Record Numbers Take Up University Places

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs and Education Editor

A record number of students have been accepted into university, with nearly 400,000 taking up degree offers so far.

As young people across the UK receive their A-level results, Ucas, the organisation which handles the admissions process, said 396,990 had been awarded places - up 3% on last year.

Those who received low grades were expected to enjoy unprecedented access to university, with up to 30,000 new places created.

A decision by the Government to abolish the cap on student numbers could have a dramatic effect on this year's cohort, with fierce competition among universities seeking to attract school leavers.

Some were offering cash "scholarships", rewarding students for their A-level results, while others were offering reductions on accommodation and free tablet computers.

Mary Curnock-Cook, chief executive of Ucas, told Sky News: "Compared with their brothers and sisters two or three years ago, students will feel it's a little easier (to get into university)."

Coventry University, which is offering a £1,000 cashback, said the giveaways did make a difference but did not unduly influence students.

Deputy vice chancellor Ian Marshall said: "It makes a slight difference but most students come to university on the basis of the subject they are interested in, and the reputation of the institution."

One student, who received an offer to study at London Goldsmith's University, said he was deferring his place to take an apprenticeship.

Rhasan Brunner, 19, from Brooke House Sixth Form College in Hackney, northeast London, said students should think twice about doing degrees, which now cost up to £9,000 a year for tuition fees alone.

"I would say university isn't the best option for all students," he said.

"Since the Government raised tuition fees, students have to take out loans. That debt is going to stay over their head for quite a long time.

"Plus nowadays jobs are really rare and scarce and quite competitive, so it doesn't really guarantee you a job after university."

The decision to expand the number of student places comes amid increasing concern about quality assurance in higher education and job prospects for graduates, with recent figures showing almost half of graduates were in non-graduate level jobs.

However, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "This shouldn't be about ever higher numbers - it should be about ever higher standards.

"An A-level is still a significant achievement ... and what we want to see is an A-level stand that future employers and universities have confidence in."

Access to university has been expanding since the 1960s, when a report by economist Lionel Robbins advocated opening up higher education to all those who qualified by virtue of ability and attainment.

Two years ago, the Government abolished the cap on students with the highest grades, essentially paving the way for the expansion of the elite Russell Group of universities.

But the new expansion for students with lower grades - which could also include an additional 60,000 extra students next year - has prompted concerns about quality.

Jude Heaton, from Teach First, a charity set up to end inequality in education, said: "The risk there is we create a two-tier system, where pupils from richer backgrounds go to the most selective institutions ... (while) people from poorer backgrounds have an almost second tier university education."

Such concerns are likely to be further fuelled by a report by social mobility charity Sutton Trust earlier this week, which warned that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are still 10 times less likely to apply to the UK's 13 most selective universities.

There are also reports that today's results will confirm a deepening of the gender divide, as girls continue to shun STEM - science, technology, engineering and maths.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Record Numbers Take Up University Places

Dengan url

http://kotasepisunyi.blogspot.com/2014/08/record-numbers-take-up-university-places.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Record Numbers Take Up University Places

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Record Numbers Take Up University Places

sebagai sumbernya