Universities will begin accepting or rejecting applicants from December or January onwards. Candidates are able to find out about university decisions through the ‘UCAS Track’ page. University decisions are typically conditional on students achieving particular grades in the summer of their final year at secondary school.
In order to prepare for any disappointments or obstacles that may arise during the gap between receiving university offers and final exam results, students typically accept two offers: one firm and one insurance. The firm offer will have higher requirements for a students’ A-Level or IB exam results than the insurance offer.
By accepting both options, students have a safety net in case they are unable to meet the conditions of their first-choice university as their insurance choice will still offer them a place.