We’re already full, say universities as A-level results loom
SIXTH-FORMERS who do worse than expected in their A-levels may struggle to find a place in clearing this year because many top universities have already filled their places.
A number of institutions have warned they will have fewer places to offer via clearing while some are not even entering the process which sees unfilled course places advertised to would-be students who fail to get any offers.
Among them are the universities of Warwick, Glasgow and Nottingham.
Many universities say they have already given out a large numbers of unconditional offers to pupils – who therefore have guaranteed places regardless of results. This leaves fewer places to offer in clearing.
Some admissions tutors have attributed the reductions to a rise in applications, with increases of up to 15 per cent at some universities. According to admissions body UCAS, applications have reached a record high after increasing by 2 per cent this year, with 592,290 applications made by the main January 15 deadline.
Combined with recent changes to recruitment caps – which mean universities can now legally recruit an unlimited number of students – this has seen the country’s most elite universities, known as the Russell Group, give away almost all of their allocated places in hopes of snapping up the best students.
Alan Smithers, professor of education at the University of Buckingham, said: ‘There may well be fewer clearing places in the Russell Group universities because in order to secure the best students they are giving unconditional places. This year, they have already allocated a number of places that they had on offer.
‘They are lining up guaranteed students – so there is not going to be the same free-for-all on results day if places have already been filled unconditionally.’ He added: ‘Taking off the limits has opened up competition between the top universities and they want to snap up high-performing students. It has caused them to rethink their strategy.
‘However, there could be a lot of empty places at the other end of the spectrum, where universities are struggling to fill courses.’
The University of Warwick is among those not entering clearing, while Nottingham said it would only have places on a ‘ limited number of courses’. At Glasgow, there will be 50 clearing places for ‘a very few specialised degrees’ – against 150 last year.
Meanwhile, Lancaster University, which saw a 15 per cent increase in applications, said clearing places would be scarce and it could not guarantee total numbers would increase. A spokesman said: ‘Given our increase in applications this year, it is likely we will offer fewer places during clearing.’
Coventry University also said there are likely to be fewer places clearing places ‘owing to higher demand’.
A survey by the Daily Mail found thousands of unconditional offers have been made by highly selective and popular universities.
The University of Birmingham has made 3,000 unconditional offers, representing half of its total first year places, while the University of Nottingham made just under 500 – 8 per cent of all first years.
The Government said the growth showed the rise in fees to £9,000 had not deterred students from applying.
Applications at a record high