Report about post qualification admissions calls for major reforms

Higher education admissions have increased in complexity in recent decades as the number of students entering higher education has risen and their backgrounds have become more diverse. Higher education admissions need to be reformed and updated to better support students in an era where around half of young people enter higher education as opposed to less than 5%. At present, we have a higher education application cycle, which is little more than a set of dates where students have to complete the process of application to higher education. A higher education admissions system should be more than a cycle. It should be a set of support structures that enables students to make decisions about their higher education course and institution. It begins well before any application is made and includes preparation for as well as induction to higher education study.

At the moment, there are number of failings in the way we support students to progress to higher education:

• student decision making is based on a poor proxy for final achievement
• the system is poorly understood by students
• advertised grade requirements for courses do not always match the grade profile of students
• admitted clearing has too important a role
• there is unequal access to information,access and guidance
• unconditional offers are rising.