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One in three pupils receive unconditional university offer

Unconditional offers can be made where providers are satisfied that an individual has demonstrated sufficient attainment and potential to succeed
Unconditional offers can be made where providers are satisfied that an individual has demonstrated sufficient attainment and potential to succeed Unconditional offers can be made where providers are satisfied that an individual has demonstrated sufficient attainment and potential to succeed

ONE in three pupils who have not yet completed school or college qualifications have already been offered a university place, a study has found.

Research by admissions service Ucas revealed that 87,540 applicants in Northern Ireland, Wales and England received an unconditional offer.

This is the first time Ucas has analysed offer-making patterns.

The analysis considered 18 year-olds in Britain and Northern Ireland who typically apply to university with qualification results pending.

When universities make an offer, it can either be conditional or unconditional.

Conditional offers usually specify the grades needed to achieve in A-levels, BTECs, or other relevant qualification, to be accepted.

Unconditional offers do not have any further academic requirements the student needs to meet. This means students accepted before they complete A-levels would not have to sit the exams.

Ucas said 34.4 per cent of 18 year old applicants from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales, this year received an unconditional offer. The figure includes offers initially made as conditional, then updated to unconditional when accepted as the student's first `firm' choice.

In 2018, providers made 66,315 such `conditional unconditional' offers, Ucas found. Combining this with standard unconditional offers showed 87,540 applicants (34.4 per cent) received at least one offer with some unconditional component.

Ucas said such offers were made by universities and colleges "that are satisfied applicants have demonstrated sufficient ability and potential to succeed on their chosen course".

This may include consideration of exam results, and outcomes from interviews or auditions. For example, 18 per cent of offers made to applicants for creative arts courses were unconditional, where more emphasis could be placed on a strong portfolio.

They were also made to support widening participation, and to address the health and wellbeing needs of some students.

Many students responding to a Ucas survey reported a reduction in stress knowing they had a confirmed place.

Ucas chief executive Clare Marchant said the use of unconditional offers "is not a binary issue".

"They're used in a variety of ways to enable students to progress onto undergraduate courses, and while students are broadly supportive of them, the link with their A-level attainment can't be ignored," she said.

"The analysis needs to continue though, and many universities and colleges are already tracking the progress of students admitted with unconditional offers. I encourage this evidence to be shared, enabling nuanced debate for the benefit of students, their teachers, and universities."