Yorkshire university lowers Clearing offers to attract students from low-income backgrounds

The University of Leeds has dropped its offer grades for prospective students from deprived areas as A Level results showed a “two tier” system of regional inequality.

There are places available at the University to start a degree course this September through Clearing: UCAS’s system to help students who miss their grades still find a university place.

Prospective students who live in neighbourhoods where there is low participation in higher education (LPNs) could have a “contextual” Clearing offer reduced by a grade compared to a standard offer, its website showed on Friday.

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It comes as Thursday’s results showed the proportion of students receiving the top A/A* grades was significantly higher in London and the South East than other parts of the country.

Students received their A Level results this week. PAStudents received their A Level results this week. PA
Students received their A Level results this week. PA

Some 31 per cent of grades awarded in London and the South East were A*s and A*, compared with 24.6 per cent in Yorkshire and the Humber and 23.9 per cent in North East England.

According to the University of Leeds’ website: “Our Clearing entry requirements may differ from our standard course listings. We may still be able to consider you if you don't meet the requirements but have similar grades.

“We welcome talented students regardless of background. If you live in a neighbourhood where there is low participation in higher education (LPN), you may be eligible for the lower Clearing entry requirements

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Richard Kemp, head of access and outreach at the University of Leeds said: “The University of Leeds is very proud of its work in widening access. The reduced offer to students from neighbourhoods with lower participation in higher education is an established initiative here and applies to reducing entry offers as well as in clearing.

Courses available on Friday included Mathematics, Chemistry and English Literature.

A Clearing offer for a student from an LPN is BBB for Chemistry, compared with ABB for a standard offer. For a degree in English Literature, an offer for an LPN student could be BBC compared with BBB for a standard offer.

The move has been welcomed by thinktank the Social Mobility Foundation. Policy manager Esther Fisher said: “Quite a few universities have been doing initiatives like this over the past few years.

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"It's picking up more and more, and all universities should consider making offers that take people’s backgrounds into account – but they need to be made in conjunction with increased support for students”

"These students have a huge amount of potential, and contextual offers from universities can enable them to realise that and go on to achieve.”

It comes as analysis by the Press Association revealed there are more places available for students through clearing this year at top universities compared with 2023.

The universities of York and Sheffield also had Clearing places for prospective students, although most have since been filled since Results Day.

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By Friday morning, 46,880 UK-domiciled 18-year-old applicants were recorded as being “free to be placed in clearing”, according to the admissions service Ucas.

This means they missed the conditions of their higher education offer and are now eligible to find places through clearing.

The number is down 13 per cent from 53,700 at the same point last year, and is also 12 per cent lower than the 53,510 at this stage in 2022.

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