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University Clearing is no longer a ‘bargain basement for the unsuccessful’ amid an explosion of top courses on offer, the head of Ucas has said.
Dr Jo Saxton said sixth formers entering Clearing on A-level results day was the ‘new normal’, with much of the old ‘stigma’ removed.
The admissions chief also said this year’s students could be better-achieving than previous years – opening up the possibility of even higher grades.
And in a wide-ranging interview, she also urged the Government to encourage university entry for students from disadvantaged regional areas.
Dr Saxton was speaking ahead of hundreds of thousands of 18-year-olds receiving their A-level grades on Thursday.
Those who miss their grades and get rejected from their chosen universities can enter Clearing, which matches unplaced students with unfilled places.
Asked if there was still a ‘stigma’ to Clearing, she said: ‘There is a new normal.’
‘Clearing maybe was perceived as a bargain basement – it was for the people who had been unsuccessful.
‘But that is definitely not how current applicants perceive it.’
University Clearing is no longer a ‘bargain basement for the unsuccessful’ amid an explosion of top courses on offer, the head of Ucas Jo Saxton (pictured) has said
She pointed out that because so many top courses are now entering Clearing, many students even use it to ‘trade up’ from their existing place.
‘For current applicants, it’s [often] the mechanism by which they change their mind,’ she said.
Around 26,000 courses are currently on offer in Clearing, with most of the top universities of the Russell Group listing places available.
Dr Saxton said students are becoming savvier, by pre-researching alternative courses before results day.
‘They’re not blindfolded throwing a dart at a dartboard,’ she added.
It comes after experts predicted at the weekend results may remain higher than before the pandemic.
Asked if there would be grade inflation this year, Dr Saxton suggested any rise in grades may be down to the cohort being cleverer.
This is because they were the first cohort since the pandemic to have their GCSE grades returned to the old harder standards – meaning more people at the lower end may have been put off from doing A-levels.
Dr Saxton said sixth formers entering Clearing on A-level results day was the ‘new normal’, with much of the old ‘stigma’ removed (file picture)
‘The practical consequences of that is that it did mean that fewer students than in recent years actually met the entry criteria that most schools and colleges would set for progression into A-level subjects,’ she said.
‘It probably means there’s fractionally higher prior attainment across the cohort.’
Dr Saxton was speaking at an event run by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), about her views as the head of the UK’s official admissions body.
Asked about her ‘hopes and fears’ for the Government’s up-coming plans for universities, due to be published in the autumn, she said she wants to see more action on students from disadvantaged areas.
She said: ‘We’re definitely thinking about it and have been involved in some of the conversations.
‘In terms of what I hope for, I’d really like to see more about access and participation plans, particularly from a regional angle – that regional disparity. That London advantage.
‘More people in all parts of the country should get to benefit from higher education.’
Last year, 27.8 per cent of pupils got A or A* grades – a record outside of the pandemic – and a record number also got accepted onto courses.
