Proposals to allow students to apply to higher education only after they get their grades could … [+]
The college admissions system is no longer working and it’s time for reform, a higher education watchdog said today.
The widespread use of unconditional offers as well as inducements and incentives are distorting the process and resulting in students opting for courses and colleges they may not have chosen otherwise.
Now the Office for Students is looking for views on options for reform, in the belief that radical change may be needed to repair a system that is particularly unfair on disadvantaged students.
And some of the alternatives under consideration would involve the biggest overhaul in university admissions in England in almost 60 years.
One of the most contentious elements of the present system is the use of unconditional offers, where students are guaranteed a place at university regardless of their grades in A-level exams, typically taken at age 18. Often, these offers do have one condition: that students reject all offers from other universities.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson last year warned universities to cut down on the number of unconditional offers they were making, amid fears that they deprive students of the motivation to keep on working right to the end of their high school careers, and they pressure students into accepting offers for courses and universities that are not the right fit.
Launching its consultation today, the Office for Students (OfS) said it was concerned about the rise in unconditional offers, citing concerns that they are not in the best interests of students and may constitute pressure selling.
Another controversial issue is the use of incentives and inducements, such as guaranteeing a place in university accommodation, or offering scholarships and bursaries to attract students, as well as making misleading claims in marketing material.
These inducements could result in students making decisions which are not in their best interests, according to the OfS, the higher education watchdog for England.
A key issue for the consultation is the use of predicted grades in the admissions process.
Predicted grades form the basis of most university offers, with students applying to university and getting offers from universities before they know their final grades.
But research has shown that only 16% of all predicted grades are accurate, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to have their grades under-predicted, meaning they are more likely to miss out on the most sought-after places.
Other issues to be considered in the consultation are the use of contextual information, which looks beyond a student’s academic record, and the overall transparency and fairness of the system.
The OfS has set out three main options for change: retaining the existing framework but with reforms, such as increased use of contextual admissions and greater transparency around entry requirements and how applications are assessed; moving to a system where universities only make offers once students know their grades; moving to a system where students only apply once they know their grades.
The latter two options – where the bulk of the decision-making occurs after students get their grades and not before – would represent the biggest shake-up of the admissions system since the creation of a single admissions body almost 60 years ago.
The OfS consultation will run alongside a review into admissions by Universities UK, which represents 137 universities,
‘There is widespread recognition that certain aspects of the current admissions system are not working, and may be especially unfair on students from disadvantaged backgrounds,’ said Sir Michael Barber, OfS chair.
The aim, he said, was to ‘look forensically at changes that can shape our admissions system in a way which is matched to the needs, achievements and potential of students from all backgrounds.’
He said while universities needed to market their courses, they should do so in a way that helped students make an informed choice about what and where to study.
