Reserve offers explained

Step 3: Auditions and offers I've received a 'reserve offer' - what does that mean?

A reserve (VC or VU) offer does not mean a place has been 'reserved' for you. Until such time as you receive (and accept) a guaranteed offer (GC or GU) from a conservatoire, you have not been accepted to study at that conservatoire.

If you have received a reserve offer (either conditional or unconditional) it means that the conservatoire making the offer is not able to offer you a guaranteed place at the time it makes the offer. This is usually because the conservatoire has already made (or expects to make) enough guaranteed offers to fill all the available places in your specialist area or chosen course. A reserve offer merely indicates that the conservatoire would like the opportunity to review its offer to you in the light of acceptances/declines to its guaranteed offers.

However, your reserve offer is not a rejection. You will become part of a 'pool' of reserve candidates and the conservatoire may choose to make you a guaranteed offer (conditional or uconditional, as appropriate to your situation) if a suitable place becomes available. If the conservatoire chooses not to make you a guaranteed offer, you will not be eligible to enrol at that conservatoire.

If you have been given a reserve offer, in order to be considered for a guaranteed place (should one become available) you need to accept the offer (and meet any conditions, if applicable).


Why do conservatoires need to make reserve offers?violin soloist

All offers are made on the basis of a candidate's audition, audition recording or interview.

Unlike universities' academic courses, conservatoires need to recruit specific numbers of students in each instrument/area in order to provide the necessary performance opportunities and to make up the orchestras, bands, choirs and other ensembles they run. Sometimes, the number of acceptances in one instrument or area can affect the number of offers that can be made in another area. Conservatoires must also consider the number of new students they take on in each instrument/area in the light of their current student population, so that they can ensure the best possible student experience for everyone.

Making reserve offers allows a conservatoire to keep some candidates 'in reserve' should it end up with too few students in an instrument or area due to an unexpected number of declines, or, in some cases, an unexpectedly small number of suitable 'guaranteed offer' candidates at later auditions (if these are held). If this happens, a conservatoire may decide to make a guaranteed offer to one or more of the candidates in its reserve pool.


When and how will I know if a guaranteed place becomes available?

Ordinarily, a conservatoire will consider all its reserve candidates and all its available places together and then decide which places to fill. This may happen at one or more times during the application cycle. In order to achieve the right balance of instruments/areas across the whole conservatoire, it is at the conservatoire's absolute discretion which places will be filled and which reserve candidates, if any, will receive guaranteed offers.

If a conservatoire decides that it would like to make you a guaranteed offer in order to fill a place in your instrument/area on your chosen course, the conservatoire will do so through CUKAS. You will receive an update email and your guaranteed offer will be available on Track, in the same way as your reserve offer.

If you are holding a reserve offer, the conservatoire can elect to make you a guaranteed offer at any time during the application cycle. Reserve offers remain active until after A level results have been issued in August; however, the decision to wait and see whether a guaranteed place becomes available, or to accept an offer at another conservatoire is entirely at your discretion.