Overseas students are outpacing British teens in getting admission to some of the country’s most prestigious colleges, leaving many clamoring for spots when A-level results are published this week.
For the first time, four out of every 10 UK candidates were turned down by the country’s two most prestigious institutions, Oxford and Cambridge.
According to higher education experts, some prestigious colleges are focused on high-paying international students from China and India, who spend an average of £24,000 each year, according to The Sunday Times.
The tuition is about quadruple that of domestic students. According to a survey of undergraduates at Russell Group institutions in England, one in every four are international students.
‘This is the fiercest battle for UK students to secure a degree seat, particularly at one of our premier institutions, for a generation,’ said Mark Corver, former director of statistics at the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
Because they do not pay as much as international students, selective institutions have not attracted as many UK students. This year, the difference between UK and overseas costs is expected to reach about £15,000. Over a three-year study, it equates to an extra £50,000 in revenue per student.
‘Unable to raise tuition for UK students to pay growing expenses, many institutions feel compelled to commit an increasing proportion of slots to international students merely to stay afloat.’
According to statistics from the London School of Economics, 70% of students are from other countries, whereas the number at Edinburgh and King’s College London is 40%. Manchester Metropolitan University has revealed ambitions to more than treble its number of international students. Concerns remain that many UK students are losing out on high scores as a consequence of teacher-assessed work, even as examinations gradually return to their pre-pandemic style.
Clare Marchant, UCAS’s chief executive, warned in June that this year will ‘undoubtedly be more competitive for some courses and providers,’ with 49% of teachers telling the admissions service they were less confident their students would get their first choice of university compared to previous years, and nearly two in five teachers expecting their students to use the clearing process.
Prof Smithers predicts that the gender difference in test scores will diminish, but that girls will continue to outperform males.
He said that some of the assistance provided to students this year to help them transition back to full-fledged tests, such as prior notification of themes, ‘plays to girls’ strengths.’
The professor also anticipated that the results in England and Wales will be close but “still trail considerably behind those in Northern Ireland.”
According to an Ofqual representative, there is “no relationship between grades and the quantity of spaces.”
‘While there may be fewer top marks this year than in 2021 due to the adoption of a new style of assessment (teacher-assessed grades), institutions understand what grades will look like overall this year and have made offers accordingly,’ he added.
‘According to UCAS, although the number of persons postponing last year to this year increased somewhat, the great majority of programmes this year will be unaffected.’
Ms Marchant, in response to the article, said that UCAS expects a’record, or near-record, number of 18-year-olds to gain their first choice this year,’ but added that ‘like in any year, some students may be disappointed when they get their results.’
Sarah Hannafin, senior policy advisor for the NAHT, urged institutions to be flexible and engage with students “to get them on the correct courses and routes for their careers,” taking into consideration “the disruption this year’s students have encountered.”
According to a Department for Education spokesman, ‘last year did not see a high number of deferrals compared to previous years, and UK students take up the vast majority of places on university undergraduate courses compared to international students, so it is not right to suggest that these factors have caused a squeeze on places.’
‘Competition for places at the most selective universities has always been fierce, and this year is no exception – but there will always be a plethora of options for students, whether at another university, through clearing, or high-quality vocational options that are just as prestigious and rewarding as academic routes,’ says the university.