for me but it doesnt begin until august 2025. also, im not confident at all that i would be accepted because it is HIGHLY competitive and i lack real relevant experience :/.
to summarise, here are the options in my mind:
- no gap year or apprenticeship, go straight to uni in 2025 through standard uni application
- take a year out to work at minimum wage job, potentially volunteer, etc.. i think if i wanted to do this i would apply this year but for deferred entry? or would i wait until this time next year to apply?
- take a year out AND apply to apprenticeship for august 2025. now im not really sure you i would apply for uni in this case. ig i could apply for deferred entry but if i was accepted to the apprenticeship, i would really be taking 2 years out? could this harm my application?
any advice or experience in the whole system of deferred entry or applying a year later would be very very appreciated. thanks so much!!!

Hey @blueberryfish 🙂 Check if the unis you're most interested in will accept deferred entry - as sometimes we won't. At Strathclyde we would consider deferred entry for the MChem courses 🧪
If you apply this year but want to take a year out - you'd put on your UCAS form that you're applying for 2026 entry. That means when you're being considered you'd be considered as starting University in 2026. Alternatively - apply for 2025 entry and ask the admissions departments directly if you change your mind whether they'd be happy for you to defer at a later point. Normally it would be ok for this change to be made if the admissions teams are ok with it too - but check with individual unis 🙂
If the courses you're interested in will accept deferred entry then I'd probably say it's worth applying this year (either for 2025 or to defer), as you get to apply with guidance and support from your school. I'd recommend asking one of your school careers advisors for a meeting so they can sit down and chat with you about all your options. They should be able to help with exploring your options and weighing up pros and cons to help find the best option to suit you - a quick 15 mins with them would help. All sound like good options 🤗
Hope this helps a bit but drop me a message if I can help with anything else!
Caitlin 🎓️
Official University of Strathclyde Rep

thank you so much for your reply!! i found it incredibly helpful, im definitely going to organise a meeting with my careers advisor. in terms of contacting unis, is it best to do this through an email to the admissions office, a call, etc?