Nearly 100,000 candidates who are scrambling for a UK university place are set to miss out because they are “not strong enough”.

The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) said yesterday that the number of would-be students still eligible for clearing places is at an all-time high 189,267.

But the admissions body then added: “Based on previous admissions cycles, we expect that within this number around half will be applicants whose qualifications are not strong enough to support progression to their chosen courses.” UCAS is advising those it believes to have aimed too high to contact its exams hotline and discuss their future with specially trained careers advisers on hand to answer their enquiries.

It could be they then aim for a less demanding course, or seek one of the growing number of apprenticeships being offered by firms to A-level students this year.

A record number of youngsters have been placed in UK universities and colleges. The figure yesterday morning was 425,487 – 10,416 more than at the same time in 2010.

That means 62.2 per cent of those who applied have been successful – compared with 61.4 per cent last year. Since the number of university places on offer this year is about the same as last year – at 487,000 – it means that those left in the clearing race now have a fast-diminishing chance of snapping up a university place.

A total of 61,737 applicants are still awaiting a decision on their university application. They could have narrowly missed out on their grades and still be waiting to see if the university concerned will confirm their offer. Some may be appealing against their grades, particularly in the light of the blunders in exam papers which were exposed this year.

Exam board officials are bracing themselves for a higher-than-average number of appeals in the wake of the 12 mistakes – which involved all three of the biggest examination boards in this country – that came to light.

By early on Monday, 17,878 places had been snapped up through the system used to allocate remaining places, compared to 13,597 a year ago – a 31% rise.

Record university applications ahead of next year’s tuition free rises sparked fears of an unprecedented scramble.

But Ucas says there is only a slight rise in places pressure on last year.

The number of applicants is about 10,000 higher than last year, at 684,098, but the number of places available remains unchanged, at about 480,000.

By Monday, about 425,487 university places had been filled in total, about 10,000 more at this point last year.

This leaves about 55,000 still to be filled.

‘Most competitive year’
It remains unclear how many of these are yet to be allocated directly to people who have already applied for them, and how many are available through clearing.

But with more students accepted directly by universities this year, Ucas has said there are likely to be fewer clearing places.

Last year, about 47,000 students got places through clearing, which is used mainly by students who were not offered places or did not get the necessary grades to secure a place they were offered.

Some 300,000 students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their A-level results on Thursday.

But many faced a stressful day trying to confirm whether they had a university place, as a key part of the Ucas website was overwhelmed with traffic and had to be taken down for a few hours.

In total, 61,737 applicants are still waiting for a decision on their place, although this is down slightly on last year’s figure.

Ucas head Mary Curnock-Cook has said that this year is statistically “the most competitive year in history” for university applications.

But she said the difference is slight, with total applications up just 1% on last year – which was itself a record after larger increases in previous years.

Record numbers – nearly 220,000 – will remain unplaced this year, she has said, although on the basis of past figures, half of those are likely to either turn down places or withdraw their applications.

Fees rise
Many students have been keen to avoid the September 2012 rise in tuition fees, primarily for students living in England, which will see study costs rise nearly threefold.

But Ms Curnock-Cook has said it will still be the right decision for some students to re-apply next year, if the best course for them is not available through clearing.

And Universities Minister David Willetts argues that monthly repayments will be lower and the repayment threshold for graduates will be higher under the new system.

Tuition fees are paid up front by the government, in the form of loans paid back once the graduate begins earning £21,000.

But critics note that students from 2012 will face much higher total debts, and pay higher interest rates.

Universities in England will be charging tuition fees of up to £9,000 – nearly three times the present level of just over £3,000 a year.

Welsh universities are also raising their fees to as much as £9,000, although Welsh students will have the increase subsidised wherever they study in the UK.

Scottish students studying in Scotland pay no fees, but the Scottish government has proposed allowing universities plan to charge up to £9,000 a year for students from other parts of the UK.

Northern Ireland’s ministers have said there will be no major rise in fees in its universities in 2012.]

from BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14614091

Figures published by the admissions service Ucas show that a record 195,415 people are now eligible for clearing.

And 3,692 students have already secured a place through the system. Some of these will be Scottish students who gained their place after their results were published earlier this month.

The figure is down on last year, when around 4,000 youngsters had taken up a clearing place by this point, just a day after the publication of A-level results.

Clearing matches students who did not get the grades they needed, or who turned down offers or received none, to courses with vacancies.

Universities minister David Willetts yesterday suggested there will be 40,000 or more places in clearing this year.

But with 195,000 eligible for the process this could still mean that potentially, five students are fighting for every place.

Some students will now drop out and not enter clearing.

In total, 401,000 students have already had their university places confirmed, a rise of 7,500 on 2010, Ucas said.

And around 78,000 youngsters are still awaiting a decision from their chosen university.

The figures come as the head of Ucas Mary Curnock Cook said “lessons have been learned” from the debacle that saw a crucial website shut down yesterday.

The rush for clearing places was exacerbated when a fivefold increase in the number of visits to the Ucas Track website forced the site to close temporarily.

Tens of thousands of students were left in limbo when the service, which allows students to check if they have secured their university place, was shut down.

Ms Curnock Cook today told BBC News that the spike in visits, up to 644 a second at its peak, was down to users finding out the site had “soft-launched” and alerting their peers through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

“I think our lessons learned from yesterday was that just in the space of 12 months the way that young people communicate with each other using social media has changed out of all proportion,” she said.

A lack of university places, funding cuts and the promise of £9,000 tuition fees are creating mounting problems for youngsters, they said.

TUC deputy general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Today many thousands will be rightly rewarded for their hard work with excellent A-level results and a fantastic chance to go to university.

“But because of the rush to avoid next year’s fees hike, and the Government’s refusal to fund extra university places, record numbers of students will lose out on higher education altogether.”

She added: “Young people are being badly let down by this government – a failure that carries a devastating social and economic impact. Ministers need to step up and prioritise providing more jobs and training for young people.”

Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students (NUS) said: “It is great that so many students have seen their hard work pay off. We should be celebrating the numerous individual successes that today represents, but unfortunately we can be under no illusion about how challenging the current circumstances are for students.

“Those receiving their results today will sadly have to keep their wits about them and avoid the temptation to panic as they seek to navigate through the chaos and confusion left for them by ministers who, unlike many of the students receiving their results, have failed to do their sums properly.

“With youth unemployment once again pushing one million, now is not the time for the limits placed on university places, nor for the disastrous combination of education funding cuts and tuition fee rises which have created a perfect storm for a generation of young people.”

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) said: “The Government places itself in serious danger of alienating an entire generation of young people.

“The continual squeeze on university places comes at a time when yet more of our 16-24 year olds – another 38,000 in fact – are not studying or working. That is now more than one in five of our young people and will have devastating consequences for this generation.

“Stripping away careers and support services for young people whose next step is uncertain entrenches the disadvantage.”

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Students should be celebrating their results and planning their futures. Instead they are hit with huge tuition fees, rising unemployment and drastic career service cuts.

“These students have come to a major crossroads, yet have no skilled help in choosing a route. If they feel that options are blocked off to them it will create a lost generation of young people.”

Over the past five years, maths exam entries have risen by 40.2%, making it one of the most successful subjects chosen by students.

A total of 82,995 took the subject this year, with an additional 12,287 taking further mathematics – a rise of 7.4% from last year. In the science field, chemistry entries saw the biggest rise, of 9.2% from last year, with biology entries up 7.2% and physics up by 6.1%.

Andrew Hall, chief executive of exam awarding body AQA said there was an “absolutely astonishing increase” in science and maths subjects. He added: “The stonking increase in maths and science over the last five years is the most significant thing we have seen in this set of results.”

Ziggy Liaquat, managing director of Edexcel, referred to the increasing presence of science and maths in popular culture and added: “It could be the Brian Cox effect. It could be as simple as that.”

Physicist Professor Cox, presenter of Wonders of the Universe, said today he believed there had been a “step change” in the public’s opinion of science.

He said: “I go to schools and I see and hear there are a lot of kids, girls as well as boys, interested in science and engineering.

“This is the message, that these subjects are great things to do – for the individual it’s great because there is a shortage of scientists and engineers, but it’s also great for the country, because our country needs these people to improve our economy in the 21st century.

“I think there has been a shift. I don’t think it’s just down to me, but we can’t underestimate the effect of television. The BBC has got to be congratulated, because it’s got a strategy.”

Professor Cox said the Government now needed to seize the opportunity and implement a national science and engineering strategy.

He said: “I think the Government now, the ball is in their court. The media, professional bodies, universities and teachers are trying hard and have made a difference, but now the Government has got to seize the moment.

“What we’ve done is change the image of science. Not completely, but we’ve made a good start.

“Now we need a national strategy to make Britain the best place in the world to do science and engineering.”

Mr Liaquat pointed to the beginning of the financial downturn as the impetus for students to choose to study science and maths.

He said: “When these students would have made their choices two years ago, it would have been at the very beginning of the global economic downturn, when businesses were crying out for students and young people to have skills in science, engineering and maths.

“What we are seeing today is the outcome of those choices. Students are making far more informed choices on what’s going to give them success in terms of jobs, university and meeting the needs of the economy, which we all know has to compete in a global marketplace. That’s a really positive message from today.”

Jim Sinclair, director of the Joint Council for Qualifications, said the science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects had risen significantly, and added: “The increase in the number of students taking maths and the sciences suggest that young people are listening to the repeated calls from industry for more people to study the Stem subjects.”

Mark Dawe, chief executive of the OCR board, said businesses had been “crying out for engineers and those with mathematical skills”.

He added: “I think that message is getting through now, that if you have got mathematics, it is a passport to many, many options.”

Under the current university system, students pick a first choice, and are then allowed to pick a “back-up” degree course, as their “insurance”.

The insurance place would usually require lower grades than the first choice.

But more than two-fifths of students are choosing back-up places that require the same grades, or more, according to UCAS chief executive Mary Curnock Cook.

She warned that the insurance system is not performing as intended.

“The insurance system was originally designed as a back stop,” she said.

“The pattern more recently is people are holding insurance offers which are equal or even more difficult than their first choice, in terms of conditions.”

Ms Curnock Cook added: “Personally, I do feel we need to have a different approach on how we provide a back stop, that’s an important consideration for the admissions process review, which we are still working on.

“If young people need a back stop, which some clearly do, I don’t think the current insurance arrangements are performing as well as they could do.”

Ms Curnock Cook suggested that students may not be getting good enough advice.

“Personally, I think if they were better advised they would be less likely to make that decision,” she said.

Figures suggested a drop in students placed through their insurance offer, with 40,000 taking up this place last year, while 47,000 found a course through clearing.

Asked if students were holding two similar offers in order to keep their options open, Ms Curnock Cook said: “We do see some evidence from our contact centres of young people who want to change their minds during the cycle or at this point.

“This is a time for young people to mature enormously, in their last two years at school or college, and we shouldn’t be surprised if nearly a year after they have made their choices that they have changed their minds.”

The National Union of Students said moves by UCAS to reform admissions have been welcome, saying they were pleased that recognition of vocational qualifications, and admissions that take account of a student’s circumstances as well as grades, were now on the agenda, as well as “post-qualification admissions” (PQA).

Under PQA, students apply to university after receiving their A-level results.

But NUS president Liam Burns said: “Unless applicants are given better advice about how they should handle their applications and universities become much more transparent about the criteria they use to decide between applicants, then mistakes will be made and talented young people will risk missing out on a university place because of poor guidance.”

The numbers, released by the university admissions service Ucas, will add pressure to disappointed A-level students facing an intense scramble to secure a place at university.

Clearing is available to students who failed to meet the grades required for their first choice of university and their insurance offer, as well as those who declined all their offers or did not receive any.

With universities increasing tuition fees from next year, competition for places is fiercer than ever and the clearing process is expected to last over the next few days.

Ucas said that by midnight last night there were 185,684 students eligible for clearing, compared to 180,632 at the same time last year.

Ucas added that the number of courses showing vacancies is 29,409 – a drop from 33,105 last year.

The service said that 56.4% of the 681,593 people who applied to start undergraduate university courses this autumn have been accepted so far – the same figure as last year.

But while the proportion of top grades rose, the percentage of exams scoring at least an A stalled for the first time in 15 years.

In total, 8.2% of entries were awarded an A* this year, up 0.1 percentage points from 8.1% last year, the first year the grade was introduced.

More than one in four (27%) exams achieved at least an A, the same percentage as in 2010. The last time this percentage plateaued was in 1996 and 1997, when 15.7% of exams were awarded at least an A.

Overall this year, the pass rate rose for the 29th year in a row, with 97.8% of A-level entries receiving at least an E – up from 97.6% last summer.

Today’s figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), also show that boys have closed the gap with girls on A* grades.

Some 8.2% of boys’ entries achieved an A* this year, up from 7.9% in 2010. Girls’ performance dipped slightly, with 8.2% of girls’ entries awarded the top grade, down slightly from 8.3%.

More than 250,000 teenagers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving their A-level results today.

But while many will already be celebrating, others still face a scramble to secure a university place.

More than 384,000 would-be students are believed to have already had university applications accepted, according to the latest Ucas figures, while around 185,000 people are eligible for clearing. Both figures are up on last year.

The A-level results were published as Universities Minister David Willetts stressed the importance of “traditional” A-level subjects for university admissions.

He said that subjects such as dance and media studies should not be recognised as core academic subjects.

Mr Willetts told the Daily Telegraph that the points system used in university admissions “sends a very bad message to young people by implying that all A-levels have an equal chance of helping them into university”.

He added that Ucas, which processes university applications, needs to “signal the importance of some A-levels more than others” and that “the message is often hidden behind a tariff point model”.

The telegraph has a deal with UCAS and an application for your iphone or android device.

For the first time, applicants will be able to search available Clearing places by university, course and region on a website other than UCAS.

If you’re on holiday, it’s advisable to come home and sort out your options. How do I get a university place through Clearing? Clearing is a system offered by the admissions service, Ucas, that finds suitable vacancies on degree courses.

What should I do on A-level results day?

You may get your results by text, email or in the post, but it’s still a good idea to go to your school or college on results day. By doing this, you can get help and advice from your teachers. Universities will have already got your results, and you can use the Ucas Track system to trace the progress of your application.

What should I do if I don’t get the grades I needed?

Hard though it is, it’s important not to panic, because there are options open to you. If you don’t have the grades for your first choice university or course, you may get offered a place with your insurance or second option.

If you still want to go to university, you can try to get a place through Clearing, but most places go within a few days and you will need to act decisively and fast. If you’re on holiday, it’s advisable to come home and sort out your options.

How do I get a university place through Clearing?

Clearing is a system offered by the admissions service, Ucas, that finds suitable vacancies on degree courses. If you are flexible and have reasonably good exam results, there is a good chance of finding a course.

You can approach as many universities as you wish during Clearing. Don’t feel that you have to accept the first offer. Nearly 47,000 people found places in higher education through the system last year.

How do I find out what courses are available and choose the best one for me?

Official vacancy lists are published on the Ucas website and in The Telegraph newspaper following results day in August. You don’t have to stick to the subject choices that you made originally – there may be other areas which might suit you better on the basis of the grades you have.

How do I give myself the best chance of getting a place through Clearing?

You can prepare in advance by researching courses and universities you are interested in, and even phoning before results day to find out if they are likely to have clearing places available.

Plan to get your results as early in the day as you can, to give yourself a head start. Universities and colleges will want to speak with you directly – not your parents! Be prepared to explain why you want to study the course.

How do I challenge my results?

If you feel strongly that your grades are wrong and do not reflect your ability, you can ask for a re-mark of your papers. Requests for re-marking can only be done through your school or college. Make sure someone there is dealing with the matter.

Priority re-marks can be requested for those students with university places at stake. There is a fee for this service which is reimbursed only if there is a grade change. The Joint Council for Qualifications has guidelines on the Post-results service available to schools.

What if I get better grades than expected?

Ucas operates a system called Adjustment for those candidates who get better results than expected and want to try for a more competitive university.

Although the Adjustment process is available from A-level results day until 31 August, individuals only have a five-day window in which to showcase their application to universities.

Of course, with so many young people likely to be rushing to take up places this year before the fees increase next year, the competition will be high. But the good news is that if you don’t find a suitable place somewhere else through Adjustment, you will remain accepted at your original choice.

Would it be better to wait until next year and try again?

There is always the possibility of taking a gap year – perhaps doing some volunteer work, travelling or getting a job. But new fee arrangements for degree courses – up to £9k a year – come into force next year, so it’s worth thinking things through carefully and taking advice.

Sites like Money saving expert and Student finance direct will give you a good idea of the financial implications.

You could also ask your local further education college for information about other routes to degree-level qualifications, such as foundation degrees and diplomas.

However, some advisers point out that it may be better to wait a year and go somewhere that is right for you, even if it means facing higher fees, than making a hasty decision you will regret later.

Could I do something else altogether?

Not everyone goes to university and many who don’t carve out highly successful careers – take Richard Branson or Alan Sugar. Some careers such as accountancy can be pursued with qualifications you study for while working. Apprenticeships are an option, though there can be stiff competition – vacancies are listed on the National Apprenticeships Service website.

Sites like Not going to university might give you a few ideas, and there are also hundreds of job profiles on the government-run Next Stepwebsite, with information about how to enter each career.

On the other hand, many professions like teaching and medicine do require a degree and you could find that some doors are closed to you later in life (or much harder to open) if you do not have one.

Where can I go for advice?

If you need help navigating clearing or adjustment, ring Ucas customer service on 0871 468 0 468.

Ucas also operates an exam results helpline on 0808 100 8000, offering advice for young people who do not get the grades they had hoped for.

The government is currently changing its careers advice provision, and is phasing out the old Connexions network. But you can still email or telephone a careers adviser.

I am Scottish and did not do well in my Highers. What can I do?

The government-funded agency, Skills Development Scotland, has a helpline which offers advice. Scottish students can still use Ucas and its services to find a university place.