EY offer rescindment due to grades (2:1 instead of 1st)?

Question

I received on offer from EY for Audit, but the offer says it's contingent on me achieving the grades listed in my application, which were a 1st. I'm not sure if I'll get that now, so will my offer be rescinded if I get a 2:1? Has anyone had any experience with this?

Answer 1

Hi, that’s a very valid concern and it comes up more often than people think.

From a factual standpoint, offers like this are typically conditional, which means EY does have the right to revisit the offer if the final result does not match what was stated in your application. However, in practice, a move from a 1st to a 2:1 is usually not treated the same as a major shortfall. A 2:1 is still a strong degree classification and meets the general entry criteria for most audit roles.

What tends to matter more is how big the gap is and how you handle it. A slight miss like this is often reviewed case by case rather than leading to an automatic rescind. In many instances, candidates are still accepted, especially if the rest of the profile is consistent and there are no other concerns.

My advice would be to be proactive once you have clarity on your results. If it does come in slightly below, communicate early, explain briefly, and show that everything else remains aligned. Firms generally value transparency, and this is a much easier conversation when it’s a small deviation rather than a significant drop.

So while there is technically a risk, a 2:1 instead of a 1st is very unlikely to be a deal-breaker on its own.