Important Updates
Reminder of changes to decline by default (DBD) and reject by default (RBD) dates
On 20 March we confirmed that all rolling decision-making deadlines had been put on hold for four weeks. As we continue to monitor the situation with regards to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have reviewed these decision-making dates again.
UCAS Teacher Training and the Department for Education (DfE) have agreed that all reject by default and decline by default dates will now be paused by a further six weeks, which means that no offers will be declined or applications rejected until Monday 1 June. This is to ensure that you have enough time to consider applications, and applicants are able to consider any offers they receive.
Below are details of what this means for applicants, based on where they are in the application cycle.
Applicants with RBD/DBD dates between 20 April and 31 May
- You’ll have until 1 June to make decisions for these applicants.
- Applicants will have until 1 June to reply to offers they’ve received, if their DBD date is within this period.
- Track will show the extended dates for applicants, but this may take around seven days to update. We ’re also telling affected applicants about this change by email.
Applicants who have RBD dates after 31 May
- The RBD dates will be updated in Track and web-link to reflect the additional 6 week pause.
- All applicants that have submitted their application before the freeze was put in place will have their 40 day ‘clock’ stopped when the freeze began, and on 1 June their time will restart for the remainder of their 40 days.
- We will email affected applicants, asking them to check Track to see the new RBD date.
- Once a decision has been made from the provider, candidates will have 10 working days to reply to their offers. If an offer is made before the 31st May, candidates should start counting their 10 working days from the 1st June
Applicants who apply between 20 April and 31 May
- The 40-day RBD timeframe will start from 1 June, so you’ll need to make decisions for these applicants by 24 July.
- Track will show the updated date for applicants.
- Once a decision has been made from the provider, candidates will have 10 working days to reply to their offers. If an offer is made before the 31st May, candidates should start counting their 10 working days from the 1st June
If it’s necessary for us to extend these dates further, we’ll email you to let you know.
The latest guidance from the DfE
The DfE recently issued guidance for initial teacher training (ITT) providers in England on the delivery of ITT and recruitment for programmes in the 2020 cycle. They’ve confirmed that recruitment will continue, and asked providers to consider how to adapt their processes, so that elements such as interviews and assessments can still be completed.
The DfE also shared guidance for applicants, which covers advice around aspects such as school experience, interviews and funding.
You can find the latest advice and updates for providers and applicants on ucas.com.
Systems and Service
An update on incidents and maintenance
Recently you asked us to be more succinct in our communications and reduce the number of emails we send.
We’ve taken your feedback on board and are changing the way we tell you about maintenance and issues, from tomorrow – Thursday 23 April.
Maintenance updates
When planning maintenance, we’ll update our UCAS technology page with full details. We’ll also signpost you to this information from our bulletins, so you know about upcoming maintenance, and the systems or services affected.
Communicating issues
Rather than emailing you each time there is a system issue, we’ll update our service status page. If there is a problem, the status of the relevant system will be updated, and you’ll be able to link through to a page with full details to track the progress of the incident.
If an issue affects you and we need you to take action, we’ll email you, or try to incorporate this into bulletins, if possible.
If you have any questions, please contact your technology relationship manager