Clearing 2014: most top universities with spare places

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Three-quarters of top universities will make places available through clearing
today as the publication of A-level results triggers a “football transfer
window”-style scramble to recruit Britain’s brightest teenagers.

At least 18 out of 24 members of the elite Russell Group confirmed they would
be recruiting students on results day this year – more than at the same
point 12 months ago.

Overall, the number of courses advertised by all universities in clearing will
be up by a fifth on last year.

The move follows the introduction of government reforms giving universities
powers to admit more sixth-formers with good A-levels, creating an
additional 30,000 places.

Experts said it had turned the clearing system into a “buyers’ market” in
which high-achieving students can trade-up to a better course.

The disclosure was made as exam boards prepared to publish A-level results for
some 300,000 students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Figures will show that the number of students claiming top grades has dropped
for the third year in a row following a toughening up of the awarding
process.

In all, around 26 per cent of test papers are likely to be awarded at least an
A, down from 26.3 per cent last year, 26.6 per cent in 2012 and a record
high of 27 per cent in 2010 and 2011.

Universities are now resorting to “sales gimmicks” to attract a decreasing
number of students with top grades, with some institutions offering cash
awards of up to £10,000, lap-tops, tablet computers and cut-price
accommodation for those accepting places.

This morning Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said students must be “savvy”
enough to resist such sweeteners and choose university based on the job they
will be able to get when they graduate.

Mike Boxall, higher education expert with PA Consulting Group, said
universities were looking to “poach people who are holding offers from
elsewhere”, adding: “Clearing is rapidly changing from a scramble for those
who didn't make their preferred offer to something more akin to the football
transfer windows.”

An analysis of clearing listings published by the Telegraph today showed:

• Just over 36,000 courses overall will have vacancies on Thursday morning as
pupils receive their A-level results compared with around 30,000 at the same
a year earlier – an increase of a fifth;

• Some 18 Russell Group universities are advertising courses through clearing
including Bristol, Durham, King’s College London, Exeter, Nottingham,
Warwick and York – two more than in 2013 when Bristol and King’s were not
initially featured;

• Courses with vacancies at leading universities include respected disciplines
such as biology, chemistry, physics, economics, maths, geography, history,
English, French and German;

• Almost 120 universities and higher education colleges are offering places to
study law – one of the most sought-after courses – including Birmingham,
Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton.

Figures show that 544,600 British students made applications by the
traditional June deadline operated by the Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service (UCAS) – up by almost 17,000 in a year to the second
highest number on record.

It suggests a softening of opposition to £9,000 tuition fees introduced in
2012. The economic recovery is also likely to have had an effect, with more
students taking the gamble on a degree course rather than going straight
into the workplace.

In the past, the government tightly capped the number of places at each
university but restrictions have been gradually lifted by the Coalition.
This summer, universities can recruit unlimited numbers of students with an
A and two Bs or better and have more flexibility to admit pupils with lower
grades.

It will create 30,000 extra places this year before all restrictions on
recruitment are abolished in 2015.

But with the number of students gaining top grades in decline, it has created
more competition between universities to recruit the brightest teenagers.

Many institutions now offer cash awards – irrespective of family income – to
boost numbers.

This year, Newman University, Birmingham, will offer an “academic achievement
scholarship” of £10,000 over three years for all full-time students who
apply with three Bs or better.

The University of East London said all new undergraduates were given a £1,200
“progress bursary”, which includes a brand new Samsung Galaxy tablet
computer loaded with their core textbooks and a further £900 of credit to
spend over the duration of their course.

Mr Boxall said: “The notion of ‘admitting’ students, which is still the
language of university departments, is becoming a thing of the past.

“Students are now customers and that is why some sales gimmicks could be
emerging. They are, however, the type of gimmick that we might expect to see
for a holiday or a hotel, not for such an expensive and life shaping
decision such as which university a student goes to.

“Offering students laptops to enrol is like offering a free kettle to
encourage someone to buy your house and should not influence students’
choices.”

But Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, the
vice-chancellors’ group, insisted universities would “not be offering places
to unqualified applicants, because it would not be in a university’s, or an
applicant’s interest”.

She added: “We must get away from the idea that clearing is a ‘second best
option’. Last year, a record 57,000 students found a place via the clearing
route. With a good amount of research, speaking to advisers and staying
calm, students can find the right place for them this September.”

Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group, said: “Some Russell Group
universities may still have places available in some subjects for students
who have done better than expected. There may also be places available for
highly-qualified students who have narrowly missed out on their first
choice.

“We encourage those students to get in touch with UCAS to see whether there
may be places available to them.”

Telegraph Guide to Results Day
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Telegraph Guide to Clearing

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