What is adjustment?
Adjustment is a process which allows students whose results are better than anticipated to reconsider their university options and search for alternative courses. In order to be eligible for adjustment you must have met or exceeded your firm university’s entry requirements.
If you have met your firm universities’ entry requirements your Conditional Offer becomes an Unconditional Firm Offer. Students can search for new courses, whilst having the security of their Unconditional Firm Offer. If they don’t find a course they like more, they can still go to their firm choice university.
If you’re happy with your firm choice offer you don’t have to enter adjustment.
How does it work?
After receiving your results speak to your careers advisor or school or college to help decide if adjustment is the best idea for you. If you decide adjustment is right, the first step is registering for adjustment in UCAS Track. Once registered you’ll have five 24-hour periods to search for alternative courses on UCAS.
Contact the universities you’re interested in and see if they have any vacancies. Since you often won’t have time to visit the university before making your decision, make sure you ask them about everything that’s important such as is accommodation guaranteed, what bursaries are available etc. In order to accept a university offer, verbally confirm with the university on the phone, and they’ll update your UCAS. Make sure to ONLY accept one offer!
If you don’t find a course/university you like more, then you can still go to your firm choice, you will not lose your offer if you enter adjustment. Do not feel pressured to go to a higher ranked university if your grades are higher. There’s so much more to university than rankings. Make sure this is the right decision for you.
Where can you go?
The majority of universities have places available for adjustment students. However, some, like Oxford do not accept students through adjustment. Gaining a medicine place through adjustment is very rare, a few universities such as St George’s University of London offer places. There’s no guarantee that courses you’re interested in will have places available, with competitive courses are unlikely to have any places available. If your heart is set on a particular course or university and there aren’t any spaces available, it’s a good idea to take a year out and reapply with your final grades.
How do you prepare for adjustment?
If you think you might be eligible for adjustment, do some research about possible universities you could change to. Some universities ask you to sign up online before results day so that the university can contact you if you’re eligible for adjustment.
When does adjustment open?
Adjustment opens on A-Level results day on Thursday August 15th 2019, and runs until Saturday August 31st 2019.
Find out more about adjustment here
By Clarissa Ducie
