After universities raised fees in 2012, there were concerns that young people would reject entering higher education due to the levels of debt which could be accumulated. However, according to admissions body Ucas, this has failed to deter students from applying to university, with record numbers gaining admission to institutions around the country.
Within 24 hours of receiving A-level results, 401,540 students had received confirmation of their places on undergraduate courses beginning in September. This is a 9 per cent increase on the numbers from 2012, and also higher than in 2011 – the last year before fee increases came into effect.
However, the rise in cost does seem to have had a significant impact upon the number of students applying for places through Ucas’ clearing process. Only 153,070 applicants for the contingency university option have registered, which is a drop of nearly 9,000 when compared with last year’s figures.
This year almost 30,000 courses which had not yet been filled appeared on Ucas’ clearing page. Furthermore, many universities which do not usually utilise the clearing programme chose to advertise availability in this way, indicating the financial strain some may be feeling despite the hike in fees.
In fact, a spokesman for the Russell Group confirmed that all but seven of the universities it represents had chosen to enter the clearing process. The seven abstaining were Oxford, Cambridge, University College London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Imperial and the London School of Economics – universities which have a reputation for filling spaces almost immediately thanks to extremely high demand.
As for those who did choose to participate in clearing, some have found their spare places to be filling extremely quickly. This, perhaps, is because new government regulations now allow English universities to pick up an unlimited number of students with ABB grades or above, whereas last year the threshold was set at AAB.
Both King’s College and London had already filled all empty places by midnight on Thursday, while the University of Manchester saw high demand for its 300 places. A spokesman claimed that the remaining 100 places were “mainly in modern languages”.
He added; “We are likely to be full later on Friday and certainly by early next week.”
With pressure to achieve top results to guarantee a place at university now higher than ever for college students, it appears that the field remains as competitive as ever. However, with the financial implications of achieving a place at university much more severe than in 2011, it remains to be seen whether a student’s ability will be judged more on educational prowess or socio-economic status.
Do you think the clearing results demonstrate an unwillingness to enter further education by those who failed to achieve the grades they desired, and if so, do you believe this is solely financially motivated?
