Do Predicted Grades Matter for University Admissions?

Predicted grades are your teachers’ professional estimate of the final grades you are likely to achieve. They appear in your UCAS reference, and UCAS describes them as a key part of the application.

Schools usually base them on Class 11 or Year 12 exam results, mock exams early in the final year, coursework and classroom performance. Many schools have a policy of predicting ambitious but achievable grades, and some will not raise a prediction without new evidence.

UCAS applications for 2027 entry are due by 15 October 2026 for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, and 13 January 2027 for most other courses. Final results come out months later, so universities have to decide on predictions.

If your predictions meet or exceed the typical offer, the rest of your application (personal statement, reference, admissions tests, interview) decides the outcome. If they fall below it, many competitive courses will not consider you further.

Most offers are conditional: you get the place if you achieve the stated grades, such as A*AA at A-level, 39 IB points with 766 at HL, or a set percentage in CBSE Class 12.

If you apply to the UK during Class 12, your school provides predicted Class 12 marks in the reference. Ask your school early how it sets predictions and who submits them, since many Indian schools handle only a few UCAS applications each year.

Check how each university states its requirement for your board. Some quote an overall percentage, some quote marks in specific subjects, and some accept Indian Class 12 only for certain courses. Cambridge, for example, accepts CBSE Class 12 only for certain courses and colleges.

Your Class 10 board results and Class 11 marks also appear on the application and give universities context for the prediction.

Talk to your teachers early. Ask what evidence would support a higher prediction, and improve in mock exams before predictions are finalised.

Adjust your list: include courses whose typical offer matches your realistic predictions, alongside one or two ambitious choices.

Consider applying after results. Applying with achieved grades in a gap year removes the prediction problem entirely and is common for UK applicants.

Do not pressure your school for predictions you are unlikely to achieve. Missing your offer grades by a wide margin can leave you without a place.

Not in the same way. US colleges look at your grades to date (usually Classes 9–11 plus the first term of 12), your school’s context, and a mid-year report. Some ask for predicted IB or board results, but they do not make offers conditional on hitting them in the way UK universities do.

The Oxbrivy Admit Probability Engine shows how your predicted or current grades compare with the typical offers for the courses on your list.