More students with lower A-level grades admitted to university, figures show

A higher proportion of students with low A-level grades have been awarded university places, figures from Ucas show.

More than 81 per cent of 18-year-old applicants from the UK with three D grades at A-level, or the equivalent, were admitted to university courses in 2018 - a rise from 79 per cent last year.

In 2013, only 73 per cent of these applicants were accepted by a university, the report shows.

Acceptance rates for students with three pass grades in BTECs - vocational qualifications - has also increased from 50 per cent in 2013 to 70 per cent this year, the figures reveal.

The Ucas boss has called on universities to be “mindful” of accepting applicants with lower grades.

The warning comes amid fears that universities are dropping their standards in a bid to recruit students from a narrower pool.

Uncapped student numbers and an ongoing decline of 18-year-olds in the population has increased the competition between universities to fill places on degrees.

Just last month, Ucas revealed that more than one in three students who applied to university were offered a place on a degree course regardless of their final exam grades.

On the rising acceptance of BTEC students, the report acknowledges that “increasingly high levels of competition between providers” is likely to have contributed.

Clare Marchant, chief executive of Ucas, said: “While an individual student’s potential to succeed on an undergraduate course could’ve been shown during an interview, through a portfolio, or personal statement, universities and colleges must be mindful of accepting applicants with lower grades.

“Students must be appropriately supported during their studies, so they can flourish on their chosen course.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “At a time when more young people are expected to move into higher education, it’s not a surprise that more students with lower grades are being admitted to university courses.

“We know that there are fewer applicants in the system, and universities are funded according to the numbers they recruit.”

He added: “We are especially concerned that this has led to an unseemly rise in unconditional offers, guaranteeing a place to students irrespective of the final grade they achieve.

“Too often these offers seem designed chiefly to fill places, proving a disincentive for students to strive for higher grades, and making the lives of their teachers and leaders much more difficult.”

The latest Ucas report also reveals that a record proportion of 18-year-olds in England and Scotland were accepted onto an undergraduate course at university in 2018.

But education secretary Damian Hinds has warned that disadvantaged white pupils are still the least likely to access higher education and black students are more likely to drop out after their first year.

Mr Hinds is calling on universities to improve their offer for underrepresented people with significant action that will lead to material progress in the next few years.

Mr Hinds said: “We are all aware of the different rates of access to university for different groups and it’s simply unacceptable for universities not to act to increase their efforts to reach out to potential talent across the country.

“The data is out there, and I have a simple message to universities: look at your own admissions policies and work out what you can do to ensure that your university is open to everyone who has the potential, no matter their background or where they are from.”

Mr Hinds’ calls come on the same day that the higher education regulator, the Office for Students, committed to shining a light on the makeup of student bodies at each university.

The regulator has said it will challenge universities on the outcomes they achieve over access, rather than simply on investment and activity.