UCAS Choices Optimiser - Balance Safe & Ambitious Picks
Turn your shortlist into a risk-balanced set of 5 UCAS choices. Checks UCAS rules, balances safe vs ambitious. Free for UK & IB students.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Shortlist Optimiser do?
You give it the courses you're considering (2-6) and your grades. It returns a risk-balanced set of up to five UCAS choices - safe to ambitious - checks how the courses fit together and whether one personal statement can credibly cover them all, and flags any UCAS rule problems, like applying to both Oxford and Cambridge or more than four medicine choices.
Will my courses work as one application?
That's a core check. We look at how the courses overlap and whether a single personal statement can credibly address all five - a scattershot list across unrelated subjects is hard to write one honest statement for, and we tell you when that's a risk.
What if I don't have a safety net?
It tells you, and fixes it. If your list has no genuine safe choice, that's the single most useful thing to know before you submit - the optimiser calls it out and can add a safe (or ambitious) option to round the set out.
Is it free?
Yes - free with an account. No card, no tokens.
Does it work for IB and A-level?
Both. Enter IB predicted totals and HL/SL grades, or A-level grades - it judges reach against either.
What course data does it check my choices against?
Around 31,000 live UK undergraduate courses across 343 universities and colleges, with over 90% carrying UCAS tariff points. So when it judges how much of a reach each choice is - or adds a safe or ambitious option to round out your five - it's working from real course requirements, not guesswork.