Over 3,000 'A' students to be turned away from their chosen universities
Thousands of top-performing A-level candidates are today warned by the Universities minister that they should consider lowering their sights and applying for a less prestigious university next year.
More than 3,000 straight "A"-grade students are expected to be turned away by the institutions of their choice when the results of this year's exams are published. Overall, 200,000 of the 660,000 candidates who have applied to university face disappointment.
In an interview with The Independent, the Universities minister, David Willetts, said these students should not expect to get into their first-choice university next year either.
"Obviously I do accept, sadly, it does look as if there will be quite a number of young people who don't get a place," he said.
One option for disappointed youngsters with top-grade passes would be to "look at applying for slightly less competitive universities for next year", he said. "There have been cases of students with excellent A-levels who haven't got places."
His comments immediately provoked fury from lecturers' leaders.
Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: "I am appalled that the Government is now telling hardworking A-level students to 'aim lower', not higher. Asking some pupils to aim lower does not solve the problem of thousands of them missing out on university places, it just changes who might miss out."
Mr Willetts' comments came as it emerged the scramble for university places was so tight this year that at least 17 institutions would have no places left to offer in clearing this year for A-level candidates.
These included Reading, which had 100 last year but could only offer overseas students places this year.
Other options canvassed by Mr Willetts would include going to a further education college and studying for a degree-level course.
The minister is keen to promote the idea that students could sign on at their local further education college and study for degree courses set by top universities. "Going away from home for three years to a residential university is not necessarily the right thing for everyone," he said.
Speaking against the background of a growing clamour for ministers to increase the number of university places on offer, Mr Willetts held out the prospect of more youngsters studying at the Open University. "It doesn't have the same challenges and restrictions [on student numbers] that are faced by other universities," he said. Last year, the number of 18- to 21-year-olds it had enrolled went up by 36 per cent to 1,810. For the first time, more than one in four students (17,255) were under 25.
In addition, Mr Willetts said the Government had provided funding for 50,000 extra apprenticeships this year – although earlier this week BT revealed that it had had 24,000 applications for 221 places.
drive from www.independent.co.uk
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