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University of Bristol Applicant Thread 2026

The Official University of Bristol 2026 Applicant Thread


Hi :hi:

This is the thread for people who are thinking of applying to Bristol for 2026!

Meet and chat to other people applying here.

Here are a few suggested opening questions, but ask whatever you want regarding Bristol!

1) What A Levels are you doing (or other eligible qualifications)?
2) What course at Bristol do you have your eyes on? And why?
3) What grades did you get/are you predicted to get at GCSE and Sixth Form?
4) Why Bristol specifically?
5) Will you be attending any Open Days?
6) How are you feeling about starting University?
7) Other unis you're interested in?

You can find a directory linking to all of the other university applicant threads here

Website: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/

General TSR rules (read before posting in this thread):
(1) Please don't ask for or post group chat links along with any social media contact details both in this thread and via PM. Such posts will be caught by our automatic system and removed.
(2) Please don't ask for or post interview questions.
(3) Be kind and supportive to each other

You may be watching this thread automatically because of the details you gave us when you registered. To unwatch this thread just hit the unwatch button at the top of the page.
(edited 2 months ago)

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Reply 1

Information about how Bristol assesses and scores applications, and the weightings they use for each element of your application, is available here - Admissions statements | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol

Reply 2

Hi
I want to ask regarding guranteed interview from bristol for Medicine. If bristol offers you guranteed interview, will the offers be made based on interview performance or ucat still counts here. Basically i dont have UCAT strong enough for Bristol.

Reply 3

Original post
by Wazir.1215
Hi
I want to ask regarding guranteed interview from bristol for Medicine. If bristol offers you guranteed interview, will the offers be made based on interview performance or ucat still counts here. Basically i dont have UCAT strong enough for Bristol.

Why do you have a guaranteed interview - if this is because of participation in a Bristol Uni 'program' then you need to check the conditions of that program and if in doubt contact the organiser.

Reply 4

Original post
by Wazir.1215
Hi
I want to ask regarding guranteed interview from bristol for Medicine. If bristol offers you guranteed interview, will the offers be made based on interview performance or ucat still counts here. Basically i dont have UCAT strong enough for Bristol.

Not Bristol but I have a guaranteed interview at Exeter. For us, offers will be based on interview performance and they said that the UCAT isn't taken into consideration. I imagine it's likely to be the same for you, but make sure you check.

Reply 5

Original post
by AsBr2008
Not Bristol but I have a guaranteed interview at Exeter. For us, offers will be based on interview performance and they said that the UCAT isn't taken into consideration. I imagine it's likely to be the same for you, but make sure you check.

Thanks
If it’s possible how did u get guranteed interview at Exeter
Is there a pathways as Bristol has

Reply 6

Original post
by Wazir.1215
Thanks
If it’s possible how did u get guranteed interview at Exeter
Is there a pathways as Bristol has

Yeah I do Exeter Scholars

Reply 7

Original post
by Evil Homer
The Official University of Bristol 2026 Applicant Thread

Hi :hi:
This is the thread for people who are thinking of applying to Bristol for 2026!
Meet and chat to other people applying here.
Here are a few suggested opening questions, but ask whatever you want regarding Bristol!
1) What A Levels are you doing (or other eligible qualifications)?
2) What course at Bristol do you have your eyes on? And why?
3) What grades did you get/are you predicted to get at GCSE and Sixth Form?
4) Why Bristol specifically?
5) Will you be attending any Open Days?
6) How are you feeling about starting University?
7) Other unis you're interested in?
You can find a directory linking to all of the other university applicant threads here
Website: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/
General TSR rules (read before posting in this thread):
(1) Please don't ask for or post group chat links along with any social media contact details both in this thread and via PM. Such posts will be caught by our automatic system and removed.
(2) Please don't ask for or post interview questions.
(3) Be kind and supportive to each other
You may be watching this thread automatically because of the details you gave us when you registered. To unwatch this thread just hit the unwatch button at the top of the page.

I'm predicted A*AAA in Maths, DT, Physics, FM respectively + A* in EPQ. I got 99999999887 at GCSE. I want to do aerospace engineering at Bristol and I meet the minimum requirements as far as I am aware but I've heard of many people getting rejected with 3/4 A* predicted because it's such a competitive course. Is still worth applying like do I have a chance of getting accepted with my grades or not? My personal statement is decent to be fair but I don't know if it makes up for my grades. I'm aware unis like Imperial, Bath and Southampton are also in similar situations regarding my grades in that I meet the minimum but most applicants will probably have all A*s so it might not help. If anyone here has got an offer from Bristol aerospace previously with similar grades, that would be helpful.
Hey everyone!

How are you all feeling? Is anyone applying for any courses with an early deadline (October 15th)? It’s a week to go, so just wanted to check in and see how you're feeling 😄

If you need some help with your personal statement, we have a whole forum dedicated to your questions (just don't post any part of your statement!), and some example statements in our PS library.

What are your main questions?

If you're not applying early, have you started looking around at booking any open days yet? If so, how are they going? Have you visited Bristol yet?

Good luck everyone :woo:

Original post
by shbee123
I'm predicted A*AAA in Maths, DT, Physics, FM respectively + A* in EPQ. I got 99999999887 at GCSE. I want to do aerospace engineering at Bristol and I meet the minimum requirements as far as I am aware but I've heard of many people getting rejected with 3/4 A* predicted because it's such a competitive course. Is still worth applying like do I have a chance of getting accepted with my grades or not? My personal statement is decent to be fair but I don't know if it makes up for my grades. I'm aware unis like Imperial, Bath and Southampton are also in similar situations regarding my grades in that I meet the minimum but most applicants will probably have all A*s so it might not help. If anyone here has got an offer from Bristol aerospace previously with similar grades, that would be helpful.


Original post
by Wazir.1215
Thanks
If it’s possible how did u get guranteed interview at Exeter
Is there a pathways as Bristol has


Original post
by AsBr2008
Not Bristol but I have a guaranteed interview at Exeter. For us, offers will be based on interview performance and they said that the UCAT isn't taken into consideration. I imagine it's likely to be the same for you, but make sure you check.

Reply 9

Original post
by shbee123
I'm predicted A*AAA in Maths, DT, Physics, FM respectively + A* in EPQ. I got 99999999887 at GCSE. I want to do aerospace engineering at Bristol and I meet the minimum requirements as far as I am aware but I've heard of many people getting rejected with 3/4 A* predicted because it's such a competitive course. Is still worth applying like do I have a chance of getting accepted with my grades or not? My personal statement is decent to be fair but I don't know if it makes up for my grades. I'm aware unis like Imperial, Bath and Southampton are also in similar situations regarding my grades in that I meet the minimum but most applicants will probably have all A*s so it might not help. If anyone here has got an offer from Bristol aerospace previously with similar grades, that would be helpful.

I don't know specifically about aerospace engineering at Bristol, although I have friends who are applying for that course, but I'd say you're definitely not going to get in if you don't apply. If it's a course you really want to do at a uni you really want to go, then you don't lose much from applying. You don't need to get offers from all 5 universities you apply to to be able to go to uni, so you might as well try for one or two ambitious courses. My teachers told me to apply to 1-2 ambitious courses which are difficult to get into, 2 which match my predicted grades/ a bit lower, and 1-2 really safe options which are well below my predicted grades. Either way - its up to you whether you apply or not, but it sounds like you're a strong applicant for a lot of good unis, so I'm sure you'll get offers from some, and so its not too much of a risk to aim high.

Reply 10

Original post
by noodledoodlesoup
I don't know specifically about aerospace engineering at Bristol, although I have friends who are applying for that course, but I'd say you're definitely not going to get in if you don't apply. If it's a course you really want to do at a uni you really want to go, then you don't lose much from applying. You don't need to get offers from all 5 universities you apply to to be able to go to uni, so you might as well try for one or two ambitious courses. My teachers told me to apply to 1-2 ambitious courses which are difficult to get into, 2 which match my predicted grades/ a bit lower, and 1-2 really safe options which are well below my predicted grades. Either way - its up to you whether you apply or not, but it sounds like you're a strong applicant for a lot of good unis, so I'm sure you'll get offers from some, and so its not too much of a risk to aim high.

I applied for mechanical Engineering at Bristol with 3 A*s. I just heard back that I got put on hold. Do you know if this is normal or bad?

Reply 11

Original post
by Connor888
I applied for mechanical Engineering at Bristol with 3 A*s. I just heard back that I got put on hold. Do you know if this is normal or bad?

I would think this is completely normal. Many courses will put applicants on hold as they assess the remainder of their list of applicants.

Reply 12

Original post
by Connor888
I applied for mechanical Engineering at Bristol with 3 A*s. I just heard back that I got put on hold. Do you know if this is normal or bad?

Yeah don't worry about it. Bristol is usually quite quick at returning decisions, but for competitive courses such as mech eng it's common for applicants to be put on hold, just so that the uni is absolutely sure they're giving their limited offers to the best candidates. Obviously being kept in suspense for so much longer sucks, but don't take it as a rejection or cause for concern.

Reply 13

Original post
by Connor888
I applied for mechanical Engineering at Bristol with 3 A*s. I just heard back that I got put on hold. Do you know if this is normal or bad?

Hiya, yeah as has been said by others I wouldn't worry tbh. I've just been put on hold too with 3x A*s predicted but for Politics & International Relations. I looked at some other forums and seems like it means they've viewed and assessed our applications, but they're just waiting to get an idea of the cohort before giving out offers and rejections.

Reply 14

Original post
by Wazir.1215
Hi
I want to ask regarding guranteed interview from bristol for Medicine. If bristol offers you guranteed interview, will the offers be made based on interview performance or ucat still counts here. Basically i dont have UCAT strong enough for Bristol.

What ucat did you get because I’m in the same exact position as you

Reply 15

Original post
by Jaa_
Hiya, yeah as has been said by others I wouldn't worry tbh. I've just been put on hold too with 3x A*s predicted but for Politics & International Relations. I looked at some other forums and seems like it means they've viewed and assessed our applications, but they're just waiting to get an idea of the cohort before giving out offers and rejections.



'On Hold' = nothing to worry about.

Application decisions | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol

Reply 16

Original post
by shbee123
I'm predicted A*AAA in Maths, DT, Physics, FM respectively + A* in EPQ. I got 99999999887 at GCSE. I want to do aerospace engineering at Bristol and I meet the minimum requirements as far as I am aware but I've heard of many people getting rejected with 3/4 A* predicted because it's such a competitive course. Is still worth applying like do I have a chance of getting accepted with my grades or not? My personal statement is decent to be fair but I don't know if it makes up for my grades. I'm aware unis like Imperial, Bath and Southampton are also in similar situations regarding my grades in that I meet the minimum but most applicants will probably have all A*s so it might not help. If anyone here has got an offer from Bristol aerospace previously with similar grades, that would be helpful.

For Aero, Bristol uses these assessment weightings - GCSE 20% | A-Level 80% - and they don't routinely read Personal Statements.

Reply 17

Original post
by Connor888
I applied for mechanical Engineering at Bristol with 3 A*s. I just heard back that I got put on hold. Do you know if this is normal or bad?

On Hold = nothing to worry about.
Application decisions | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol

Reply 18

Original post
by Connor888
I applied for mechanical Engineering at Bristol with 3 A*s. I just heard back that I got put on hold. Do you know if this is normal or bad?

What A levels are you doing? What were your GCSE grades?

Reply 19

Original post
by shbee123
I'm predicted A*AAA in Maths, DT, Physics, FM respectively + A* in EPQ. I got 99999999887 at GCSE. I want to do aerospace engineering at Bristol and I meet the minimum requirements as far as I am aware but I've heard of many people getting rejected with 3/4 A* predicted because it's such a competitive course. Is still worth applying like do I have a chance of getting accepted with my grades or not? My personal statement is decent to be fair but I don't know if it makes up for my grades. I'm aware unis like Imperial, Bath and Southampton are also in similar situations regarding my grades in that I meet the minimum but most applicants will probably have all A*s so it might not help. If anyone here has got an offer from Bristol aerospace previously with similar grades, that would be helpful.


you're gonna be fine my guy, i submitted my apps last wednesday and got a conditional from bristol on monday, my predicteds are A*AA and thats it, i also got offers from sheff and southampton 2 days after i submitted, youre all good, (same courses btw aero ftw)

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