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Rush to apply to new universities Rush to apply to new universities
(about 6 hours later)
New universities are reporting an "unprecedented" rise in applications - with warnings that this will mean many applicants being turned away. New universities are reporting an "unprecedented" rise in applications - with warnings that this will mean many applicants being turned away this year.
With the recession putting pressure on the jobs market, record numbers are seeking places in institutions in England and Scotland. With the recession putting pressure on the jobs market, record numbers are seeking places in higher education.
The Million+ group of new universities is reporting that applications have risen between 6% and 37%. Latest figures from the admissions service Ucas show an average rise of 8.8% against this time last year.
Universities are warning of a sharp reduction in places through clearing. But applications are up by between 6% and 37% in the Million+ group of new universities in England and Scotland.
The findings from the Million+ group suggest that students taking their A-levels this summer could face a hard time when looking for places for the autumn - and that many could miss out. Universities are warning there is likely to be a sharp reduction in places through clearing this summer - when students without courses are matched with spare places.
The findings from the Million+ group, which has 27 members, suggest students completing their A-levels, Highers and Advanced Highers this year could face a hard time when looking for places for the autumn - and that many could miss out.
'Unthinkable''Unthinkable'
After years of urging a widening of participation in higher education, the government now faces calls for extra funding to meet a surge in demand.After years of urging a widening of participation in higher education, the government now faces calls for extra funding to meet a surge in demand.
Pam Tatlow, head of the Million+ group, called for additional financial support for places and said it would be "unthinkable" if thousands of suitably-qualified applicants could not enter higher education. And while England's Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Dius) is funding an extra 10,000 places in 2009-10 it had originally estimated that universities could take 15,000 more.
Universities have already warned of an approaching crunch in places - with funding limits restricting expansion. It had to make a cut after learning that many more students than anticipated would receive grants to help them pay for their studies.
And there have been wider worries about higher education funding following yesterday's budget. Family income thresholds on means-tested grants are also changing, so that up to 40,000 prospective students will lose grants of up to £524 a year.
Universities UK and the 1994 Group, representing research-intensive universities, have expressed concern about £400m in savings announced by the DIUS department. Grants to universities by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales are going up by just 1.66% overall - meaning cuts for some institutions.
Adding to this pressure will be the rise in applications, which seems to be particularly high for new universities - with individual institutions reporting increases of 15%, 25% and 37% on this time last year. In Scotland almost a third of institutions are facing a funding cut in real terms for 2009-10.
Clearing 'non-event' The Ucas statistics show that, as of 24 March, 524,151 people had applied to start full-time undergraduate courses across the UK this autumn compared with 481,784 at the same point last year - an 8.8% increase.
With calls for a better-qualified workforce, Million+ says that the prospect of turning away large numbers of applicants "makes no sense". The pronounced increase in mature applicants continues: up 14.7% among those aged 21 to 24 and 15.8% from applicants over 25.
These new universities are often particularly likely to recruit from the clearing process, after A-level results have been issued. Pam Tatlow, head of the Million+ group, called for additional financial support for places and said it would be "unthinkable" if thousands of suitably-qualified applicants could not enter higher education - with individual institutions reporting increases of 15%, 25% and 37% on this time last year.
And they warn that the chase for places in clearing "will be even worse than usual with very little available". And there have been wider worries about higher education funding following yesterday's Budget.
One of the universities says that clearing this year will be a "non-event". Universities UK and the 1994 Group, representing research-intensive universities, have expressed concern about £400m in savings announced by Dius.
Pam Tatlow says the government "must not lose sight of its long-term, strategic goals or its nerve" over the ambition to get more people into higher education.
"These figures are the tip of the iceberg and there will be more applications to come.
"It would be unthinkable if thousands of students were unable to improve their chances of future employment by being deprived of the opportunity go to universities which have the capacity to teach them.
"The government will have to fund more places unless it wants to add to the unemployment queue or resile on its promise to improve higher level skills."
Higher Education Minister David Lammy said the government was "committed to ensuring that people with the talent and potential to succeed have the opportunity to do so, a fact seen in the record numbers of people going to university.Higher Education Minister David Lammy said the government was "committed to ensuring that people with the talent and potential to succeed have the opportunity to do so, a fact seen in the record numbers of people going to university.
"This is at a time when the government has also introduced improved financial support for students while spending well over £7bn a year in higher education, an increase of 23% in real terms since 1997.""This is at a time when the government has also introduced improved financial support for students while spending well over £7bn a year in higher education, an increase of 23% in real terms since 1997."