asking for a lower offer

2

Hi, I've received two university offers so far; one is my top choice. I was fully planning to firm their offer if I received one but they have given me an offer of 112 UCAS points. This would be fine if I were doing 3 A levels but due to extenuating circumstances (included in the application) I had to drop down to 2 at the beginning of year 13. One of the offers was contextual but the one I received from my top choice is not and is the same as the entry requirement for all applicants, the issue is for me to achieve 112 UCAS points I would have to get A* A, with applicants with 3 A levels that's BBC. Do you think it would be fair or realistic for me to email the admissions team? how should I word it? I have attended an open day for this university and course and have spoken to the professor who is on the admissions team and said they would likely be willing to change it if I emailed but I am unsure how to proceed.

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post by n4yal8er

Hi, I've received two university offers so far; one is my top choice. I was fully planning to firm their offer if I received one but they have given me an offer of 112 UCAS points. This would be fine if I were doing 3 A levels but due to extenuating circumstances (included in the application) I had to drop down to 2 at the beginning of year 13. One of the offers was contextual but the one I received from my top choice is not and is the same as the entry requirement for all applicants, the issue is for me to achieve 112 UCAS points I would have to get A* A, with applicants with 3 A levels that's BBC. Do you think it would be fair or realistic for me to email the admissions team? how should I word it? I have attended an open day for this university and course and have spoken to the professor who is on the admissions team and said they would likely be willing to change it if I emailed but I am unsure how to proceed.

Why should they make you a lower offer (in terms of UCAS points) simply because you're doing fewer A level? Perhaps everyone can adopt that approach and only do two A levels? Or only one? I think such a request is unrealistic.

What confuses me, though, is your assertion that you "have spoken to the professor who is on the admissions team and said they would likely be willing to change it if I emailed" which I find very bizarre. However, whatever you said to this professor is clearly what you should say in the e-mail - because it apparently worked! :smile:

Reply 2

McGinger

20

Professors are not the people who make this sort of decision - and you will find that many academics make silly promises way beyond their remit. You can try emailing the Admissions Team - but I can tell you that all sensible Unis would view any such request as exceptionally cheeky.

Reply 3

n4yal8er

OP

2

the reason I thought to ask is because I am eligible for a contextual offer and was not given one. I spoke to the professor who is on the admissions team about the external context affecting grades, and I am not just doing fewer A levels for fun or because I cant be bothered and want to get into university easily, it was medically necessary because of circumstances completely beyond my control. I work very hard in school but I had to miss a lot in year 12 because my health was the worst it had ever been. I just thought it may be worth it to ask and ensure they had seen my extenuating circumstance form but I guess not :/

Reply 4

McGinger

20

Original post by n4yal8er

the reason I thought to ask is because I am eligible for a contextual offer and was not given one. I spoke to the professor who is on the admissions team about the external context affecting grades, and I am not just doing fewer A levels for fun or because I cant be bothered and want to get into university easily, it was medically necessary because of circumstances completely beyond my control. I work very hard in school but I had to miss a lot in year 12 because my health was the worst it had ever been. I just thought it may be worth it to ask and ensure they had seen my extenuating circumstance form but I guess not :/

Contextual offers are made if you meet specific 'widening participation' eligibility criteria set by the individual University - not because of any extenuating circumstances.

Reply 5

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post by n4yal8er

the reason I thought to ask is because I am eligible for a contextual offer and was not given one. I spoke to the professor who is on the admissions team about the external context affecting grades, and I am not just doing fewer A levels for fun or because I cant be bothered and want to get into university easily, it was medically necessary because of circumstances completely beyond my control. I work very hard in school but I had to miss a lot in year 12 because my health was the worst it had ever been. I just thought it may be worth it to ask and ensure they had seen my extenuating circumstance form but I guess not :/

If you were "eligible for a contextual offer and was not given one" then you should contact them and point that out. They may have made a mistake, or it may be that you don't actually meet their contextual criteria. (As I'm sure you're aware, different universities use different criteria.)

Reply 6

PinkMobilePhone

Chat Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper

22

Contextual offers are one thing, and if you feel you are eligible for a contextual offer but haven't been given one then yes, you should contact them to inform them of this.
This happened with my daughter for her first choice of uni - she was given a standard offer but should have been given a contextual one due to where we live, and so she emailed the admissions team at the uni pointing out their contextual offer policy as stated on the uni website as well as including evidence that she should be eligible for a contextual offer, and they changed the offer to a lower one as a result.

However being eligible for a lower offer because you decided to drop an A Level seems really highly unlikely. That wouldn't be fair on all the other applicants at all.

asking for a lower offer

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