Applying for a course with higher entry requirements than predicted?
If you feel you can achieve better-than-predicted results, you may want to include a course with higher entry requirements as one of your choices. But is this a wise move?
Including a course with higher entry requirements as one of your five choices can be a risky tactic as things aren’t always what they seem on paper.
For starters, if the course is a really competitive one, such as medicine or law, it will probably be a wasted application unless you can match the minimum entry requirements (apart from in exceptional circumstances).
But there may be flexibility elsewhere. Let’s look at a hypothetical situation.
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A typical student
You’re at the start of Year 13. You’ve been predicted BBB (equals 120 Ucas points), and you’re banking the D you got in the subject you dropped at the end of Year 12.
You are applying for English literature and are considering five different universities.
Remember that some universities insist on actual grades rather than tariff points – so your extra AS D grade (worth 10 points) may or may not be ‘counted’ for some offers. Check with each university.
Entry requirements for your five preferred universities
- University one: AAB
- University two: AAA
You loved these universities after you visited them on open days, and hope that you can swing it with a top personal statement.
- University three: AAA-BBB
You’re surprised this one accepts three Bs, but it looks like it’s within your reach. Great!
- University four: AAB-ABB
- University five: BBB
You’re only one predicted grade out from getting into these universities, so there may be some room to manoeuvre.
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The reality
One way of working out how flexible a course is when it comes to grades is to find out what the course’s current students achieved, on average. You can find this information on any course page on The Uni Guide and by looking under ‘typical Ucas points’ – search for a course and take a look now.
But bear in mind, this data isn’t completely foolproof – courses and entry grades change from year to year and there can be other, less obvious factors at play; but it should help you to make a more informed decision on whether or not to apply for particular courses, based on what you’re expecting to achieve.
Let’s follow our hypothetical example through. Remember, your predicted grades translate to 120 Ucas tariff points. Actual qualifications achieved at your preferred universities show you that they accepted students with these typical tariff scores (which could include extra A and AS-levels):
- University one: 220
- University two: 250
- University three: 230
- University four: 130
- University five: 150
In reality, only two of these choices, Four and Five, look pretty reasonable – and there are still no guarantees. Contacting them directly to clarify if they honestly think an application is worth pursuing would be sensible. Although indicating BBB in its accepted grade range, in reality University Three only considers students with BBB predictions if there are specific personal circumstances.
Looks like in this case that our hypothetical student would be best advised to opt for courses whose entry requirements match their predictions more closely, perhaps just keeping one or two ‘stretch choices’ on their application.
Confused about predicted grades?
Schools and colleges tend to over-predict, not under-predict – they’re already trying to present you (and themselves) in a positive light. Which perhaps begs the question: why do you want to apply for a course that’s asking for more than you’re predicted?
If you’re really unhappy with what you’re being predicted, speak to your teacher or a careers adviser, rationally explaining why you disagree and what you plan to do to ensure you achieve better grades – but as predictions are usually based on your AS-level and GCSE performance, they’re unlikely to change.
- Get the real story behind entry requirements: what lies below the surface?
What happens if you get higher than your predicted grade?
Come results day, if you do end up getting better than your predicted grades, you might be able to find a place on an alternative course by going through Adjustment, or applying the following year with your actual results.
If you get lower grades than expected and these don’t meet the entry requirements for your first and insurance choices, you can find an alternative course through Clearing.
