Universities 'allow increasing numbers of students in without asking for any grades'
The IndependentGet the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Universities are reportedly accepting an increasing number of students onto courses without asking for any grades, amid growing competition among higher education institutions to attract more undergraduates. As sixth-form students across the UK prepare to receive their A-level results next week, figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph show that unconditional offers at some of Britain’s leading institutions have more than doubled over the past five years. Admissions figures obtained by the newspaper through Freedom of Information requests reveal a sharp rise in the number of such offers by universities across the UK, including nine of the leading Russell Group institutions. A recent report by the university admission service Ucas warned that unconditional offers were, in part, to blame for a fall in the number of A-level students achieving their predicted grades between 2010 and 2015.
History of this topic
A-level results 2023: Fall in number of students accepted on university courses amid warning over results
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More poorer students could receive no university offers as demand grows – Ucas
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Applicants choosing only competitive universities ‘unlikely’ to get many offers
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Students will find it harder to get into top universities this year – report
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More universities handing out high number of ‘strings attached’ unconditional offers despite crackdown
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Majority of school leavers receive university offer with an incentive, research suggests
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‘Entrenched’ grade inflation in danger of making degrees worthless, education secretary warns
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Universities urged to stop using ‘unethical’ tactics to pressure students into accepting places
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Universities could face fines for offering high number of degree places regardless of exam grades, regulator warns
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More than one in three students offered place on degree regardless of exam grades
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London university stops making unconditional offers in bid to ‘maintain standards’
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A-level results day: Fears grow over unconditional university offers as some students stop attending school
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Ucas warns surge in unconditional university offers means students may take 'foot off the gas'
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UK universities offer students degree discounts, football tickets and iPads amid Brexit concerns
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University admissions: Sharp rise in unconditional offers 'makes institutions look desperate'
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Teachers boosting predicted A-level grades to help pupils win top university places
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