Sunday 14 August 2022 10:07 PM Number of Clearing places at Russell Group colleges halves as worst squeeze in ... trends now
School-leavers face double heartbreak this week as tens of thousands are expected to lose their university place – then struggle to find a replacement.
Analysis by the Daily Mail shows competition to snap up Clearing courses on A-level results day will be the fiercest it has been in years, with some predicting the worst squeeze in living memory.
Figures reveal the number of last-minute courses available at elite Russell Group universities has halved in just two years. It means those who fail to achieve the grades needed for their first-choice course are likely to be disappointed again when they try to find an alternative.
Alan Smithers, professor of education at Buckingham University, said: ‘It will be one of the most competitive years, and probably the most competitive year ever.’
Tens of thousands of school-leavers face heartbreak this week as they are expected to lose their first choice university place and then struggle to find a replacement
And Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, warned: ‘If students drop a grade when they get their results, they will have to really fight for places. The guarantees of previous years will no longer be in place.’
Mr Major said even pupils who achieve high grades will find