The Student Room Group

23 unis warned about unnaceptable use of unconditional if firm offers

Education Secretary Damian Hinds has written to the VC's of 23 unis warning them to stop using the 'pressure sales' tactic of making unconditional if firm offers in attempts to 'trap' students.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universities-urged-to-review-unacceptable-admissions-practices

The 23 were named in today's 'i' newspaper print edition as:

University of Roehampton
Loughborough College
Kingston University
Sheffield Hallam University
University of Brighton
Birmingham City University
Nottingham Trent University
Bournemouth University
Staffordshire University
University of Lincoln
University of Hertfordshire
Royal Holloway, University of London
Oxford Brookes University
Lancaster University
University of Birmingham
Middlesex University
University of Derby
University of West London
City, University of London
Keele University
University of Kent
Aston University, Birmingham
University of Surrey

The use of 'conditional-unconditional' offers as they are known has risen from zero in 2013 to 66,000 in 2018
Roehampton made 1940 of the controversial offers in 2018, 65.8% of all the offers it made.

No online news sites seem to be printing the list of 23 this evening.
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What do you think? Will you be glad to see the back of unconditional if firm offers or do they serve some useful purpose?

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Aka the elites.
I just see unconditional offers as peer pressure tactics to attract vulnerable A-level students who are scared of not doing as well as expected, and want certainty so they will take the offer even if it's not the best choice for them and they should be abolished.
Reply 3
If you're applying for any of those universities you'll be happy to get an unconditional
Reply 4
Original post by Notoriety
Aka the elites.


There's a member of the Russell Group in there...

OTOH London Met seems to have unusually let the opportunity to get involved in a scandal pass it by
Original post by Joinedup
There's a member of the Russell Group in there...

Aye, we all know RG means the place is elite.
Reply 6
Original post by Notoriety
Aye, we all know RG means the place is elite.

Haven't you read any newspapers in the last 10 or so years?

'Elite' belongs with 'Russell Group' like 'So called' belongs with 'Islamic state'... I think it's been hard coded into grammar checking software.
Falmouth did this to me. Needless to say I did not firm them. I think it’s very sneaky; if they really wanted me that badly, they would have just given me the unconditional. Made me feel cheated.
Birmingham were the first to bring these in and others followed
Reply 9
They should be fined. Some of these also spend a ridiculous amount of money in marketing, for example Middlesex spent £2.6m from 2017-18 to attract more students, despite facing some financial difficulties.
Original post by Joinedup
Education Secretary Damian Hinds has written to the VC's of 23 unis warning them to stop using the 'pressure sales' tactic of making unconditional if firm offers in attempts to 'trap' students.

"Unconditional if firmed" looks positively ethical compared with this practice described by Prof Paul Glaister in a letter in today's Times:-

"No mention is made, however, of the practice whereby applicants are contacted by a university before the deadline for making their decision on which offer to accept as their first option, saying that they will reduce their offer, but only if the applicant makes them their first choice in the next two weeks. As this alternative admission practice is merely a variant of the “conditional unconditional” scheme, I wonder whether the education secretary might also consider this as “unacceptable” for similar reasons?"

Presumably these were for courses at the Benidorm Part-time Studies Centre of the Everest Double Glazing Institute of the University of DFS,
(edited 4 years ago)
He most certainly should look into this. The problem is that because the government opened up higher education to allow universities to increase their admission numbers when they had previously been capped, other universities are using these dubious methods to make up their numbers. In addition there has been a reduction in people reaching university age. The universities have brought in this system to try and overcome this but it really should never have been allowed and should have been stamped on a few years ago when Birmingham started in.
Unconditional offers, unless given to someone who already has their grades or those who have an outstanding application, make a mockery of the entire system. They need to get rid of them.
Original post by kkboyk
They should be fined. Some of these also spend a ridiculous amount of money in marketing, for example Middlesex spent £2.6m from 2017-18 to attract more students, despite facing some financial difficulties.


Is it really fair to fine them for spending on marketing
Original post by MinaBee
Unconditional offers, unless given to someone who already has their grades or those who have an outstanding application, make a mockery of the entire system. They need to get rid of them.


I am opposed to unconditional if firm offers and these apparent limited time offers because they put unfair pressure on applicants,

I am not opposed to unconditional offers as such. You say it makes a mockery of the entire system. But what is the system? The system is universities choosing the applicants they want using whatever criteria they select. A place at university is not a prize for good results in school examinations.
That is just salesmanship, building customer loyality. Nothing wrong with that.
Not surprised by Birmingham - seeing how everyone and their dog seemed to get an unconditional for a while.
Reply 17
Original post by Joinedup
Education Secretary Damian Hinds has written to the VC's of 23 unis warning them to stop using the 'pressure sales' tactic of making unconditional if firm offers in attempts to 'trap' students.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universities-urged-to-review-unacceptable-admissions-practices

The 23 were named in today's 'i' newspaper print edition as:

University of Roehampton
Loughborough College
Kingston University
Sheffield Hallam University
University of Brighton
Birmingham City University
Nottingham Trent University
Bournemouth University
Staffordshire University
University of Lincoln
University of Hertfordshire
Royal Holloway, University of London
Oxford Brookes University
Lancaster University
University of Birmingham
Middlesex University
University of Derby
University of West London
City, University of London
Keele University
University of Kent
Aston University, Birmingham
University of Surrey

The use of 'conditional-unconditional' offers as they are known has risen from zero in 2013 to 66,000 in 2018
Roehampton made 1940 of the controversial offers in 2018, 65.8% of all the offers it made.

No online news sites seem to be printing the list of 23 this evening.
---
What do you think? Will you be glad to see the back of unconditional if firm offers or do they serve some useful purpose?


UoNottingham would also have been on the list but they have already announced they are stopping.
Birkbeck, Sussex and SOAS seem to be missing.
Reply 18
Original post by Andrew97
Is it really fair to fine them for spending on marketing


Not for marketing, but for the improper use of unconditional offers to pressure candidates prior to deadline. My point about marketing is that these places are failing to recruit sufficient numbers of students for particular courses (since tuition fees are major source of income), thus are using their finance for marketing when they are currently facing a lot of financial difficulties.

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