Applications fall as Uni raises entry standards

The UCAS application deadline has passed and, despite the number of UCAS applications increasing again this year, overall applications to the University of Warwick are down.

Warwick applications are “slightly down”, said Head of Communications Peter Dunn. “This was to be expected as we have raised the A levels we require in a number of courses. We have thus moved from having around nine applicants chasing every place to just over eight applicants per place.”

More students than ever this year will need the A* grade. Bristol, Exeter and Sussex are asking for the grade for the first time this year, with Warwick, UCL and Imperial increasing the number of courses asking for A*. Last year Imperial, Cambridge, UCL and Warwick were the only Universities to ask for the grade that requires students to score at least 90 percent in each paper during their second year A level exams.

Only one in 12 exams last year was awarded the A* that Warwick now requires of students wanting to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics; Maths; Maths and Physics; and Statistics and Economics.

According to UCAS, there has been a 2.5 percent rise in applications. So far a record 335,795 students have applied to university through UCAS, with a rise in the number of mature students, 5,000 19 year-olds applying and an almost 11 percent increase in 21 year-old applicants, whilst there has in fact been a drop in under-18s applying.

More students than ever are meeting the grade requirements for courses, as the A level pass rate has risen to 97.6 percent. Applications to Law, Medicine and Dentistry have risen, whilst there has been a drop in applications for European languages, History and Philosophy.

Thousands of students that missed out last year have reapplied and students continue to race for places to avoid the tuition fee rises, with universities being able to charge as much as £9,000 from 2012.

“The only effect of fees on applications is that there are certainly less students asking to defer entry for a year this year,” commented Dunn.

However, Students’ Union Education Officer Sean Ruston said: “The funding cuts and rise in fees next year has significantly affected applications this year – applicants are aware that fees are going up and so are rushing to apply this year. We’ve had more mature applicants and 200,000 students were rejected last year. All these factors will mean huge pressure on admissions.”

Warwick suffered from massive over-subscription to many courses last year, with hundreds of first-year students unable to get on-campus accommodation. Action to combat this includes the new on-campus residence Bluebell currently under construction, which will make another 500 rooms available. Another 500 are planned for investment next year and outline planning permission has been granted for 500 more for the year after.

“Although the new accommodation will ease the pressure, the question is: is it enough?” speculated Ruston. “Even with the introduction of the new accommodation, the University is still planning to knock down old blocks,” added Students’ Union President Daniel Stevens.

A Biomedical Science applicant commented: “I am worried about competition. A lot of people I know have contacted their universities to cancel their deferred entries. I also think that next year there will be a lot less competition for places because of the rise in student tuition fees.”

“More and more people are applying to university every year, and we are told from the start that competition is tough so, although it’s worrying, it’s an expected part of the application process,” said a Philosophy applicant to Warwick. “I definitely think that the number of applicants this year is going to rise because of the tuition fees, people are eager to get into university before they’re affected by the rise. The students reapplying from last year are the most worrying to me, given that they already have their grades. I haven’t had a reply yet, so fingers crossed.”