Unconditional offers sell students short

Unconditional offers are not in the best interests of applicants.

This was demonstrated by Ucas’ recent report, which outlined how holding an unconditional offer as a first, firm choice disincentivises students, increasing the likelihood of them missing their predicted grades.

At the University of Sheffield, this is a view we’ve long shared, steering clear of them, except where a student has already completed their A levels or equivalent. Reconciling the use of unconditional offers with our commitment to being a responsible recruiter wouldn’t be easy.

Universities have always had the option to make conditional or unconditional offers through the Ucas application system. In short, the decision about which offer to make to a student was historically made on the basis of whether or not they already hold all the necessary qualifications to succeed on the course: unconditional offers made only to those already qualified; conditional offers to those needing to complete their studies.

In 2015 this changed. In the years that have followed, many universities have made unconditional offers a standard part of their admissions cycle. To put it into context, one-third of applicants aged 18 received an unconditional offer last year.

But the facts are clear: unconditional offers often encourage students to take their foot off the gas at a time when they need to be working to the best of their ability.

They must do this not only to get into a good university but also to give them the best chance of success in what is an incredibly competitive job market.

Although unconditional offers might seem like a welcoming comfort blanket for a student at what is a crucial point in their academic life, the knock-on effect is that students often don’t perform as well in their exams.

Even before that point, unconditional offers can encourage students to take an “easy route”. Instead of having confidence in their own abilities and aiming high, they can prompt students to make the wrong decisions in terms of where and what course they want to study, something they may regret.

And what about when the student starts university? They need to be ready to work to deadlines and under pressure during their degree – their A levels or equivalent offer important preparation for this. It’s no good for students to be disincentivised by the reassurance of an unconditional offer and therefore not have practice thriving at exam time.

At Sheffield, we want to motivate students to aim for high levels of attainment – this is only a positive for them.

So if unconditional offers come with so many negatives, why is the sector still using them? Sadly, it’s got a lot to do with simply getting people through the door.

Sam Gyimah, former minister for universities, did not mince his words in his criticism of unconditional offers, calling universities “completely irresponsible” for handing out unconditional offers just to get bums on seats.

I appreciate that it is hard – every university is under pressure to meet recruitment targets. Each institution will be best placed to understand its own context and its own cohorts, as well as its own pressures to recruit and how those are affected by rankings and higher or lower tariffs.

However, there is one thing we all have in common as a sector: a collective responsibility to put the applicant at the heart of the recruitment experience. As such, we shouldn’t allow the market to drive us to act in ways that are not in students’ best interests.

What is the solution? Now the spotlight is on the sector, it may be that it comes under pressure to discontinue issuing unconditional offers to students ahead of their exam results.

Institutional autonomy is hard to interfere with, so a ban seems unlikely to manage – but a clear position from the Office for Students will encourage universities to think twice about their use.

Ultimately, it’s worth us all taking the time to remember who is central to the application process: our students.

It’s our responsibility to ensure that their future prospects and their ability to thrive while at university are as strong as they can be – unconditional offers just aren’t conducive to this.

Liz Carlile is head of admissions at the University of Sheffield.