Students struggle for university places
Thousands of students are struggling to find university places after places in clearing filled up in record time.
According to a Times survey, admissions at dozens of universities have filled up after just days, as tens of thousands of hopefuls try and grab places before top up fees are introduced next year.
Clearing, the process by which candidates who failed to get the required grades for their chosen course are allocated university places, usually lasts for six weeks following the release of A-level results in August.
However, this year more than 350,000 candidates have gained places after only ten days; last year, 369,000 places in total were allocated by the end of September.
This has meant there are many institutions that are already fully booked, some even saying they were having to turn people away by the end of the first day of clearing.
The survey of 65 of the country’s universities, found that more than 50 per cent of the institutions were already fully booked, or only had a few places left, including Leeds, Cardiff, Sheffield, Newcastle and Birmingham.
The oversubscription has been attributed to the fact that candidates are keen to begin their university this year, as tuition fees are set to rise from £1,175 a year to £3,000 a year in 2006, so less are taking gap years and more are going straight to uni.
Another factor that has contributed to the drop in the places available in clearing is the rise in A-level pass rates, with more candidates getting the grades they need to go to their chosen university.
