2nd January 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
New figures released by university admissions service UCAS show that a record number of students were accepted onto full times university courses this year. UCAS released a statement to say that this year appeared to be a very good year to apply to university, as universities were now 70% more likely to award places to applicants with lower grades than two years previously. The figures also represent a recovery in the number of applications, after a significant dip following the rise in tuition fees to £9000 per year. UCAS representatives said that although people clearly had concerns about the rise in tuition fees, this year’s figures showed that this would not ultimately put students off applying.
Predictions show that the number of students applying to university will continue to rise, as government plans to lift the cap on student numbers comes into force, allowing universities to offer more places to applicants. Currently, universities have no cap on the number of offers they can make to students with ABB or above, but next year this condition will be lifted. Final figures for 2013 show that 496,000 students began a full time undergraduate university course this year, meaning that youngsters are now more likely to attend university than ever before. According to UCAS, 85% of students who applied to universities through the admissions service were accepted onto a university course.
The most selective universities in the countries which often require at least AAA grades for entry had also accepted more students than in previous years, accepting 10,000 more students than last year. One of the issues highlighted by the UCAS report was that universities were now offering more places to students with lower grades, after finding that predicted grades were not an accurate measure of performance. Amongst students predicted to achieve at least ABB, only 30% went on to achieve those grades, leaving universities to rely on their own calculations in order to make offers. Overall, the data has been hailed as a positive indication for university admissions, suggesting that there are more opportunities available for young people who want to attend university, and that the rise in tuition fees has not necessarily acted as a deterrent.