Number of students offered degree place regardless of exam grades rises despite crackdown

The proportion of university applicants being offered a place on a degree course regardless of their exam grades has risen to nearly two in five despite a government crackdown on the practice.

A total of 97,045 university applicants, who were yet to complete their qualifications at school or college, received an offer that could be considered unconditional, new figures from Ucas show.

Thirty-eight per cent of 18-year-old applicants from England, Northern Ireland and Wales received an offer with an unconditional element in 2019, compared to 34 per cent in 2018 and 1 per cent in 2013.

The rise in unconditional offers has sparked fears that standards could drop at universities and students could become demotivated in their final year of schooling and receive lower grades.

In April, then education secretary Damian Hinds, who called for a review of university admissions, wrote to the worst-offending universities urging them to stamp out “pressure-selling tactics”.

The minister condemned the use of “conditional unconditional offers”, where a university tells students they are guaranteed a place but only if they make it their first choice, adding institutions that adopt this practice could be fined or deregistered.

But the latest Ucas figures show that a quarter of school leavers received a “conditional unconditional” offer in 2019, compared with one in five last year.

Applicants from the most advantaged backgrounds were slightly more likely to receive a conditional unconditional offer than those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, the report says.

A previous Ucas report warned that applicants who hold an unconditional offer as their firm choice are “more likely to miss their predicted A-level grades by two or more points”.

Universities UK (UUK) launched a review into the admissions process this month following criticism.

Chris Millward, director for fair access and participation at the Office for Students (OfS), the higher education regulator, said: “It is concerning to see a further increase in the rate of ‘unconditional’ offers made which actually come with strings attached.”

He added: “The danger of these conditional unconditional offers is that students feel pressurised to accept a place on a course which might not turn out to be their best option.”

Clare Marchant, chief executive of Ucas, said: “The use of unconditional offers remains a complex issue and continues to evolve.

“We look forward to working with the Office for Students and Universities UK (UUK) on their respective upcoming admissions practice reviews, to deliver meaningful recommendations.”

Alistair Jarvis, UUK chief executive, said their review into university admissions would bring together school, college and university leaders to ensure offer-making practices are “fair and transparent”.

He added: “There are clear benefits in universities being able to use a variety of offer making practices to reflect an individual student’s circumstances, potential and the context of their application, and to support different groups such as students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“An important principle of the UK system is that universities decide independently which students they accept; but with this comes a responsibility to explain why and how places are awarded, and to show the public and students why different types of offers are made.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “What sets the UK’s world-leading universities apart is our relentless focus on quality and this must be protected.

“There is a place for unconditional offers, however this data highlights the continued rise in their use and we know some students who accept unconditional offers can be more likely to miss their predicted A-level grades.”

They added: “Many institutions are already taking steps to address the rise in unconditional offers and we hope these efforts continue, with the figures showing a different picture next year.”