sislink13 - 20/6 - keynote - aanmelden en inschrijven in internationaal perspectief - helen thorne

Admission to UK Higher Education SURF, Netherlands, 20 June 2013

Helen ThorneDirector of Policy & Research

[email protected]

Overview of UK Higher Education

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UK HE providers 2013

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163 Universities & HEIs

167 University Colleges and Colleges offering HE

Circa 700 other HE providers

32,000 courses (programmes) offered via UCAS

UK student population


1,367,330 full time undergraduates545,245 part-time undergraduates

1,698,035 UK students80,320 other EU students134,220 international students

Demand exceeds supply for many institutions and courses

6.6% average non-completion rate (undergraduate)

Data source: 2012 HESA statistics for 2010-11 academic year

UK qualifications


Admissions policy


• Universities and colleges have autonomy over admissions • Each institution has its own admissions strategy and policy

reflecting its mission and its courses (programmes)• Selection for admission is based on an assessment of:i) Prior achievementii) Future potential• Takes account of a student’s personal circumstances and can

take account of educational context• Where demand is high, universities want to select the best

students• Where demand is lower, universities want to recruit to fill

places

Higher Education policy

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• HE is devolved: England, Wales, Scotland, and NI separately determine HE funding, total number of places for home and EU students, and maximum tuition fees

• English government encouraging competition and student choice:

- Universities free to recruit unlimited “highly qualified students”

- Re-distribution of places to institutions with lower fees

- Encourage private providers• Welsh government redistributing places to

concentrate on quality• Scotland and NI funding additional places for

science and aiming to retain students

Higher Education and student funding


• England, Wales, Scotland, and NI separately determine the total number of undergraduate places for home and EU students

• In all countries, block grants to universities for teaching have been cut and replaced by tuition fee income

• Maximum fee: €10.6k per year • Scottish government pays for Scottish and

EU students at Scottish universities• Welsh and NI governments subsidise

home and EU students• Low cost loans – no up front payment• Non-repayable grants and loans for less

well off

Overview of UCAS

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UCAS - Our purpose and role


• UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to Higher Education• We deliver:- admissions services that help students make the right choices,

for the right reasons, with the right outcomes- value for universities and colleges via shared services• Charity funded by institutions, students, and commercial

activities• Centralised admissions services since 1961 – to ensure

students only hold one firm offer

Undergraduate service


• Course search – like Studiekeuze 123• Applications and admissions service – like Studielink• Admissions for home, EU and international students to almost all UK

universities and colleges• Common timetable, rules, and process• Qualifications comparison, verification and fraud detection• Telephone, email, video, social media help and assistance • Online tracking for students, schools, and institutions• Provision of examination results to institutions• Information sharing with Student Loans Company• Unique datasets – for institutions, research, and policy makers• Application fee (paid by student or school): €27 for five choices• Capitation fee (paid by universities and colleges): €21 per student

placed

Additional services


• Search, apply and admissions services for:- entry to school or college post-age 16- entry to specialist music, dance, or drama institutions- postgraduate teacher training- postgraduate taught courses• Commercial services: advertising, marketing and mailing,

analysis

UCAS in numbers in 2012


• 324 member universities and colleges• 653,637 undergraduate applicants• 2.6 million undergraduate application choices (average

4.0 choices per student)• 464,910 placed students• 4,177,932 results received directly from awarding

bodies• Total of 20,372 responses on Results day 2012 -18,195

calls & 2,177 social media enquiries (Twitter 1,693 /Facebook 419/YouGo 65)

• €41M annual revenue, circa 450 employees

The Admissions Process

At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Course Search


Course Search Results


Step 2: Application


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Step 3: Selection for admission


• Application considered by university or college• Some institutions require an interview, additional

tests, an audition, or to see a portfolio of work• Three outcomes:i) Unconditional offer: a firm offer of a place,

typically made to older studentsii) Conditional offer: a firm offer of a place IF

conditions are met – usually achievement of certain grades in specified subjects/qualifications

iii) Rejection

Step 4: Consideration of offers


• Students receive zero to five offers and must reply by a specific date• If a student has an unconditional offer and accepts this – effectively

end of process• Students can accept a maximum of two offersi) One firm (first) choiceii) One insurance (second) choice• The conditions of the second choice offer should be lower• Accepting an offer creates a legally binding contract between the

student and the institution• UCAS encourages students to attend open days – a visit is critical in

helping many students decide• If a student had five rejections they can reapply one course at a

time (“Extra”)

Step 5: Confirmation


• UCAS receives exam results from awarding bodies about x days before results day

• Sends students’ results to universities and colleges• Three outcomes:i) Confirmation: student has met conditions, or just

missed conditions, and is acceptedii) Rejection: student has not met conditions, and is

not acceptediii) Awaiting more information: e.g. More exam results

Step 6: Adjustment and Clearing


• Adjustment: if a student has exceeded the conditions of their offer, they have five days to see if another university will accept them

• Clearing: if student has not met conditions of their offers and is rejected they are eligible to use Clearing, along with late applicants

• UCAS offers a special course search service which shows all courses which have vacancies and what the minimum entry requirements are

• Students register to use Clearing which enables universities to see their application details

• Students phone universities directly to discuss their circumstances, if a university wants to offer them a places this is mediated via UCAS

Admissions Cycle Timeline


• June: UCAS Apply Opens• Early September: Students can submit applications• 15 October: Deadline for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary

and Oxbridge applications • 15 January: Deadline for all courses except those with 15

October and 24 March deadline 24 March: Deadline for some art and design courses • 30 June: Final deadline for applications• 06 August : Scottish Exam Results• 15 August : English, Welsh & Northern Ireland Results• 30 September : Clearing closes• 31 October : Cycle Closes

24

2012 admissions cycle in numbers

390,000 placed through pre-results schemes

57,000 placed through post-results schemes

RESULTS

2.6 million application

choices

1.6 million conditional and unconditional

offers

793,000 offers accepted by applicants as firm

or insurance

787,000 offers declined by

applicants

Search Apply Offers Confirm Places

Applicant Reply

654,

000

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n Sc

hem

e ap

plic

ants

177,000 choices withdrawn

Applicants awarded a confirmed place at a HEI

383,000 applicants placed through Main Scheme

1,300 placed through Adjustment

8,000 placed through Extra

56,000 placed through Clearing32,000

courses

324 UCAS Members

879,000 choices rejected

17,000 placed through Direct

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Challenges and issues for competitive admissions

At the heart of connecting people to higher education

Evaluating prior attainment

• How to compare different kinds of qualifications? • How to evaluate work experience?• Does where a student went to school matter?• Use of contextual data about school environment• There are no absolutes – each university or college has its

own views about the suitability of qualifications or prior experience for specific courses, based on success of earlier students


Evaluating potential

• Subjective• Accuracy of predicated grades?• Value of qualifications as a general indicator of ability e.g.

number taken in one sitting, size, perceived difficulty• Value of qualifications as a pre-requisite for specific courses• Potential contribution to university and community• Opportunity to demonstrate potential


Fair admissions“A fair admissions system is one that provides equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of background, to gain admission to a course suited to their ability and aspirations”• A fair admissions system should:- be transparent- enable institutions to select students who are able to

complete the course as judged by their achievements and their potential

- strive to use assessment methods that are reliable and valid- seek to minimise barriers for applicants- be professional in every respect and underpinned by

appropriate institutional structures and processes


Information for students

Governments want more comparable information to be available to students• National Student Survey (NSS)• Key Information Set, government website: - Percentage of time spent in lectures/

seminars and own study- Professional bodies that recognise the

degree awarded- Average tuition fee and other costs- Destination six months after graduation and

salary• Provision and accuracy assessed by regulator


A more competitive environment• Now that “money follows the student” increasing competition

for UK students, especially those who are “highly qualified”• Less selection and more recruitment overall, although

demand continues to significantly exceed supply for some courses and institutions – what institutions want from an admissions service is changing

• More emphasise on university brand, marketing, and incentives to attract and secure students

• Evidence of UCAS rule bending and breaking • UCAS has a responsibility to ensure that the quality and

integrity of the service is maintained

At the heart of connecting people to higher education 30

Thank you for listening


Helen [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

sislink13 - 20/6 - keynote - aanmelden en inschrijven in internationaal perspectief - helen thorne

Education

higher education7

alluk universities

member universities

universities free

placed students

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scottishand eu students

scottish universities