Training providers' decisions

How long do training providers have to make a decision?

The time it takes for training providers to make decisions varies between different providers. It also depends on when we receive your application.

If we receive your application by 1 December, we give training providers until late January to tell us whether or not they are offering you a place.

If we receive your application after 1 December, we expect training providers to tell us within 28 days of the date we send them your application, whether you have been unsuccessful or whether you will be invited for interview. We then give providers a further 28 days to hold interviews and advise us whether or not they wish to offer you a place.

Training providers have a maximum of 56 days from the date of receiving your application to tell us whether or not they are offering you a place. If we have not received a final decision from training providers by the end of this time period, we will record an unsuccessful decision.

During the consideration process training providers may tell us that they need more time to make their decisions. We will inform you of this by letter. You can allow a training provider to continue considering your application or you can call our Customer Service Unit. to request that we send your application to another provider.

If a training provider has had your application for three weeks and you have not heard from them or us, you may want to contact them for the latest information.

How we tell you about decisions

When a training provider tells us that they have offered you a place, we will send you an email asking you to read your Offer letter on Track. You can print a copy of this letter. If you have not provided a valid email address, we will send you an Offer letter in the post.

When a training provider tells us that you will be invited for interview or that you have been unsuccessful, we will send you an email or a letter asking you to look at the change to your application record on Track.

Remember that:

  • offers are only official once you have received our letter or email, even if you receive an offer direct from a training provider
  • if you have a question about a decision, you should contact the training provider for advice.
  • If you have received an offer direct from a training provider, we can only display your Offer letter on Track or send it to you in the post after the training provider has given us the offer details.

Types of decision

Training providers can make the following decisions.

Interview

The training provider will invite you for interview. They must give interview dates with their interview decisions, but they should contact you direct to confirm the date and full arrangements for your interview.

Conditional offer

The training provider will give you a place if you meet certain conditions. These are usually academic conditions; you may need to obtain a grade C in GCSE English language, mathematics or science or a particular class of degree. You may also have to provide evidence that you have worked in a school. All conditional offers are subject to satisfactory criminal record and health checks.

You must meet the conditions of your offer by 31 August 2010, even if your offer is for deferred entry in 2011.

Unconditional offer

You have met all the training provider's entry requirements and they are happy to give you a place. You will still need to undergo a criminal record and health check before you can start the course. Some training providers may also ask you to provide evidence that you have the qualifications listed on your application and that you can pay for your course.

Withdrawn application

You can withdraw your application to a training provider or they can withdraw your application to their institution. If a training provider withdraws your application, the reason will be displayed on Track. They may withdraw your application because you have not responded to their letters or emails, or because you have not attended an interview.

Training providers cannot completely withdraw your application from the GTTR scheme.

Unsuccessful application

The training provider has decided not to offer you a place on the course. Some training providers may tell us why you have been unsuccessful, but others will not give us this information. If a training provider includes information with an unsuccessful decision, we will display it on your application record on Track. You can contact training providers to request feedback, but they may not be willing to tell you why your application was unsuccessful.

Course closed

The course became full after we sent your application to the training provider, but before they could consider you.