Safeguarding the Future of Access to HE 24 March 2011 Mary Curnock Cook

Cumulative Applicants by month of application Fees announcement

2010 Position at January Deadline Age 2011% Diff UK Applicants: 499, , % Under 19:353,557357, % :87,76190, % :23,97024, % 30 and over:34,16334, %

Launch of new publication  Applicant journey  Choosing courses  Applying  Offers  Next steps  Starting university or college

Timetable for 2012 Cycle May 2011 UCAS Course Search Opens June 2011 Y12 students start research July 2011 Fee and Access agreements confirmed UCAS Course Search includes fees information Scotland & NI terms end (1 July) England & Wales terms end (22 July) September 2011 UCAS ‘Apply’ opens

Tuition fees ▪New arrangements for student finance in England from 2012 ▪Any institution will be able to charge up to £6k per annum, and in “exceptional cases” higher contributions up to £9k ▪No eligible student will have to pay up front for their tuition – the government provides access to loans to cover tuition fees ▪Students will only start to contribute when they are earning over £21,000 ▪The National Scholarship Programme will provide additional assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds

Key points to note about tuition fees ▪Free at the point of entry ▪Will apply to part-time courses (minimum 25% intensity) ▪The deductions from pay are the same whether you choose a £6000 or a £9000 course

Understanding tuition fees – the story so far.... Domicile of student Location of institution EnglandScotlandWalesNI EnglandUp to £9kUnknownUp to £9kUnknown ScotlandUp to £9kUnknownUp to £9kUnknown Wales£3,290Unknown£3,290Unknown NIUp to £9kUnknownUp to £9kUnknown EUUp to £9kUnknown£3,290Unknown Other international Unregulated

New for UCAS in 2012 ▪National Scholarship Programme portal ▪Contextual data ▪Part-time course search ▪Improved IAG web tools ▪Tracking the 2012 cycle

English and Welsh Accepts

Applicants %Diff English and Welsh Applicants 2009 and 2010 Total: 21 and over: 21 and over with Access: 486,368520, % 134,081146, % 15,80124, %

Accepts %Diff English and Welsh Accepts 2009 and 2010 Total: 21 and over: 21 and over with Access: 380,432378, % 88,19484, % 11,59317, %

Accept Rate Diff English and Welsh Acceptance Rate 2009 and 2010 Total: 21 and over: 21 and over with Access: 78.2%72.8%-5.5% 65.8%57.4%-8.4% 73.4%69.7%-3.7%

Single and multiple choice applicants 2010

Age profile of Accepted applicants 2010 Total is for England and Wales only

Distance travelled UK domiciled Accepted applicants 2010

Top 5 Subjects UK domiciled Accepted applicants 2010 Under 21 1.Design studies 2.Psychology 3.Law 4.Nursing 5.Sports Science 21 & over 1.Nursing 2.Social Work 3.Design studies 4.Others in subjects allied to Medicine 5.Computer Science 21 & over with Access 3. Psychology 5. Training Teachers

Destination of UK domiciled Accepted applicants 2010

Ethnicity of Accepted applicants 2010

IMD of English Accepted applicants 2010 from least deprived areafrom most deprived area

POLAR of English and Welsh age 20 and above accepted applicants 2010 areas of highest adult HEareas of lowest adult HE

Qualifications on UCAS Tariff

Offer making using the UCAS Tariff

The profile of NPAs from the 2009 cycle Source: UCAS Research Team & Statistics

Issues for the Tariff Review ▪Needs to cover all regulated Level 3 qualifications ▫And Access qualifications..... ▪May need to distinguish between MI and evaluation; between academic and vocational/applied content ▪Must be an accessible, defensible and proportionate process ▪Should not duplicate or create regulatory process ▫Relationship with regulatory requirements; with AAT? ▪Have clear scope and purposes ▫Offer making? Employers’ needs? Quality mark? Hurdle for student finance entitlement?

Admissions Process Review ▪A better business process ▫More efficient – fewer transactions ▫Fixing bugs ▫More intuitive search and apply ▪Able to deal with complexity ▫Different intensities of study ▫Different start dates ▫Differential fees ▫UG, PG, ▫Different admissions procedures (eg medicine) ▪Or

Some more radical solutions? ▪Post qualifications admissions ▪Sequential applications vs parallel ▪Institution chooses applicant?

Questions Mary Curnock Cook Chief Executive  +44 (0) 