Students face wait to apply to university

Ucas warns that significant reforms are needed because the current system is “complex, lacks transparency for many applicants and is inefficient and cumbersome".?Photo: GETTY IMAGES

In a report published today , the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) proposes scrapping the current system in which students apply for courses based on predicted grades.

Under reforms that could be introduced in 2016, teenagers will sit exams as early as Easter and A-level results will be published at the start of July, instead of mid-August.

Applications would also be limited to just two choices – instead of the current five – and all degree courses would start in October.

Ucas warns that significant reforms are needed because the current system is “complex, lacks transparency for many applicants and is inefficient and cumbersome for [universities]”.

It says that many students apply for university before they are ready and fail to make sensible back-up choices, leaving many without any places at all if they fall narrowly short of predicted grades.

A consultation document warns that almost half of predicted grades are wrong and more than a quarter of pupils receive at least one under-prediction – often forcing them to drop applications to top universities.

In a damning conclusion, Ucas also claims that the traditional clearing system, in which students without a place compete for spare courses in late August, is “inefficient, stressful and confusing for applicants”.

Currently, most students apply for university between October and January, seven to 10 months before results are published.

The National Union of Students welcomed the plans, saying evidence showed that applicants from poorer backgrounds were more likely to be failed by predicted grades.

But the proposals are likely to be opposed by many schools and colleges because it will cut the amount of teaching time available in their pupils’ final year. It could also lead to more mistakes during exam marking as the process has to be speeded up considerably.

Top universities also fear that it could cause chaos as admissions tutors are forced to consider tens of thousands of applications in just a few weeks instead of months.

Consultation into the plans opens today and is due to end in January.

David Willetts, the Universities Minister, said the Government would consider the proposals, adding: “Making the university application process simpler and more efficient would be good news for students.

“It is important that applicants understand how the system works and that any unnecessary burdens on institutions are removed.”

The American dream: How to apply to a US university

With UK tuition fees at ￡9,000 per annum, increasing numbers of our bright Sixth Formers are looking hard at the North American education option. America spends twice as much on its universities as Europe and its universities dominate international league tables.

Today, staff and pupils from more than 200 British schools are attending a United States universities conference and fair at King’s College School Wimbledon (http://www.kcs.org.uk/) to find out more about studying in the US.

If you've missed out on the event, here is a list of factors to consider before applying to a US university.

1. There are more than 4000 colleges and universities in the USA of which about 2,000 offer undergraduate degree programmes.

2. The general type of programme offered falls under the heading of “liberal arts”, although it will involve “majoring” in a particular subject. American universities greatly respect the breadth and rigour of the IB.

3. With a view to working in the UK eventually, it is important to obtain a degree from an institution that is recognized and highly rated here.

4. Partly due to their wealth, and to a society that values and invests in education, the top American universities dominate the world university rankings.

5. Fees for American universities vary from one institution to another but the more prestigious ones can be in the region of $50,000-$60,000 per year. Remember that degrees in the USA usually take four years.

6. Most American universities will expect UK candidates to have A-levels/IB or equivalent and a minimum of five GCSEs (including English and Mathematics).

7. Most US universities will expect undergraduate applicants to complete Scholastic Assessment Tests or SAT tests. These tests have been developed by The College Board, to measure verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities, rather than factual knowledge. The tests are set on specific dates at designated test centres around the UK.

8. Most universities also require applicants to also take the SAT II Tests which are subject specific.

9. The Fulbright Commission organises “College Day’, an annual event held in London in either late September or early October. All those seriously thinking about applying to USA universities should attend this event.

10. Practice SAT tests and details of UK test centres are available from The College Board (www.collegeboard.com). For help and tutoring for SAT Tests see The Studyworks: www.studyworks.com and for Kaplan Test Prep: www.kaptest.co.uk