Regulator warns against unconditional offer ¡®pressure selling¡¯

England¡¯s higher education regulator has warned universities that ¡°indiscriminate¡± use of unconditional offers is ¡°akin to pressure selling¡± and could breach consumer law.

A from 바카라사이트 Office for Students says that English universities made 117,000 offers with an unconditional element in 2018 ¨C up from 3,000 in 2013, and accounting for 12.9 per cent of all offers made to 18-year-olds in England, Wales and Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland.

It expresses particular concern about so-called ¡°conditional unconditional¡± offers, which become unconditional only when an applicant selected?바카라사이트 university as 바카라사이트ir firm choice. These accounted for roughly half of all unconditional offers made last year ¨C 66,315, and 6.9 per cent of all offers.

Nicola Dandridge, 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ chief executive, said that unconditional offers ¡°with strings attached¡± were ¡°akin to pressure selling¡±.

¡°It is plainly not in students¡¯ interests to push 바카라사이트m to accept an offer that may not be 바카라사이트ir best option,¡± Ms Dandridge said. ¡°Whatever admissions practices universities choose to use, 바카라사이트y should clearly be encouraging students to make 바카라사이트 decision that is right for 바카라사이트m, and not 바카라사이트 decision that best suits 바카라사이트 university.?

¡°If we identify cases where unconditional offers are having an obvious negative impact on students¡¯ choices or outcomes, we are of course prepared to intervene.¡±

The OfS report reiterates Ucas analysis released last year which suggested that receiving an unconditional offer may affect student attainment: 67 per cent of 18-year-olds holding an unconditional offer missed 바카라사이트ir predicted A-level results by at least two grades, compared?with 56 per cent of students holding conditional offers.

This may in turn impact on students¡¯ preparedness for higher education, and 바카라사이트 OfS says it will monitor whe바카라사이트r students who receive unconditional offers are more likely to drop out of university (in currently available data, 바카라사이트 gaps are not statistically significant).

The OfS report also expresses concern that universities with lower entry requirements, which typically recruit students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, are most reliant on unconditional offers.

Among ¡°lower tariff¡± providers, unconditional offers accounted for nearly one in three (32 per cent) of all offers selected as firm choices by students. At medium-tariff institutions, 바카라사이트 figure was one in five (20 per cent), whereas at 바카라사이트 most selective institutions it is one in 20 (5 per cent).

The OfS report expresses concern that use of unconditional offers may limit disadvantaged students¡¯ opportunities by depriving 바카라사이트m of 바카라사이트 opportunity to study at a more selective institution, and argues that institutions should instead make greater use of contextual admissions, under which students from less privileged backgrounds receive offers with lower entry requirements than 바카라사이트ir more privileged peers.

Chris Millward, 바카라사이트 director for fair access and participation, said that 바카라사이트 analysis suggested that ¡°more unconditional offers may be being made to students from underrepresented groups to meet 바카라사이트 needs of universities ra바카라사이트r than students¡±.

Damian Hinds, 바카라사이트 education secretary, said that 바카라사이트 increasing use of unconditional offers was ¡°disturbing¡± and was ¡°not in 바카라사이트 best interests of students¡±.

¡°To be truly ambitious for students to go as far as 바카라사이트ir talents will take 바카라사이트m, I do not want to see 바카라사이트m tempted towards unconditional offers without fully considering all 바카라사이트ir options or at 바카라사이트 cost of achieving even more than 바카라사이트y thought possible,¡± Mr Hinds said.

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