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Would-be students face rejection
Almost 50,000 would-be students could be denied a place at university this year, as applications surge.
Applications to UK universities have risen by 9.7 per cent in the past year, according to figures published by UCAS, which manages higher education course applications.
And a snapshot of universities in Yorkshire shows that many are having to turn away thousands of would-be applicants because of a Government cap on numbers following an announcement it will fund no more than 10,000 extra places this autumn.
Leeds Trinity & All Saints said yesterday it had seen a record number of applicants – 20.7 per cent higher than last year, more than double the national average – but that the cap meant there would be very few places available through the clearing scheme.
It is expected Leeds Trinity will have to reject between 20 and 30 per cent of applicants applying through clearing, preventing it from increasing its student numbers to support economic growth in the region and give people high-level skills.
Sheffield Hallam University said it had rejected about 8,000 of the 32,500 applicants up to June this year while York St John University said it had rejected 1,286 applications to date.
However, Leeds University said that its proportion of applications rejected had remained steady – 32 per cent this year compared with 30 per cent last year – and York University said that despite applications being 13 per cent up this year the cap on number growth has not inhibited its plans.
Last night the Tories accused Ministers of "sleepwalking into a crisis" by not taking action.
Shadow Universities Secretary David Willetts added: "Young people are becoming the biggest victims of this recession. The number of young people not in education, employment or training is already at record levels and now we are on course to have a record number of young people refused a university place."
The cap, which is thought will see only 3,000 extra full-time first-year students, was partly due to a 200m shortfall in the budget of the defunct Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Yesterday's figures, from a snapshot taken on June 30, show that 592,312 people have applied to start full-time undergraduate courses at university this September, compared with 540,108 at the same time last year – an extra 52,204 applicants.
If the Government funds only 3,000 extra places for full-time first year students, it means about 49,000 people will miss out, although this number could be even higher by the time all applications, including those through clearing, are counted.
University think tank Million+ has estimated that only 16,000 places could be available through clearing this August. Last summer 43,000 places were filled through clearing.
The National Union of Students has estimated that at least 28,000 students would be refused a place. Its president, Wes Streeting, said: "Unless there is an urgent expansion of places, universities will be unable to meet this demand. We are therefore calling on the Government to take immediate action to increase student numbers for the coming year."
Universities Minister David Lammy said: "Students who get the grades to meet their offer will secure a place at university this summer, but we will continue to work with the sector to support those who do not and to manage increased demand."
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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