The day following the announcement of A-level test results, more than 50,000 students from the United Kingdom were attempting to get admission to further education courses through the clearing system.
This year’s total is the greatest since at least 2013, surpassing previous year’s total of 39,230 at the same time.
Initial statistics released by Ucas on Thursday revealed that the number of students admitted into degree programs in the United Kingdom decreased this year, but was still the second largest on record.
Ucas said that 425,830 persons had confirmed spots on the day results were released, a decrease of 2% compared to the same stage last year but an increase of 16,870 compared to 2019 when the last examinations were held.
On Friday morning, the Ucas website listed 53,510 18-year-old candidates with British citizenship as “free to be put in clearing.”
Due to the rise in applications this year, several colleges have shut down their clearance portals after only 24 hours.
The University of Sheffield informed MailOnline that they had taken the “unprecedented” measure of closing clearing this morning.
The route was generally available for “many weeks,” but yesterday it was closed owing to the “volume” of applications from “high-achieving” pupils.
The University of Manchester informed MailOnline that they had a limited amount of courses available in clearing, and that they are now all full.
This year, 214,930 students from the United Kingdom received their first choice, compared to 226,910 the previous year.
Clare Marchant, the chief executive officer of the organization, stated that the increase in the number of 18-year-olds in the population will likely result in “a more competitive environment for students in the coming years.”
This year, 19,830 foreign 18-year-olds were admitted to their first-choice institution, up from 18,880 previous year.
The number decreased from slightly over 20,000 in both 2019 and 2020, but increased from each year prior to 2013 forward.
Ucas said that places for students from China, India, and Nigeria had increased by 35%, 27%, and 43%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland who took summer exams for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic received their results.
Students’ A-level grades in the United Kingdom fell from epidemic highs, but stayed above 2019 levels.
A representative for the University of Sheffield stated, ‘Yesterday, such a huge number of high-achieving students applied through clearing (and previously through our advanced registration service) that we have taken the unusual step of closing clearing to further applications this morning.
The amount of applications from high-achieving pupils was so large in a single day that we decided to take this action.
A representative for Cardiff University told MailOnline that they have’very few’ slots in clearance for ‘high-calibre’ students and invited candidates to contact them since places are in ‘high demand’
On their website, Exeter University stated that all of their cleared spots have been filled, save for their nursing master’s program. According to the Daily Telegraph, Commons Education committee chairman Robert Halfon stated that colleges view overseas students as “cash cows” because of their higher tuition prices.
While we should welcome international students, they should not be a replacement for ensuring that British students are given priority.
I believe they are viewed as a cash cow, which I believe is incorrect.
While foreign students make a “essential contribution,” the Office for Students (OfS) has warned colleges that an excessive dependence on fee money from overseas students may pose a financial risk.
Susan Lapworth, the OfS’s temporary chief executive officer, stated, “Universities may recruit as many British students as they choose for the majority of their programs.”
There are several spots available through clearing for students from the United Kingdom who have not yet secured a place for this academic year.
Overseas students make a significant contribution to the academic and cultural life of English institutions, and recruitment of international students enables less popular courses to be offered each year, therefore expanding the options available to British students.
We have signaled that universities’ over-reliance on fee money from overseas students may pose a financial risk, and we will continue to assess the sector-wide effect of these recruiting practices.
A spokesman for Universities UK stated that domestic students still make up the vast majority of university course places, but that the presence of international students is something to be welcomed. The Government’s International Education Strategy aims to host at least 600,000 international education students in the United Kingdom annually by 2030.
He stated that overseas students have a “great beneficial economic impact on towns and cities around the United Kingdom” and that their fees are put back into a university’s activity, “including educating UK students – ensuring that everyone can benefit from a high-quality experience.”
On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland who took summer exams for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic received their results.
Students’ A-level grades in the United Kingdom fell from epidemic highs, but stayed above 2019 levels.
Students are eligible to obtain a seat in clearing for a variety of reasons, according to a Ucas spokesperson, including those who are “very clever and continually examining their alternatives” and those who have a confirmed offer but utilize clearing to make a fresh decision.