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ENGINEERING BULLETIN

Publisher: All-Russian public organization "Academy of Engineering Sciences named after A.M. Prokhorov".

Limits on student numbers must be lifted, say heads

16.08.2010

With few jobs available, universities must be allowed to admit more undergraduates this year.

Universities must be allowed to exceed admission targets so that more young people can study, the leader of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) said yesterday.
Geoff Lucas, the general secretary of the HMC, which represents 250 leading independent schools in the UK, said there is a strong financial argument for universities being allowed to offer places to students beyond current admission targets.

"We want to put pressure on the Government to reduce the potential fines for universities that over recruit. Our view, this year particularly, is that with the potent cocktail of factors – reduced funding, fewer places and bleak employment opportunities, the Government ought to be more sensitive in looking at each university on a case-by-case basis rather than issuing an automatic fine," Mr Lucas said. "There's going to be a cost if these applicants are unemployed, so there's a counteracting fiscal argument. If the universities are willing to take students and there are potential places, it would be much more equitable and sensible."

Last year, £16m in grants was stripped from universities and colleges that recruited too many students – £3,778 per student for 4,235 places in 60 institutions. More than 660,000 people have applied for university this year, and record numbers of school leavers, including those predicted to get top grades, will be turned away, experts predict. They face tough competition from mature students, many of whom were rejected last year. Bleak employment prospects have also led to increased numbers of students applying for degree courses. As a result, as many as 225,000 students are likely to miss out on places.

Mr Lucas warned that less-advantaged students could well be the ones likely to miss out. "It is undoubtedly true that social class and parental factors will have a significant affect on the experiences and opportunities that students have. Schools which have a tradition of sending children to university are honed and practised, whether it's Oxbridge interviews or that they are more familiar with the whole process. We have noticed in the past year the growing complexity of the application process."

Important factors are more likely to be missed, such as whether a student's education has been interrupted through illness or family disruption.

Source: The Independent

Photo: The Independent

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