Unsuccessful applicants
If your application has been unsuccessful, we hope this information will help you understand the reasons why this decision has been reached.
The most common reasons for an unsuccessful decision are listed below. If you feel that none of these reasons apply to you, then please feel free to write to us and we will provide further detailed feedback.
| You thought you were qualified but have been told that you were unqualified. |
Those candidates who do not meet, or are not predicted to meet, the subject specific entry requirements for the BVM&S degree cannot, unfortunately, be considered for a place. |
| You applied for deferred entry. | In our high-demand subject area, we are unable to consider deferred applicants. You are welcome to make a new application in your gap year. However, since we do not envisage pressure on places to be any less next year there can be no guarantee of an interview or a place. |
| You are taking resits. | This veterinary school does not consider resit candidates unless there are extenuating circumstances. |
| You applied after 15 October. | Due to the extremely high demand for places on the BVM&S it is only in the most exceptional of circumstances will we consider a late application. The UCAS deadline is 15 October. |
| You have not provided an academic reference. | It is essential that you provide a reference written by someone who knows you in an academic context. |
| You have not disclosed all relevant information. | Our decisions are based on the information you have provided on your application plus any supplementary information you have submitted such as references in support of your application. It is essential that you provide details of your past, present and future qualifications in your application including any predictions for all exams that have yet to be taken. We also cannot consider applications without an academic reference as outlined above. Without this information we are unable to take your application further. |
| You are qualified but competition is incredibly intense. | Competition for places is extremely high and every year we receive approximately 1100 applications for around 75 UK places and 35 graduate and international places on the 5 year programme; 450 applications for 60 places on the 4 year Graduate Entry Programme. We interview approximately 700 candidates from the applications we receive each year and so inevitably a great number of applicants fall below the cut-off point for interview. The School uses selection criteria which includes academic grades, relevant work experience, career exploration, school reference and extra curricular activities (such as charity, voluntary work or activities which show strong leadership and communication skills), to reduce the number down to those to be interviewed with the result that very many suitably qualified candidates are unsuccessful. For the majority of applications, the overall academic profile is the most significant factor in not gaining an interview for the BVM&S programme. |
| You have been interviewed but unsuccessful in gaining an offer. | Should you not get an offer this year and you still wish to be a vet, we recommend you take a year out and use some of the time in gaining some extra work experience and to spend some time practising interview techniques. If you apply again next year and as we do not envisage pressure on places to be any less next year, we cannot guarantee an interview or a place. |
What you can do now
| If you gain/have gained our entry requirements and have made only one previous application |
If you are not successful in gaining a place elsewhere this year you could reapply for entry next year. However, since we do not envisage pressure on places to be any less for entry next year, there can be no guarantee of an interview or a place. If you do make another application you should take care to give specific details about your work experience. You will be expected to have spent the year covering areas of work of which you have had no previous experience and enhancing other areas, although you would not be expected to spend the whole year undertaking voluntary work. Full details on gaining practical work experience can be found below. Please ensure that you check the School’s website and the University’s prospectus prior to making a further application to ensure that you have the most recent information on how to make an application to us. |
| If you have not gained our entry requirements for the 5 Year BVM&S |
The only other option available to you would be to apply as a graduate applicant after completing a science based first degree and gaining a 2.1 Hons degree or 3.4 cGPA on a 4 point scale or better. |
| Need further help? | If after reading the above you still do not understand why your application has been unsuccessful, please contact us in writing by emailing vetug@ed.ac.uk |