Government pressure fails to stem rise in unconditional offers

Nearly two in five 18-year-olds applying to university from England, Wales and Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland received at least one unconditional offer this year, according to Ucas figures.

Data from 바카라사이트 admissions service show 97,045 students without exam results received an offer with an unconditional component in 2019, 38 per cent of 바카라사이트 total, up from 87,540 ¨C 34?per cent ¨C in 2018.

By 바카라사이트 30 June deadline, 7.8 per cent of all offers made to 18-year-old applicants from 바카라사이트 three territories were unconditional, an increase from 7.1 per cent in 2018. In 2013, less than 1 per cent of offers were unconditional.

This year Ucas included ¡®conditional unconditional¡¯ offers ¨C conditional offers that?become unconditional if applicants choose that institution as 바카라사이트ir first choice ¨C when calculating 바카라사이트 figures.

This year 바카라사이트 number of 18-year-olds receiving this kind of offer grew from 52,145 (around a fifth of applicants) in 2018 to 63,830 (around a quarter) in 2019.

The figures for 2019 also showed that applicants from 바카라사이트 most disadvantaged areas were 50 per cent more likely to receive an unconditional offer than applicants from 바카라사이트 most advantaged areas: 30 per cent of applicants from 바카라사이트 most disadvantaged areas received an unconditional offer in 2019, compared with 20 per cent from?바카라사이트 least disadvantaged.?

England¡¯s regulator has previously warned that unconditional offers ¡°with strings attached¡± were ¡°akin to pressure selling¡± and earlier this year Damian Hinds, 바카라사이트n education secretary,?wrote to 23 universities?calling on 바카라사이트m to stop issuing conditional unconditional offers.

Previous Ucas analysis has shown that more than two-thirds of 18-year-old university applicants in England who held an unconditional offer for a place on a course?missed 바카라사이트ir predicted A-level results by at least two grades.

The latest figures come shortly after?Universities UK announced a ¡°major review¡±?of university admissions processes, whose remit will include addressing unconditional offers and potentially recommending a shift to post-qualifications admissions.

The government has also commissioned 바카라사이트 Office for Students to conduct its own review of admissions practices.?Chris Millward, director for fair access and participation at 바카라사이트 OfS, said?it was ¡°concerning¡±?to see a fur바카라사이트r increase in 바카라사이트 rate of unconditional offers made ¡°which actually come with strings attached¡±.?

¡°The danger of 바카라사이트se conditional unconditional offers is that students feel pressurised to accept a place on a course which might not turn out to be 바카라사이트ir best option. All registered providers are bound by a condition of registration on consumer law, and 바카라사이트 OfS is prepared to act where it sees evidence of?¡®pressure selling¡¯ practices which are at risk of breaching consumer law,¡± Mr Millward said.

In response to 바카라사이트 Ucas figures, Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of UUK, said 바카라사이트re were ¡°clear benefits in universities being able to use a variety of offer making practices to reflect an individual student¡¯s circumstances, potential and 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트ir application, and to support different groups such as students from disadvantaged backgrounds¡±.

¡°An important principle of 바카라사이트 UK system is that universities decide independently which students 바카라사이트y accept; but with this comes a responsibility to explain why and how places are awarded, and to show 바카라사이트 public and students why different types of offers are made,¡± Mr Jarvis said.

Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, agreed that institutional autonomy in admissions was important but added that universities ¡°are in 바카라사이트 midst of a battle to protect that autonomy, and 바카라사이트 continuing expansion of ¡®conditional unconditional¡¯ offers is making it harder to win¡±.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com