Commenting on the recommendations from the Fair Admissions review
published by Universities UK, Chris Millward, Director for Fair
Access and Participation at the Office for Students, said:
‘A fair and robust admissions system is essential for ensuring
equality of opportunity for all students, and must help
applicants from all backgrounds choose and gain admission to the
best possible course and university or college for them.
‘There is evidence that disadvantaged students could benefit from
a system where offers are made on the basis of grades achieved
rather than predicted grades, particularly in applications to the
most selective universities. Post-qualification admissions could
also help improve transparency in contextual admissions and other
entry requirements. But it is not a magic bullet for fair access.
‘So, we will consider all of UUK’s proposals carefully, including
the proposed move to post-qualification admissions, and continue
to work with partners across the higher education sector to
improve the admissions system – that means identifying how to
remove barriers to disadvantaged applicants, promoting
transparency and clarity about the admissions process and
ensuring the system works fairly for all.
‘There is widespread recognition that aspects of the current
system are not working. For example, research suggests that
students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to
receive under-predicted A-level grades. We have also temporarily
banned ‘conditional unconditional’ offers during the pandemic due
to the pressure that they can put on students to make choices
which may not be in their best interests.
‘As Universities UK proposes today, we have also called for
universities to make a deeper commitment to contextual offer
making. We know that school results are not achieved under equal
conditions, and it is crucial that universities and colleges
recognise candidates’ potential when making admissions decisions.
That’s what they have committed to do through the access and
participation plans agreed with OfS.’
Notes
- Last year, the OfS launched its own admissions review which
helped to advance the debate on post-qualification admissions
as well as other aspects of the admissions process. This was
paused in March alongside all other consultations to help
reduce the burden on universities and colleges as they deal
with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We will continue to
welcome all comments and perspectives on whether and how the
system in England could be reformed, working closely with all
partners to consider these issues.
- Under new
rules published in July, ‘conditional unconditional’ offers
are prohibited until September 2021. The condition is designed
to prevent the use of unconditional offers and advertising
practices which could have serious negative consequences for
students or for the stability or integrity of England’s higher
education sector.
- Last year, the OfS published an Insight brief exploring the
potential benefits of greater use of contextual admissions.
