11.13 The Applicant’s Decision

Successful applicants will be provided with an Offer Reply Form to be returned to the Postgraduate Admissions office to indicate how they wish to proceed with their offer.

1. Acceptance

Applicants intending to accept their offer should complete the Offer Reply Form in order to confirm the following:

• that they accept the terms of the offer made to them
• agree to us continuing to process their data; and
• that they wish to accept their offer of the place.
  
  

At this stage, acceptance of a place is not confirmation that the applicant will actually register. They may withdraw or defer at a later stage.

Applicants are required to meet all the conditions in their offer letter before being able to register. This includes the return of the Financial Declaration form, which all applicants must complete regarding the anticipated source of payment of their tuition fees.

Non-UK nationals must pay a non-refundable tuition fee deposit unless they have provided evidence of sponsorship to cover relevant tuition fees, or are exempted for any other reason (see Appendix 4).

Distance Learning applicants are not required to provide evidence that they can meet the costs of the course as most are in employment and opt to pay per module. Some students are sponsored by their employers. All distance learning applicants must pay a non-refundable Registration Fee.

As soon as an applicant has fulfilled all the conditions attached to their offer, they are regarded as "fully complete" and ready for admission. At this point they are allocated a Student Reference Number.

Applicants requiring a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) in order to apply for a Student Visa, must meet all conditions attached to their offer before the CAS can be issued. Where relevant, the Postgraduate Admissions Office will also be required to seek evidence that the applicant has sufficient funds (for themselves and also any dependents that they intend to bring with them to the UK) in their own account for the requisite 31-day period, as required by the UKVI.

2. Deferral

Applicants may indicate that they wish to defer the start of their studies at the point of returning the Offer Reply Form, or at a later point by contacting the Postgraduate Admissions Office at: pg-admissions@aber.ac.uk. All requests for deferral must be approved by the relevant departmental Postgraduate Selector, and the outcome will be confirmed with the applicant by the Postgraduate Admissions Office. Where deferrals are approved, a new offer letter will be issued to reflect the new start date. An applicant may request deferral for up to a maximum of two calendar years, in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act (see Appendix 5).

3. Withdrawal

The applicant may return their Offer Reply Form or e-mail the Postgraduate Admissions Office to notify the University should they wish to withdraw their application. In such cases, the Postgraduate Admissions Office will inform the relevant Postgraduate Selector, and the applicant’s record on the electronic admissions system will be updated to reflect the withdrawal status. Following withdrawal, an applicant may be asked to complete the relevant Decliner’s Survey.