Senate

Subject: Update on changes in UCAS Admissions and Post-16 Qualifications

Origin: PVC(T) on behalf of Student Recruitment Team

Executive Summary:

This paper is intended to update Senate on the key changes taking place in UCAS undergraduate admissions and in post-16 qualifications. The Student Recruitment Team is monitoring these changes and assessing their implications for the University. Academic departments are kept informed regularly and engaged in discussion, primarily through Admissions Tutors. These interactions will continue and appropriate consultations will take place before institutional decisions are made.

Senate Action Required:

Senate is asked to note the contents of the paper.

Key Changes to UCAS Admissions for 2009 Entry

1. Entry Profiles

Entry Profiles now exist across the sector for 76% of courses (original Delivery Partnership goal = 100% by September 2009). Approximately 95% of Loughborough’s programmes now have live Entry Profiles. Those outstanding are for new programmes. Pressure continues to be placed on the HE sector to create, maintain and enhance Entry Profiles.

2. Feedback to Applicants

Universities are now obliged to give feedback to applicants who were not given an offer, if they request it. There has been an expectation that universities would publish their Feedback Policy by December 2008. Loughborough has a draft policy, and intends to publish it shortly.

3. Adjustment Period

The Adjustment Period will run from 20 August (A level publication date) until 31 August 2009. The system will allow applicants who have achieved better exam results than their offer, to register an ‘intention to adjust’ on UCAS applicant portal. Applicants then have five calendar days to approach new universities with their grades.

The University will be able to monitor how many applicants have registered this intention via the UCAS HE portal. It is up to the new university to confirm that an applicant has exceeded the offer conditions of the original university. The original university is required to hold the applicant’s place in the interim. If the new university is willing to accept the applicant, they will automatically be removed from the statistics of the original choice university.

Key points:

· There will be no formal list of ‘Adjustment’ vacancies, as there is for Clearing. Universities could be approached by applicants asking about vacancies in any programmes

· It is anticipated that some applicants will register an intention to adjust even though they have not exceeded their offer conditions. There is likely to be some confusion over the technicality of offers, eg, specific subject grade requirements etc.

· The Adjustment period extends over five calendar days and this includes the weekend post A level results publication. Given the relatively short time period there may be issues of lack of access to proper advice and guidance for applicants

· Full technical details of the process will be released early in 2009. In the first year of operation there is likely to be considerable uncertainty.

Issues under consideration at Loughborough:

· Whether departments will wish, or be able, to be receptive to students under this scheme, given that intakes will need to be closely controlled

· How near-miss concessions should be treated, in relation to Adjustment candidates, given that the former are already applicants to Loughborough

· The operation of the scheme will be discussed and agreed with departments when the technical details are known.

4. Change course offers

The time in which applicants must make decisions on their change course offer will be reduced from the current 21 days to 5 days, to align with the Adjustment Process time limit. This will have significant benefits, allowing HEIs to know the outcome of their change course offer strategies at a far earlier stage than previously.

Key UCAS Changes for 2010 Entry

Art and Design Applications

The Art and Design Route B application process is to be removed, and all current Route B programmes will be moved to Route A (the normal UCAS applications route). Discussions are underway with LUSAD over how to respond to these changes.

Post-16 Curriculum/Qualification Changes

1. Advanced Diplomas

The following Diplomas commenced in September 2008:

· Creative & Media

· IT

· Engineering

· Construction & Built Environment

· Society, Health & Development

A generic University statement on the Diplomas was published in Spring 2008, and information on them has been disseminated regularly to Admissions Tutors. Programme-by-programme entry requirements have been drawn up following consultation with Departments. This information was sent to UCAS by their publication deadline of 15 December. Indications are that Loughborough was amongst the first universities to submit full entry requirements. The 2010 UG prospectus will also contain full Diploma entry requirements.

Work will proceed on consulting academic departments on their entry requirements for the Diplomas, which commence in 2009 and 2010:

Phase 2 (Sept 2009

Environmental & Land-based Studies

Manufacturing & Product Design

Hospitality

Hair & Beauty Studies

Business, Administration & Finance

Phase 3 (Sept 2010)

Public Services

Travel & Tourism

Sport & Leisure

Retail

2. Changes to A levels

From September 2008 GCE A levels were revised, with the majority being reduced to four units (except mathematics and sciences). Reliance on coursework and internal assessment has been reduced in favour of external assessment. AEA-style ‘stretch and challenge’ assessment has been introduced to all A levels, with separate AEA awards being phased out.

An A* grade for A levels (not AS level) has been introduced to reward the most exceptional candidates. The A/B grade boundaries will remain the same with an A* being awarded to students who achieve a grade A overall at A level and also achieve 90 per cent or more on the uniform mark scale (UMS) across their A2 units.

Extended Project

From September 2008 the Extended Project was available to schools as a stand-alone qualification, as well as being embedded into the Diplomas. Early indications are that few schools are offering the Extended Project at this stage.

3. Other Qualifications

From September 2008 teaching commenced on the Cambridge Pre-U Diploma and AQA Baccalaureate as an alternative to GCE A levels.

Issues under consideration at Loughborough:

· A* grade –whether an A* should be required of applicants on selected programmes. It is anticipated that around 25% of students currently receiving at A grade will cross the threshold into A* grade. Early indications are the HEIs will be cautious about moving to an A* requirement too soon.

· How the stand-alone Extended Project will be received – whether we should build it into offer conditions.

The Future

Paperless Applications

The UCAS Board is not placing pressure on HEIs to introduce a paperless admissions system. However, it is recognised that the current paper application form is no longer able to contain all the information necessary on an application. Across the sector there is a shared view that paperless or ‘paperlite’ admissions is the ideal model for the future, allowing routine processes to be streamlined or removed altogether, speeding up the service to applicants, and bringing environmental benefits. Should a pilot scheme be developed, Loughborough would be disposed to becoming a pilot HEI.