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Uncapped university places in 2015 - what does it really mean for you?!

We were talking about uncapped uni places this morning a bit. I was wondering what people thought this really meant for applicants next year?

Will it make things more or less competitive? Should we be concerned about it? Or is it a good thing because more people will get into the right uni? Or do you worry that it could lead to a lower quality of teaching?
I think it will make some courses less competitive as Universities will obviously be willing to accept more people with the right grades.

I am worried incase facilities become overrun with student if Universities aren't careful with amount they accept like Bristol this year with accommodation and having way too many students for capacity.

However, more the merrier I say!
From my ignorant position, it doesn't sound like a good idea. We've already got way too many people going into University in the UK. As far as I can tell, the last thing we need is even more... I'm guessing this is an attempt to allow universities to get more money because of ridiculous government cutbacks. How long will it take the UK to realise that it pays to invest properly in higher education? Most of Europe has long realised this... why not us?
Original post by hemalgangani
I think it will make some courses less competitive as Universities will obviously be willing to accept more people with the right grades.

I am worried incase facilities become overrun with student if Universities aren't careful with amount they accept like Bristol this year with accommodation and having way too many students for capacity.

However, more the merrier I say!


Yes, I wonder if we'll get a truer picture of how popular unis are by the volume of students piling into them! And the unis reacting to cope with demand. Makes me wonder if we might eventually see buy one degree, get one free* (*small print about lectures, not a guaranteed degree) from the less popular ones!

Original post by Chlorophile
From my ignorant position, it doesn't sound like a good idea. We've already got way too many people going into University in the UK. As far as I can tell, the last thing we need is even more... I'm guessing this is an attempt to allow universities to get more money because of ridiculous government cutbacks. How long will it take the UK to realise that it pays to invest properly in higher education? Most of Europe has long realised this... why not us?


I'm not sure it's about unis making more money, it's more about helping give more people the opportunity for uni education should they want it. At least, that's how I understand it.
Original post by Captain Jack
I'm not sure it's about unis making more money, it's more about helping give more people the opportunity for uni education should they want it. At least, that's how I understand it.


But we've already got an exceptionally high number of people going to university. Rather than assuming maximum university enrolment is what we should be aiming for, wouldn't it be better to recognise that not everyone's strengths are academic and to work on boosting the quality of university education and developing high quality vocational pathways as an alternative? Vocational educational routes are stigmatised in the UK but elsewhere in Europe, like Germany, they are highly respected. Education is brilliant and everyone should have access to the highest quality of education possible, but university is not necessarily the best solution for everyone.
Universities will still have a maximum number they are prepared to accept for any course.

There are, and always will be, limits on staff teaching hours, lecture hall seats, classroom space, the number of books in the library - and as we have seen this year, accommodation in Halls. The idea that 'uncapped places' will mean limitless University places isn't actually true.
It will mean people with low grades like BCC going to Russell Group Universities just so they can fill their places.
Devaluation on a massive scale. As usual it is jam today and crust tomorrow. Pretty much the only thing the UK has going for it outside of the financial sector is the quality of its higher education, by far the best in the world apart from America. So universities will get a huge bonanza today from being able to take in hordes of students of all abilities for £9,000 a pop, but these less able students coupled with the unmanageable class sizes coupled with a simple supply glut for graduates will lead to the devaluation of degrees in the long term from respectable British institutions, from which, like much else the Tories have done, it will take us decades to recover.
I don't think the better universities are crying out for more students. If there is significant expansion anywhere, it will probably be at the bottom/further education colleges.

Given that it is questionable if £9,000 tuition fees will be any cheaper for the government that the £3,000 previous ones, it seems ludicrous to recruit more students at the bottom who are probably less likely to pay most of their loans back.
Original post by SmaugTheTerrible
It will mean people with low grades like BCC going to Russell Group Universities just so they can fill their places.


It won't because they can only accept an 'unlimited' amount of student that have ABB or higher, they have a cap on students with lower grades...
Original post by hemalgangani
It won't because they can only accept an 'unlimited' amount of student that have ABB or higher, they have a cap on students with lower grades...


After 2015 it's everyone.

I forgot to mention that it will only widen the student loan black hole which means it'll be sold off at bargain basement price, the jubilee will be no more and you and I will probably be in debt bondage for the rest of our lives even before we've bought a house.

Quantex
I don't think the better universities are crying out for more students. If there is significant expansion anywhere, it will probably be at the bottom/further education colleges.

Given that it is questionable if £9,000 tuition fees will be any cheaper for the government that the £3,000 previous ones, it seems ludicrous to recruit more students at the bottom who are probably less likely to pay most of their loans back.


Tell that to the RG's who are throwing up new halls like there's no tomorrow. Costing like £5-6000 per 39 weeks in rent as well. Gotta get the books looking OK as quickly as possible after a capital investment like that. Of course, they know rich international students will pay any price.

£9k fees have a massive black hole. £3k not so much. I'm lucky to be on the £3k's, we can hold out some hope that our loans will be sold off separately. Our loans have a much much more sane interest rate. If they lift the jubilee interest is going to kill £9k students.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by SmaugTheTerrible
It will mean people with low grades like BCC going to Russell Group Universities just so they can fill their places.


There is no evidence of this. If anything, it will mean the RG Unis will cream off the high achievers via Adjustment and it will be the 'lower' Unis scrabbling for candidates in Clearing.

RG Unis will not drop their academic standards just to 'fill places' since that would be totally counter-productive in terms of marketing.

In the last cycle Unis like Birmingham and Leicester were offering Unconditional places to high achievers in the hope they can lock them into a place and keep them out of 'trading up' via Adjustment. The increase of this sort of 'bribe' will be the reality of uncapped places, not less able students sneaking into RG Unis.
Original post by returnmigrant
There is no evidence of this. If anything, it will mean the RG Unis will cream off the high achievers via Adjustment and it will be the 'lower' Unis scrabbling for candidates in Clearing.

RG Unis will not drop their academic standards just to 'fill places' since that would be totally counter-productive in terms of marketing.

In the last cycle Unis like Birmingham and Leicester were offering Unconditional places to high achievers in the hope they can lock them into a place and keep them out of 'trading up' via Adjustment. The increase of this sort of 'bribe' will be the reality of uncapped places, not less able students sneaking into RG Unis.


This results day Universities like Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Exeter and York were taking people for competitive courses such as law and geography with grades like BBB and ABC.

Imagine what will happen when there are no restrictions next year.
Original post by scrotgrot

RG's who are throwing up new halls like there's no tomorrow.



So that they can avoid the embarrassment of over recruiting and having students living in shared hotel rooms and multi-dorms in order to fulfil their accommodation guarantee for all First years. Aberdeen and Bristol were caught out this year, it will no doubt happen at others next year.

There is a price for uncapped places - crowded libraries and no bed in Halls is the price you pay.
Just because universities can give offers to more people doesn't mean they will.

I don't think cambridge are going to be thinking "oh we can let more people in now so to devalue how hard it is getting in and are reputatuon subsequently devalues"

All it really means is that if people don't get the grades the university wanted the universities can still let them in, which is a good thing IMO.

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