Admissions

The sector will be damaged if integrity in recruitment is lost, says Janet Graham

The National Scholarship Programme is to be cut by £100 million and made postgraduate-only, as part of savings announced in the coalition’s spending round.

A landmark case on the use of affirmative action in university admissions has ended up without a clear winner after a ruling by the US Supreme Court.

State school children from London and other cities in England are more likely to go on to university after A levels than those from more rural districts, new figures suggest.

THE Leadership and Management Awards charity IntoUniversity in vanguard of outreach

A firm grasp of written English and a passion for a chosen course subject are the most desired attributes in university applicants aside from exam grades, according to a survey of admissions officers, but their social background does not figure so highly.

The proportion of students entering Russell Group universities who are state-educated has fallen in the last decade, a report from a government commission on social mobility has said.

Only £21m of £130.5m scheme reaching student pockets, Hefce finds

Young people in care are not getting enough support or advice to help them reach higher education, a new study says.

Tuition fees major concern for schoolchildren, Sutton Trust discovers

Students at the University of Cambridge have written to an education minister attacking the government’s response to a petition against the plan to scrap AS levels.

Teenagers in one of London’s most deprived boroughs are to receive grants from their local authority to help them attend university.

Students who use a Btec qualification to progress to a degree are slightly more likely to gain employment than their counterparts who take A levels, but will be paid less per hour, research has found.

Universities should lower their entry tariff requirements for students born in August to reflect the lower achievement levels of children born in the summer, a new study suggests.

Andy Westwood and Martin Doel map a route between FE and HE

Details have been released about proposals to allow universities in England to win more undergraduate places if they can show they are recruiting strongly.

Students from ethnic minorities are less likely to be offered a place at a leading research-intensive university than white pupils with the same A-level grades, the UK’s admissions service has confirmed

Overseas students beat UK peers’ tariff scores on many courses, analysis suggests

New ‘ambassador’ aims to improve access to elite institutions

The proportion of young people accessing higher education hit a record high of 49 per cent as students scrambled to avoid last year’s tuition fee hikes, a new study says.

School pupils from poorer backgrounds could be contacted by the government to nudge them towards applying to university if they get good GCSE grades, David Willetts has said.

A rising proportion of university applicants will have vocational qualifications. The sector must respond, says Mary Curnock Cook

Do the data represent the failure of market research or are they the inevitable by-product of a broad curriculum?

Boys have been deterred from going to university more than girls in the first year of higher tuition charges, a new study by the Independent Commission on Fees says.

Watchdog ‘is not putting enough pressure’ on elite universities to widen participation, says report

Universities should seek inspiration from Germany when looking to involve business in their school outreach programmes.

Students from ethnic minorities are less likely to gain places at top universities than white pupils with the same A-level grades, a new study has claimed.

The University of Oxford is set to review its policy on postgraduate admissions after a college reached a settlement with an applicant who claimed it discriminated against poorer students.

Three-quarters of Russell Group universities are failing to meet benchmarks on numbers of state school pupils, according to new figures.

The sector should take the lead on the mooted national widening-participation framework, says Graeme Atherton

Tutor warns of efforts to ‘sucker’ applicants as institutions game system

Universities will not be asked to admit more students from deprived backgrounds in their new access agreements, the director of fair access has indicated.

Some of the highest-achieving A-level students could be unfairly denied a place at the most selective universities if such institutions insist on candidates holding a grade A for GCSE English language, according to a headteachers’ association.

A competition that hopes to encourage more school children to study history of art at university reaches its finale this weekend following a series of eight regional heats.

Comparisons drawn between access plans and scrapped outreach scheme. Jack Grove reports

By Carl Straumsheim, for Inside Higher Ed

Government loans may not be the answer, Hefce director argues. Elizabeth Gibney reports

Gove’s former top civil servant criticise coalition’s ‘naive’ emphasis on Russell Group

The demands on Ucas are growing and changing in nature. Ucas’ board must adapt to reflect this, says Steve Smith

NUS says decision shows ‘market is at heart of system’

The sector must not let claims that application rates vindicate fees policy go unchallenged, says Liam Burns

Ucas data demonstrate wide-ranging impact of fees and funding changes. John Morgan reports

Ucas data demonstrate wide-ranging impact of fees and funding changes. John Morgan reports

Oft-criticised scholarship scheme’s riches will now follow the poor, BIS states. Jack Grove reports

New Office for Fair Access strategies will help universities learn what works best in their efforts to reach ambitious goals, says Les Ebdon

Oft-criticised scholarship scheme’s riches will now follow the poor, BIS states. Jack Grove reports

Universities with lower entry requirements could be at greatest risk of losing students and millions of pounds in income under the new funding regime, data suggest.

Selective universities could be granted extra student numbers to allow them to admit disadvantaged applicants with potential but without the highest grades.

We must leave no stone unturned in making the Oxbridge admissions process as fair and comprehensive as possible, says Miles Hewstone

‘Mixed economy’ for initiatives makes a difference but national ambit is missing. Jack Grove reports

A Tory MP has warned that there is opposition on his party’s front bench to Les Ebdon, following criticism of his comments on the “snobbery” surrounding university education.

Personal experience can drive scholars to push the boundaries in their chosen field, writes Jon Marcus

A national strategy on improving university access is set to be published by next autumn.