Worst Offenders for Unconditional Offers

[BubblesBuddy]

Looking at The Times today, they quote the newly released UCAS data regarding which universites give the most unconditonal offers. Suffolk is a staggering 83.8%. Even the much lauded Lincoln is 53.7%. RG universities are topped by Birmingham 18.9% and Nottingham 11.4%. Other RG universities are fairly negligible by comparison. Nottingham says it is now ending this practice.

On Radio 4, the Vice Chancellor or Sheffield Hallam defended offering unconditionals to the brightest applicants. He seemed relunctant to take on board that this was, in effect, marketing in a buyers market place. He did also state that they take GCSE results as an indicator of likely A level grades and they read every Personal Statement to make their unconditional offers. This appears to be contrary to the widely held belief on MN that it is only predicted grades that count.

Is there now pressure on RG and other universities to end this practice? Should they?

• [Please note: title edited by MNHQ - originally said 'Conditional Offers']

Yep! It is (just) in the bottom 40%, but it's the fact the intake is pretty much open access (5 x grade 4 GCSEs will get you onto a 3 x A Level course) and that having an intake of over 1000 means a large number just don't perform that well for a variety of reasons.

But it also has a high number of high achievers as well - a very flat bell curve of results.

I am surprised because I thought any history of Oxbridge and they were struck off the list!

The aspiring school's list from Bristol is interesting because it has one of the top sought after state schools in St Albans on the list where the A level results are very good 70% A*-B.

I think its list has raised eyebrows before.

Surely, no school in St Alban's can be struggling to achieve??

As I have a DD who did MFL at Bristol, they have been AAB for years. This is because there are not enough decent students with AAA to go round. They would close courses if they were not flexible. Like nearly everywhere else. Even Durham was AAB for her course so its really only Oxbridge where its AAA for all MFL courses. That just reflects the lack of suitable candidates. However, the high degree classifications are still awarded, so does it matter?

Bristol have good evidence that their contextual students do very well there so no back numbers. Even though some posters have thought they were previously.