Universities could face ‘crippling losses’ after exam U-turns

LESS prestigious universities could face “financially crippling” losses after the government’s U-turn on A-levels, researchers from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) have warned.

A-level students in Wales and England were told on Monday that they could use teachers’ recommended grades if they were higher than moderated grades they received four days before.

A briefing note from the IFS warned that while leading universities would now be “awash” with students, many lower-ranked universities risked losing a substantial share of their intake, which could be “financially crippling”.

The IFS described the UK Government’s handling of the A-level grades fiasco as a “clear fail” which would have “repercussions for universities and students” for years to come.

“A-level results should never have been released before being subject to scrutiny beyond Ofqual. The government should not have had to rely on shocked 18-year-olds on results day to realise there was a problem,” the briefing note from the IFS said.

The government’s U-turn came too late for many A-level students who had already made choices about universities based on the grades they were initially awarded, rather than teachers’ assessments.

Leading universities have warned that students who now have higher grades could still be asked to defer their place if there is no space left on their preferred course.

The University of Durham is offering a bursary and “guaranteed college accommodation” to students who volunteer to defer a year and start in autumn 2021 due to capacity issues caused by the U-turn.

On some courses, such as medicine and dentistry, institutions may not be able to admit more students this year as numbers are capped.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged calls to increase student places at medical schools and promised that the government is working on the issue.

Dr Helena McKeown, British Medical Association (BMA) representative body chairman, said: “The UK is vastly short of doctors so increasing the number of medics in training makes sense, however, this must be followed up with support and funding for both the universities sector and the NHS.”

Jack Britton, an associate director at the IFS, said: “The government’s U-turn on A-level grades will cause further disruption for universities.”