Students urged to ‘take stock' before accepting degree places on lower grades
Hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their A-level results on Thursday, with many finding out whether they have secured a place at their first choice university.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said some universities in the country are 'really keen' this year to recruit 'as many students as they can' due to pressures facing the sector.
University leaders have been warning of financial pressures due to uncertainty about the recruitment of overseas students as well as years of frozen tuition fees by domestic students.
Speaking ahead of A-level results day on Thursday, Ms Stern told the PA news agency: 'We have seen some evidence of universities dropping grades in order to fill places.'
She said: '(Students) should take stock of whether what they're being offered is right for them.'
It has been suggested that some universities are offering incentives and relaxing offers to fill places.
Ms Stern told PA: 'It's a bit of a buyer's market this admissions round.'
She said: 'It's been a very competitive admissions cycle from the institutional perspective.
'We know that some universities are offering places to students with lower grades than they might have done in the past.
'From a student point of view that might be really good news.
'Although I would just say think very carefully about what's right for you.'
On the day before A-level results day, a PA sample of 129 of the UK's largest higher education providers showed there were 22,518 courses with vacancies for undergraduate students living in England on the Ucas clearing site – which matches applicants to university places yet to be filled.
A similar analysis last year – carried out by PA on the day before A-level results day and looking at the same range of institutions – showed there were 22,774 courses with vacancies on the clearing site.
Eighteen of the 24 Russell Group universities, which represent some of the most selective UK institutions, had vacancies on courses for English residents – a total of 3,492 courses between them.
A similar analysis last year, the day before A-level results day, showed 17 of the 24 Russell Group universities had vacancies on courses for English residents – a total of 3,500 courses between them.
Clearing is available to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on A-level results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers.
Students who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use clearing.
Ms Stern advised students waiting for their grades to spend some time familiarising themselves with the Ucas system and to look at the clearing site.
She said: 'There are plenty of options available and whatever's happened it's almost certainly not a disaster and it won't be the end of everything.
'So take a big deep breath and don't panic.'
Last week, Jo Saxton, head of Ucas, suggested a record number of 18-year-olds are expected to wake up on A-level results day to the news that they have been successful in securing their first-choice university.
Ucas figures released last month revealed that the number of offers made to prospective undergraduate students from universities and colleges has reached a record high this year.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, told PA: 'Some universities are now in survival mode — offering incentives, ramping up marketing, and relaxing offers to fill places.
'We must make every effort to ensure that students from all backgrounds are also well prepared and supported to succeed in their degrees.'
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank, said: 'It is a good year for applicants in the sense that demand is pretty flat so universities are having to fight over themselves to win new students.
'Universities do not want to have to close courses and make staff redundant but they will need to if they cannot fill their places.'
Mike Nicholson, director of recruitment, admissions and participation at the University of Cambridge, said there had been a drift for students applying more to the well-known and 'more reputable universities' in recent years.
The expert said that he was expecting more students to be looking in clearing for opportunities to do internships or placements as part of their degree.
Mr Nicholson told PA: 'I think what we're probably seeing is students looking carefully at what the degree outcomes might be.
'We've seen a shift towards engineering degrees, mathematics degrees, associated degrees in medicine.
'They're all up significantly this year in applications.'
Joanna Burton, head of policy (higher education) at the Russell Group, said: 'There is always some flexibility in offer-making decisions, and students may find they are accepted with grades slightly different to the advertised offer.
'However, our universities only admit students who show evidence they can meet the rigour of the course.'
She said: 'While there appears to be some flattening out of the application rate among 18-year-olds, our universities are still seeing strong demand for courses that offer high-quality teaching and promising career prospects – and they're working hard to meet this demand.'
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