Education

Unconditional university offers on the rise for 18-year-olds


Nearly two fifths of 18-year-old applicants to university received an unconditional offer this year, according to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

The Ucas figures show a rise from last year, with 97,045 (38%) of would-be undergraduates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receiving an offer with an unconditional component in 2019, compared with 87,540, or 34%, in 2018.

A total of 257,910 18-year-old students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales applied for university through Ucas before the 30 June deadline this year.

Unconditional offers are often offered to students whose qualifications are still pending, meaning their grades are predicted rather than achieved.

A report published by Ucas in 2018, showed that students holding a confirmed place on an undergraduate were more likely to fall short of their predicted grades than those with conditional offers.

Clare Marchant, the admissions organisation’s chief executive, said: “Students’ best interests must be the number-one consideration for universities and colleges when making offers.

“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 on their respective upcoming admissions practice reviews, to deliver meaningful recommendations.”

The report also found that applicants from the most disadvantaged areas were 50% more likely to receive an unconditional offer than those from the most advantaged areas.

A quarter of applicants from England, Northern Ireland and Wales who are 18, received a “conditional unconditional” offer, up from a fifth at this point last year. Conditional unconditional offers are initially made by universities as conditional – or dependent on the grades a student achieves – then updated to unconditional if the offer is accepted as the student’s firm choice.

Overall, 80% of 18-year-old applicants received an offer of either conditional, unconditional, or conditional unconditional in 2019.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “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.

“We also have particular concerns about the use of conditional unconditional offers, which can potentially pressure students into accepting a place which may not the best option for them.”

As most Scottish applicants already have Scottish Higher qualifications, which often form part of the entry requirements for university courses, they were not included in the analysis by Ucas.

In January, statistics from the organisation showed that a small group of institutions relying heavily on unconditional offers to attract students were responsible for the sharp rise in their use.



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