The first cohort of graduates after Covid faces a summer of uncertainty that “threatens to keep a generation” as students compete for fewer places in popular university courses.
After A-level inflation during the pandemic forced universities to admit more students, institutions are now declining in popular subjects, despite an increase in applications.
Parents and teachers who have contacted the Guardian report that students who are expected to receive A * grades in their A-levels, who in previous years will receive offers from many of their preferred institutions, have instead received a series of rejections.
Stephen Morgan, the shadow minister of schools, said: “The repeated failure of this government to plan for the future of our children threatens to keep a generation going. The young people taking the exams this summer endured two years of chaos and interruption in their education. Yet the complacency of ministers leaves them with the added concern that getting good grades will not be enough to move on to the next stage of their lives.
“Last summer we called on ministers to work with universities, we drew up an evaluation plan for this summer almost a year ago, but ministers sat on their hands. Children’s aspirations are a backward thought for this government. “
University applications have risen by 5% this year, partly fueled by more 18-year-olds – as a result of the mid-2000s baby boom and part of a trend that will continue over the next decade – and those who have slowed application because of the pandemic.
But members of the Russell group of research-intensive universities have recruited too many over the past two years – as a result of students receiving higher marks from teachers – and now want to bring numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.
University leaders blame the erosion of tuition fees by inflation for making it difficult for them to accept the growing number of dropouts. To keep the numbers at a manageable level, popular universities are making fewer offers, leading to frustration for some applicants.
17-year-old Daniel Meret, a student at a public school in Portsmouth who attended free school meals, has an A * in math and is a * A * A in math, physics and computer science. But he was rejected by his top four – Oxford, Imperial College, Warwick and Bath. He received the decisions very late in the cycle and decided to apply again next year instead of accepting his offer of insurance from Liverpool.
“When I read ‘Your offer failed,’ it was quite a shock, I wasn’t ready to see that answer,” he said. “The first day was depressing, I didn’t feel good about it. He just shattered one of his dreams. This made me feel that my A * was less valuable than usual. ”
Larissa Kennedy, president of the National Student Union in the United Kingdom, said: “This is absolutely appalling for the students. What they called access was indeed a closed door, and this news revealed the myth of this shattered education system.
Maya, a schoolteacher, said her 13-year-olds were dealing with “disappointment and devastation” after several top-rated students were rejected by all universities except their backup choices.
“In other years, students with equivalent achievements have managed to get the desired places. I find it absolutely illogical for a student with these achievements to be considered not good enough, “she said.
Maya said universities had increased their grading requirements this year and some students had applied to “insurance” universities, which then increased their bids, such as AAA instead of ABB, making them no longer a good reserve.
An email to schools at the University of Warwick said that “due to uncertainty with the assessment of A-levels and [the international baccalaureate]”He has increased his entry requirements to A * A * A.
One university leader said the offers were “more cautious” after seeing higher-than-expected predictions from teachers. Students use the prescribed grades to make their initial applications and usually receive offers subject to certain exam results.
Mark Korver, founder of DataHE, said last year’s figures showed that high-cost universities were tightening hiring after years of expansion. “At the time, we were speculating that all the circumstances were there so that it would not be a one-time pass, but a major change in the candidates’ ability to enter certain types of universities.”
Mike Nicholson, director of recruitment at Cambridge University, said many universities have graduated significantly more than expected in 2020 and 2021. “So we see 2022 as a year that many universities use to recalibrate. Universities are quite conservative about the number of offers on offer, so as not to be caught. “
Nicholson said students are unlikely to be able to “trade” in clearing, as the most competitive courses and universities will be full. For students considering a postponement, he said bidding is likely to be lower next year.
However, fewer school leavers in England are expected to postpone or take a year after the government changes to the student loan system. Students starting courses in 2023 will repay student loans for 40 years after graduation, instead of 30 years for those admitted to courses this fall.
A spokesman for the Ucas University Admissions Office said: “We have seen in the last two years during the pandemic a shift from exams to teacher-rated assessments, more students are eligible for their offer, especially in the most competitive law courses. engineering, medicine and dentistry.
In the most competitive universities, the number of students admitted to full-time undergraduate courses has increased from 154,000 in 2019 to 177,000 in 2021.
Ucas said the 5% increase in the number of 18-year-olds from the UK applying this year, from 306,200 to 320,420, along with another 6,000 delayed-entry students, “will make it possible to secure placements at many universities in the UK. highly competitive process’.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Education said: “We want all students with the ability and talent to study at the university, to be able to do so, and last year a record number of students secured places at the university, including a record number of 18-year-old disadvantaged people.
“Every year there is competition for places in the most popular universities and in the most popular courses, but the government is working closely with the higher education sector to ensure that students can move to high-quality courses that lead to good results. “
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