A record-breaking number of A-level students have been accepted into university, according to UCAS, the organization in charge of UK university admissions.
The number of university admissions for A-level results day 2014 has so far totaled 396,990, a whole 3% up on last year’s statistics, with as many as 352,590 UK students booking a place at their first-choice institution. By the start of the academic year it is estimated that over 500,000 places will have been allocated. Chief executive of UCAS, Mary Curnock-Cook, spoke to Sky News about the figures: “Compared with their brothers and sisters two or three years ago, students will feel it's a little easier (to get into university).”
The 30,000 additional places that have been offered throughout universities in the UK is the result of a recent government decision to abolish caps on student numbers, allowing universities admissions departments to recruit all the more college leavers.
A-level results day 2014 – grades fall
A-level results day 2014 is the first year in 32 years to see a drop in the number of overall pass rates, according to The Telegraph. Numbers of UK students gaining at least an E-grade in their A-level results have fallen despite over three decades of steady rises, while numbers of students receiving grades B, C and D in exams have also dropped. This result, according to the BBC, follows a newer, tougher approach on taking and re-sitting exams as well as a shift towards ‘harder’ subjects.
The proportion of top grades is also declining, following a three-year trend. This year’s A-level results figures show that 26% of exam papers achieved grades ‘A’ or ‘A*’ (0.3% down on 2013’s A-level results figures). Despite this, A-level results day 2014 holds much hope, with many considering 2014 to be a “buyer’s market” for students entering university. This will come as great news to those who didn’t achieve the A-level results they hoped for, as leading universities, such as those within the Russell Group, will be more likely than ever to offer places to those who missed their grades or did better than expected.
University admissions departments in fierce competition
Due to the recent change in legislation, university admissions departments are finding themselves in fierce competition with each other, some even offering cash “scholarships” and other incentives in order to attract potential UK students following their A-level results. Coventry University in the West Midlands is one such university to attempt enrollment incentives, currently offering a UK£1,000 (US$1,660) cashback on tuition fees.
It’s not all good news for students celebrating A-level results day 2014 however, as the uncapping of university admissions numbers has prompted some concerns over course quality. Jude Heaton of charity, Teach First, has said that higher education may begin to see an increased division of classes as the UK risks creating a two-tier system of elite education and second-tier education. This sentiment is also reiterated by the social mobility charity Sutton Trust which has recently warned that UK students from disadvantaged backgrounds are now 10 times less likely to apply to the UK’s 13 most selective institutions, such as Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and LSE.