A large number of students have already applied for university and are either receiving offers back, or being invited to attend interviews at their chosen institutions. When replying to offers there are a few things to keep in mind.

There are three different types of reply

There are three different responses you can make to offers you receive– firm acceptance: this is your first choice, insurance acceptance: this is your back-up if you receive a conditional firm acceptance and decline.

You can decline all offers 

If you decide that the subject you chose isn’t right for you or you’ve decided you want to go to a specific university that didn’t make your shortlist when you were applying, you can decline all offers. You’re then free to look for another subject in UCAS Extra or during the Clearing process. Normally candidates accept one offer as their firm acceptance.

Accepting an unconditional offer

If you receive an unconditional offer then you have a definite place at that university when you finish school/college. Once you accept this offer, you and the university are bound together by the rules of UCAS and they’ll be expecting you on their course when it begins.

Receiving a conditional offer

In many cases, you’ll receive a conditional offer from a university. This means that the place is yours if you meet the offer conditions which will have been set out for you when you made your application. 

How an insurance acceptance works

If you receive a conditional offer, you can choose to keep your firm acceptance and decline the rest, or you can choose an insurance acceptance too. If you are accepted by your firm choice, then you won’t attend your insurance university, but if your firm choice turns you down because you don’t have the grades necessary, you might still have the chance to attend your insurance choice. It is therefore a good idea to choose an insurance choice which requires lower grades than your firm acceptance to give you more chance of getting a place before going through Clearing.