Press Release: Ministers have messed up university entrance
Responding to new UCAS figures today showing a rise in the number of university applicants unable to find a place, Shadow Secretary of State for Universities and Skills David Willetts said:
“These figures confirm ministers have completely messed up this year’s university entrance process.
“There was an entirely predictable increase in demand for university this year and the Government failed to plan for it. Now we know that 140,000 applicants have been unable to find a place - far more than normal.
“The rise in the number of disappointed applicants comes despite over-recruitment by universities, which could lead to fines. Ministers have a 50% target for young people going to university and they now look set to penalise universities for meeting it.
“We need to prepare now for next year’s university entrance crisis. That is why we have proposed 10,000 new fully-funded university places, paid for by incentivising early student loan repayment. We also need to refocus the training budget on more college places, more apprenticeships and a new work pairing scheme.”