Ploys To Fill University Places

The Office for Students has warned universities against hard sell techniques to lure students. The government is now anxious because some universities are being unethical in the financial incentives they offer.  Cash handouts disguised as ‘bursaries’ and ‘scholarships’ are offered to students during the clearing process by universities desperate to fill places. Unconditional offers are also on the rise, while the dropout rate increases for the third consecutive year.

In 2015 the removal of student number controls allowed universities to admit as many undergraduates as they wish. As a consequence, universities have become increasingly innovative and arguably unscrupulous in the tactics employed to attract applicants. In terms of education it is almost a buyer’s market. Universities outvie each other to offer more appealing packages to undergraduates to fill places. 

Unconditional offer is one of such incentives, awarded to nearly a quarter of applicants last year. Essentially universities boast that they will take people whatever their grades. In other words, someone could achieve dismal grades in every subject at school and still be admitted. This suggests that the university has no academic bottom line. Why would a place of tertiary education accept someone who has bombed out in secondary education? If you cannot walk then you certainly cannot run. However, some universities are so desperate to fill places that they take students who are simply incapable of functioning at an undergraduate level. 

Another enticement comes in the form of money offered to students during the clearing period by low-ranked universities including Roehampton, Bedfordshire and Westminster. So-called ‘bursaries’ and ‘scholarships’ worth between ￡1,500 and ￡4,500 are used to secure acceptances from students. But following recent expansions, even leading institutions are short of students. Every August for the past three years there were over 4,000 vacancies at Russell Group universities which they struggled to fill through clearing.

Against this trend the dropout rate has risen to 6.3 per cent from 5.7 per cent in 2012/13; in 2019 more than 20,000 students abandoned their course at the end of first year (HESA). At London Metropolitan University this figure reached 19.5 per cent, at Middlesex University - 16.4 per cent and at the University of Bedfordshire - 14.3 per cent, which has not stopped it from offering ￡2,400 'bursary' during the clearing to all UK and EU students achieving mediocre BBC grades - just to fill places. Notably, the dropout rate amongst students with unconditional offers was 10% higher than those who had to fulfill conditional offers. 

Universities try to prevent students from giving up on their course. Struggling undergraduates are offered one to one sessions. Specialists in study skills are hired to support students in danger of failing. Universities strive not to fail students. A failure for an undergraduate is now perceived as a failure for the university. There is a perverse incentive to pass people whose work is seriously below par and to inflate grades. Ever rising grades look good on league tables. But if an undergraduate consistently fails exams, is it not possible that he or she lacked the aptitude and the endeavor to pass in the first place? These possibilities appear to have been discounted.

Universities spend small fortunes advertising. Marketing departments are very plush. They produce glossy brochures at great cost. If a university has to work this hard to attract students, then is it really that good? No one is opposed to a university publishing information about itself. But if the university has to be that aggressive in promoting itself then it raises questions about quality of degrees it provides.   

Are undergraduates being sold a dud? Some students will accrue up to ￡30 000 worth of debt. However, salaries for certain degrees will not alleviate this debt.  Government data shows that graduates in creative arts and design, sociology, and media studies, amongst other degrees, start on less than ￡17,000 a year and ten years after graduation earn just over ￡26,000. After a decade in work, and earing just enough to stat repaying the loan (current threshold is ￡25,725), it is understandable why a person might feel conned. 

The malaise adumbrated herein affects increasing numbers of students and universities. Using questionable rewards, some universities are so eager to stay in the game that they will stop at nothing to bring in students however ill-equipped they are for higher education. The result – greater dropout numbers, significant debt and increased student mental health issues should make them pause and think whether their marketing campaigns are in the best interests of students.