Are unis changing their offer strategy?
UNCONDITIONAL offers made by universities are predicted to plummet this year, following heated debate about whether such offers are in the best interests of applicants.
University admissions service UCAS said the offers, which guarantee applicants higher education places if they make the offer their first (firm) choice are set to decline, according to its data.
Clare Marchant, UCAS’ chief executive, said: “The university and college-level data we are releasing today from 2019 provides a more detailed look at the increase in the number of conditional unconditional offers.
“However, early indications point very strongly to a behaviour change in 2020.
“We forecast as many as 75% of universities and colleges which made conditional unconditional offers in the 2019 cycle will no longer make these in 2020.
‘While we predict a fall in these types of offers, we will likely see universities and colleges deploy other offer-making strategies, including direct unconditionals, in this competitive market.
‘We are basing our forecast on conditional unconditional offers on three factors.
“Some universities and colleges have publicly said they no longer plan to make such offers.
“Secondly, we monitor offer-making through the year and our early modelling shows the tide is turning.
“Finally, our analysis of applicant decisions in the 2019 cycle shows they were only marginally more likely to choose a conditional unconditional offer as their firm choice.
“‘We make this forecast because there is a lot of public debate on these types of offers, based on our data and insights.
“We will be able to share our analysis of changes in offermaking trends at the end of the 2020 cycle, when we have the full picture.”