University admissions 'to top 500,000 for the first time'

By  Graeme Paton, Education Editor

A quarter of A-levels will be graded at least an A next week as the number of students accepted into British universities exceeds 500,000 for the first time. 

Just days before the publication of results, it emerged that record numbers of students were on track to win places on degree courses this summer. 

The rise is being fuelled by an increase in applications combined with Coalition reforms to the higher education system that will give universities powers to admit extra students in 2014. 

Universities have already made more offers this summer, with the number of students holding provisional places at the end of July up by more than 12,000 in a year. 

Competition is particularly fierce for the recruitment of bright students – those with at least an A and two Bs at A-level – after universities were told they could admit unlimited numbers of candidates with good grades. 

In all, around 26 per cent of A-levels are likely to graded A* or A when results are published next Thursday. 

A survey of universities by the Telegraph found that: 

• Most universities, including members of the elite Russell Group such as Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, King's College London, Southampton, Warwick and York, confirmed they will have places available in clearing this year – the system that matches students with spare courses; 

• Many institutions are offering lucrative – non-means tested – incentives to all students who apply with good grades to tempt them onto courses, including cash awards of up to £10,000, tablet computers and cut-price accommodation; 

• More students have already secured places a week before A-level results after being given “unconditional offers” – the promise of a place irrespective of final grades – with universities such as Birmingham, Nottingham and Leicester making use of the system this year; 

• Around half of universities that provided figures suggested they would create additional places this year compared with 2013, with Bath alone increasing its entry target by almost 10 per cent and numbers at the London School of Economics also reaching a new high. 

The rise in university entry rates is likely to be recorded despite a predicted small drop in the number of students gaining top grades in A-levels nationally. 

Last year, some 26.3 per cent of exams were graded A* or A. It was the second annual drop in a row following 13 years of consecutive increases seen under the last Labour government. 

This summer, the proportion of good grades is likely to fall again to 26 per cent, with 53 per cent of papers given at least a B and three-quarters marked C or better. 

It follows a pledge by Ofqual, the exams watchdog, to stamp out “grade inflation”. This year, January exams have also been abolished, forcing all students to take tests in one sitting in the summer, reducing chances to bump up their grades. 

Experts said much of the increase in university admissions seen this summer would come from students with lower A-level grades and those applying armed with BTECs and other vocational qualifications. 

The move will place a renewed premium on the recruitment of bright students by top universities, giving ABB candidates a greater choice of courses through clearing. 

In a statement, Newcastle encouraged bright students “who are not currently holding a Newcastle offer” to get in touch on results day, while Sheffield said it “wants to ensure that students who achieve better grades than expected… are aware that Sheffield is an option for them”. 

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, said: “The nature of clearing has changed in recent years. It has become a key recruitment period for all kinds of universities, including higher tariff institutions. 

“Students who might have missed a grade or two in their A-levels will find plenty of opportunities available in clearing and will have a good chance of securing a place this year, not least because the number of applicants holding any A-levels has been tracking down with the recent falls in the population of 18-year-olds.” 

In 2013, some 496,000 students were accepted onto university courses, including a record 433,600 from the UK. It was the highest number ever accepted in one year, eclipsing the previous high in 2011 – just before the hike in tuition fees. 

This summer, it is predicted that the admissions rate will easily exceed 500,000, including close to 450,000 British students. 

Separate figures show 544,600 British students have made applications, up by almost 17,000 in a year, with candidates much more likely to make use of the full five applications permitted by UCAS. 

It also emerged that more students were holding conditional offers of places by the end of last month, with numbers standing at 367,500 compared with 355,200 in 2013. 

The move comes after the Coalition gave English universities powers to recruit unlimited numbers of applicants with at least an A and two B grades at A-level combined with more flexibility to admit students with lower-level qualifications. It will create an extra 30,000 places. 

The Telegraph surveyed 40 universities and found that just over half that supplied figures suggested they were intending to expand their places this year. Bath said it was planning to increase admissions from 2,980 last year to a record 3,250 in 2014, while the London School of Economics will target almost 1,500 students – a new high. 

Competition between universities to secure students onto courses is now so intense that many institutions offer cash awards – irrespective of family income – to boost numbers. 

Newman University, Birmingham, will offer an “academic achievement scholarship” of £10,000 over three years for all full-time students who apply with three Bs or better. 

The University of East London said all new undergraduates were given a £1,200 “progress bursary”, which includes a brand new Samsung Galaxy tablet computer loaded with their core textbooks and a further £900 of credit to spend over the duration of their course. /Telegraph