Five great reasons study at Aston University

Information for Firm, Insurance and Clearing offer holders

Applicants already holding Aston as their Firm Choice

I have a confirmed place at Aston, what happens next?

Congratulations on your offer to study with us!

You will soon start to receive emails about welcome week and enrolment so please check your emails regularly. Further information about Welcome Week can be found here: welcome-week. If the email which you included on your UCAS form is a school/college email which you can no longer access, please ensure you update this in UCAS track. 

I have a conditional firm offer from Aston and I have my results.  Why has my status not changed on UCAS?

This is normally because the admissions team does not yet have all of the information from you that is needed to make a decision on your application.  The information that we are waiting for may include one of the following conditions:

• GCSE maths or English results that are included in your offer conditions. Please note UCAS do not send these to us so you will need to send them to the admissions team on ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk once you have received them
• A qualification which is not sent to the University via UCAS. You can check if your qualification is sent via UCAS here.  If your qualification is not sent via UCAS you will need to send it to us at ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk.
• If you are under 18 at the start of term, your parent or guardian may need to complete a parental consent form. Please send your completed form to ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk.
• If you are applying to Aston Medical School, you may have outstanding DBS or occupational health checks

If none of the above apply to you, please contact us on ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

I have been made an alternative offer for a different course, what do I do next?

If you have not met your original offer conditions, the admissions team may have made you an alternative offer for a different course at Aston.  UCAS call this an Unconditional Course Change offer.

If we have made you an alternative offer, we will have sent you an email with more information. 

You will need to log into UCAS Track to accept or decline this offer.

• If you accept in UCAS Track, you will automatically be placed on the alternative course at Aston. UCAS will confirm when you need to respond.
• If you decline then you will either be placed at your insurance choice (if they have accepted you) or will be able to apply for places in Clearing

More information about unconditional course changes can be found here: https://www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/unconditional-changed-course

Can I change my course?

If you are an applicant holding an unconditional firm choice offer with us, you can request a course change by emailing our admissions team on ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk.  Please include in your email your UCAS number and the course name which you would like to transfer on to.  We will consider requests for course transfers for all of our courses on a case by case basis.

Factors which will be taken into account when deciding if an applicant can transfer course include:

a.) the timing of the request; transfers will not normally be considered after week two of term one to ensure that students have sufficient time to catch up on any work missed.  It is not normally possible to change your course part way through the year and after week two of term one you may have to wait until the start of the next academic year to start your new course.

b.) availability of spaces on the Programme.  Please note many of our programmes do not have spaces available this year.

c.) whether the student’s previous qualifications meet the entry requirements of the Programme they wish to transfer onto

You can find out more about the arrangements that Aston has in place for course transfers.

If you are already an enrolled Aston student please consult our arrangements for course transfers.

Can I defer to September 2022?

The University normally allows deferred entry for most of our courses; if you defer entry this would mean that you would start your course in September 2022.  If you would like to request a deferral please:

• Login to MAP (My Aston Portal)
• Go to the ‘My Application(s)’ section and then click on request a deferral
• Submit your deferral request in MAP
• The Admissions Team will review your application and confirm if your deferral can be accepted as soon as possible.       

Please note that we are not always able to consider deferrals for our most competitive programmes.  We will consider requests for deferral for all of our courses on a case by case basis and will aim to be as flexible as possible.

You can find out more about what it means to defer your entry to University on the UCAS website.

Can I defer to January?

We do not currently offer a January start for Undergraduate programmes.

How can I release myself from my place at Aston?

• If you hold an unconditional firm offer (UF) with Aston and wish to release yourself from this you can use the ‘decline your place’ button on UCAS Track. You can find more information on the UCAS website here. 
• You should only use this option if you are sure you do not want to come to Aston.
• Please note by declining your firm place at Aston, you’ll enter Clearing. If you want to go to your insurance place instead, you should phone them to see if they will accept you before declining your firm place.
• If you hold a conditional firm offer (CF) offer with Aston and wish to release yourself from this to go into Clearing you will need to email the Admissions team on ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk and confirm that you no longer wish to take up your place at Aston. If you are also still holding a conditional offer with your insurance choice institution you would also need to speak to your insurance choice.

Applicants applying in Clearing or adjustment

I have been made a Clearing offer – what happens next?

If you would like to accept our offer, once you are able to (after 2pm on 10^th August) you need to add Aston as a Clearing choice on UCAS Track.  Go to the ‘Your choices’ section of Track and click 'Add Clearing choice.’  You can then enter the details of the University (Aston – A80) and the course (you can find individual course codes via our course finder at www.aston.ac.uk.)

Please remember to add your Clearing choice by the deadline which is specified in your offer letter. 

Once you have added your Clearing choice, our Admissions team will be monitoring the UCAS Clearing acceptance lists frequently and will confirm your place via UCAS as soon as possible. 

I’ve added Aston as a Clearing choice.  Why has my offer not been confirmed on UCAS yet?

Our admissions team are monitoring Clearing acceptances and will accept applicants who have added Aston as a Clearing choice as soon as possible.  We understand that it can be stressful for applicants to wait while Clearing choices are confirmed on Track and have a dedicated team in place up to process these decisions as quickly as we can. 

I have missed the deadline for my Clearing offer – what should I do?

Please check www.aston.ac.uk/clearing to see if there are still vacancies available for your chosen course.  If there are still vacancies for your chosen course please call the Clearing hotline and ask them to extend the deadline on your Clearing offer.

I have applied in Clearing but would like to change my course, what should I do?

If your Clearing place has been confirmed on UCAS Track, you can request a course change by emailing our admissions team on ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk.  Please include in your email your UCAS number and the course name which you would like to transfer on to.  We will consider requests for course transfers for all of our courses on a case by case basis.

Factors which will be taken into account when deciding if an applicant can take place include:

a.) the timing of the request; transfers will not normally be considered after week two of term one to ensure that students have sufficient time to catch up on any work missed.  It is not normally possible to change your course part way through the year and after week two of term one you may have to wait until the start of the next academic year to start your new course.

b.) availability of spaces on the Programme.  Please note many of our programmes do not have spaces available this year.

c.) whether the student’s previous qualifications meet the entry requirements of the Programme they wish to transfer onto

You can find out more about the arrangements that Aston has in place for course transfer.

If you are already an enrolled Aston student please consult our arrangements for course transfers.

If you have not yet confirmed your place on UCAS Track, please check at www.aston.ac.uk/clearing if there are places available for the new course that you are interested in and if so please call the Clearing hotline and ask them if it is possible to make you an offer for the alternative course. 

I have applied in Clearing but would like to defer, what should I do?

If you have been made a Clearing offer and now wish to defer to 2022, please follow the steps below to request a deferral:

• Login to MAP (My Aston Portal)
• Go to the ‘My Application(s)’ section and then click on request a deferral
• Submit your deferral request in MAP
• The Admissions Team will review your application and confirm if your deferral can be accepted as soon as possible.       

Please note that we are not always able to consider deferrals for our most competitive programmes.  We will consider requests for deferral for all of our courses on a case by case basis.

You can find out more about what it means to defer your entry to University on the UCAS website.

I am retaking my GCSEs can you hold a Clearing place for me until I receive them?

Unfortunately we are unable to hold Clearing places while applicants wait for GCSE results. Once you have received your results, please check www.aston.ac.uk/clearing and if there are still vacancies for the course you are interested in please contact us via our Clearing hotline or apply for a Clearing place online. 

Will Aston use the UCAS tariff to make decisions?

No, Aston’s admissions policy is that offers are made on the basis of grades rather than UCAS tariff.

Information for international applicants

How do I pay my deposit?

All international students will be required to pay a deposit to secure a place on their chosen course.  This information is provided in your offer letter, along with the details of your payment, including the amount to be paid and the date it will need to be paid by.  This deposit amount will then be deducted from your first year’s tuition fees.

How do I get my CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies)?

Once you have accepted your offer please complete the Pre-CAS questionnaire as detailed in your offer letter.

Applicants holding Aston as their Insurance Choice

My firm choice have accepted me but I would rather come to Aston, which is my insurance choice.  Can I swap?

You are not able to swap your firm and insurance choice if you have been made an unconditional firm offer by your firm choice.  If Aston is your insurance choice and you would now like to study with us, you need to apply through Clearing. Before releasing yourself into Clearing we recommend that you check www.aston.ac.uk/clearing to ensure there are places on your chosen course and if so contact either our Clearing hotline or apply via our online self apply form to discuss your eligibility for an offer.