The UK’s university application system could be dramatically changed following a proposal for pupils to apply only after receiving their A-level results.
The plan, revealed by the UCAS chief executive to university vice-chancellors, would see exams set at least a month earlier, in April and May, so results could be released in July. This system, which could be implemented as early as 2016, would enable pupils to apply for courses the following autumn, replacing the current system of conditional offers entirely.
Arguments supporting change were strengthened by UCAS investigations finding only 45% of predicted grades, upon which many applications are currently based, have proven accurate. A Warwick University researcher explained this as the result of private schools over-predicting results as they “compete to get [students] into Oxbridge and other Russell group universities”. Contrarily, some state schools, particularly those which may be unused to pupils receiving top grades, have been unwilling under the present system to predict strong results.
The proposal was welcomed by Jack Watson, JCR Secretary at Regent’s Park, who stated, “There are numerous candidates who are more than capable of achieving [the 3 A] entry requirement but fail to apply to Oxford because they lack the self-belief that they will achieve 3 A’s or don’t have teachers familiar with sending students to Oxbridge to drive them to do so.” However, Watson did caution that “a private school applicant is statistically more likely to have better A level grades than a comprehensive school applicant”, so access would only improve if there was no increased time-pressure forcing an over-reliance on grades.
Jack Evans, JCR President at Corpus, more positively stated that post-qualification applications could “only strengthen the opportunities for those from poorer backgrounds applying to Oxford.” He confidently predicted that “if Oxford really feels as passionately about the interviewing process as they claim (…) the existing admissions arrangements will just be pushed back six months” rather than criteria being changed.
An Oxford Admissions spokesperson gave this reassurance, stating that “at Oxford exam results are really only the minimum requirement rather than the determining factor.” The university currently looks at written work, admissions tests and interviews and there has been no suggestion that these would be sacrificed were there to be a change in application dates.
One second-year student, who went to a state school in South London before applying to Oxford, expressed doubts as to the practicality of such time constraints, commenting, “Oxford’s application process rests upon the aptitude testing and interviewing process, without which the university would struggle to gain a true reflection of each candidate’s potential and course suitability. How such a process could ever feasibly continue within such a shortened time scale remains to be seen.”
Hannah Cusworth, OUSU’s Vice-President for Access and Academic Affairs, also showed the importance of receiving these materials, stating, “Oxford is so oversubscribed for many subjects, and the majority of candidates have the top grades, so tutors will still need these other methods to distinguish between candidates.” Furthermore, Cusworth was sceptical as to whether post-qualification applications could actually greatly help traditionally underrepresented groups. She suggested that “studying at Oxford requires different skills to those needed to get A*s at school”, but “the number of students who get the grades to come to Oxford or Cambridge already corresponds relatively closely to the numbers who apply.”
The Russell Group of Universities was also hesitant to fully back the proposal. A spokesperson stated that they remained unconvinced that the plan would not restrict ability to “make a fair and thorough assessment of applicants” and also warned that applicants would be given a reduced opportunity to decide where to apply. There are concerns that damage could be made to existing outreach schemes and that earlier exams could disadvantage all pupils.
UCAS is currently conducting a review of the admissions process and is collecting feedback on its new proposal, the full details of which are expected to be published in a consultation document in October.
