After they apply

Once your child has submitted their university applications, they can keep up to date on their applications through the UCAS Track system.

One of our admissions officers will then be in touch if there’s anything we need, such as arranging an interview or sending in a portfolio of work.

Offers

Once they’ve made their applications, they should start getting responses back.

For each course they applied for, they’ll either receive:

• an unconditional offer (U), which means they don’t have to meet any conditions, and definitely have a place
• a conditional offer (C), where they have to meet certain conditions to get onto the course such as specific A-level grades
• an unsuccessful response (R).

2026 offer deadlines

The Equal Consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses is 14 January 2026. Applications can be sent after this, but we may not be able to guarantee they’ll give it to equal consideration. 

If your child has used all five choices, and are not holding any offers by 26 February 2026 they can add another choice using Extra.  Extra is another chance for your child to gain a place at university or college. If they're eligible, during this period they'll be able to apply to additional universities, one at a time. 

If your child received their last decision on their application on or before 31 March 2026, they must reply by 6 May, otherwise their application will be declined by default (DBD) - except if they’re using Extra to find a place). 

However, if your child received their last decision on their application on or before 13 May, they must reply by 3 June, otherwise their application will be declined by default (DBD) - except if they’re using Extra to find a place. 

If your child has applied through UCAS Extra and do not hold any offers, they have until 1 July 2026 to add an Extra choice to their application. 

Clearing opens on 2 July 2026.

Replying to offers

Once you child has submitted their application and received offers they must then reply to them through UCAS Track. They need to decide on their first choice, and their second/insurance choice (in case they don’t get the grades for their first choice). They can also decline any offers they don’t want.

No offers?

If they don’t receive any offers, or decide they don’t want to accept any they have received, there’s a second chance to apply through UCAS Extra. If they haven’t used up their five choices on their application already, they can use this route to apply to any universities with vacancies.

Clearing

By the summer, if they still haven’t been offered a place, they’ve changed their mind about what they want to study, or they decide late that they’d like to go to university, there’s still a final option: Clearing.

Lots of students use this route to get into university from July to September each year. Like UCAS Extra, it’s a system that matches up students to courses that still have spaces. 

For more information on the Clearing process take a look at our Parents and Carers Guide.

Foundation courses

If your child doesn’t get the grades they need to study their chosen degree, or they want to build their confidence up a bit more, they don't have to rule out university altogether. At BNU we offer a number of foundation year programmes to give students an extra year’s preparation before moving onto a full degree.