What do firmly accepted and insurance acceptance mean on Ucas? UF, CF and CI responses explained

IT was A-level results day on August 15, 2019 - with students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland seeing if their grades match their offer.

After teens opened those long awaited envelopes, here's what the different uni offers mean and what Clearing is.

What do UF, CF and CI Ucas responses mean?

Ucas uses codes to denote what kind of offer you have received.

These include UF, CF and CI offers. Here's what they mean.

UF: This is an Unconditional Firm offer, the Holy Grail of uni admissions. This type of offer means you are in regardless of the results you get.

CF: This is a Conditional Firm offer. This means that as long as you make the grades demanded by your first choice university, you're in.

CI: This is a Conditional Insurance offer. This is your back-up plan in case you miss out on your first choice. But you will still have to hit the grades needed for this one to guarantee acceptance.

What do firmly accepted offers mean?

Your firm offer is your first choice university - the one you set your heart on all those months ago.

If you accept a conditional offer and meet the conditions, you’ll have a confirmed place here.

If you just miss you may still be accepted depending on available spaces.

The university could also offer you a place on a different course dependent on your A-level grades.

However if you exceed what you were required to get for your firm offer, you are entitled to look around for a university with higher entry requirements if you wish.

This is known as the “Adjustment period” and you will be given five days from the date your conditional offer is changed to an unconditional offer to search for a possible alternative.

If you haven’t chosen to defer already, you will need to get in touch with the university as soon as your place with them is confirmed to tell them that you wish to defer the offer.

What do insurance offers mean?

This choice is a back-up plan if you didn't meet the conditions of your firm choice.

If this is a conditional offer, you’d need to meet the conditions for your place to be confirmed.

But if you have missed this offer as well, or even just changed your mind about it there is a third option to consider, Clearing.

What is Clearing?

Students are able to use if they missed out on a university place, including if:

• their exam results were worse than expected
• their application was at the last minute
• they have changed their mind about the course
• their exam results were better than expected

The process works by helping students find out what university courses still have places remaining.

Hopefuls are able to search for a course against the subject they are interested in, or the university they want to head to.

Clearing is a way for universities to fill any places they still have empty, while applicants who did not receive an offer have another chance at getting into university.