NUS responds to Universities UK report on university admissions

In response to today’s report by Universities UK on university admissions, NUS President Wes Streeting said “We are pleased that UUK is recommending more information for potential students about courses and institutions through the introduction of entry profiles, and we also welcome the moves towards providing feedback for unsuccessful applicants. We believe that in addition to this, all institutions should publish their admissions policy and procedures to further increase transparency.

“We are, however, concerned that universities are still dragging their feet on the issue of post-qualification applications (PQA). Tinkering with the current system does not resolve its fundamental flaw: the fact that half of predicted grades are inaccurate, and the accuracy of predictions varies by school or college and by subject. We need to remove this inconsistency by implementing the PQA system much sooner than 2012. Only then will admissions be based on a student’s ability and aspirations, not just their teacher’s opinion.”

NUS Press Office: 020 7380 6604 / 07866 695 010