If you are a parent of teenagers, you may well have just survived exam season. Whether your son or daughter has been doing GCSEs or A-levels, it’s a stressful time for everyone in the family!
And now there is a brief period of respite before results day. In 2024, A-level results day is Thursday 15th August, and GCSE results day Thursday 22nd August. These are important days for your son or daughter, that are a significant part of helping them decide what to do next.
If your son or daughter has been doing A-levels and has already been offered a university place, their results could determine whether or not they are going. They may be fortunate enough to have an unconditional offer which means that they are guaranteed a place no matter what their A-level results are. However, if they have a conditional offer this means that they will need to achieve certain grades to be able to take up their place.
So what do you do if they don’t get the required grades for their chosen course? Or what about if your son or daughter has shown no interest so far in going to uni, but as results day approaches decides that they would like to give it a go. Is it too late to get a place for this September?
In this article we look at:
If your son or daughter has one or more conditional university offers, they will be able to see on their UCAS (University Admissions) account whether or not they have got onto one of their chosen courses. But if they do not now have a place at any of their chosen universities they can apply for another university course for September 2024 via UCAS Clearing.
UCAS Clearing is a service to match up universities that need students with students looking for a university place. It can be used by any student, even if they already have a place but want to change their mind about where they study or which course they take.
If your son or daughter has not already applied for university but has now decided that they would like to go, they can also apply through UCAS Clearing. They will first need to complete a UCAS application, including a personal statement. Once registered they will get an email with a link to the UCAS Hub and their Clearing number, and can then explore courses and availability.
Clearing is open from 5th July to 17th October, so your son or daughter can start having a look even before results day if they begin to express interest in uni. It will also save time if they get their UCAS application and Clearing number sorted before results day.
If your son or daughter is flexible about the specific course they take, there is also an enhanced clearing service called Clearing Plus which will suggest some courses they might like based on the information they have given to UCAS.
For more information about Clearing and how to get the best out of it, check out the UCAS website here.
An alternative plan for your son or daughter is to do something else for the year after A-levels and plan to go to university in 2025. A few options they could consider are:
Applications for 2025 university entry can be submitted to UCAS any time from 3rd September 2024 onwards. The general deadline is 29th January 2025, but some universities and courses – for example Oxford and Cambridge, and most courses in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine/science – have an earlier deadline of 15th October 2024.
University is not a cheap option, but there is a range of financial help available. The three main costs are:
Fortunately there is financial help available. Students are eligible for a tuition fees loan of up to £9,250 per year, which is paid directly to the Uni to cover the cost of their course.
There are also maintenance loans available to cover accommodation and other living costs. The exact amount varies depending on family income and where they are studying, but is typically around £6,000 a year. It is paid directly into their bank account in three termly instalments.
Both these loans are an agreement between the lender and your son or daughter directly. They are not guarantor loans and there is no requirement for you to be involved.
But bear in mind that the maintenance loan will need to be repaid once your son or daughter is in employment. The earliest they will need to start repaying it is the April after they leave their course, and only when their income reaches around £25000 pa – depending on the type of repayment plan they are on.
You can read more about student finance on the Gov UK website.
We hope that the above information helps you to advise your son or daughter about their options if they decide they want to go to university.
Do check back in with us here again soon for more financial and lifestyle tips from new direct lenders Munzee Loans.
Is it too late to apply for Uni this year? July 2024