OfS cautions universities over unconditional offers

Universities using unconditional offers indiscriminately could be breaching consumer law as the practice is similar to pressure selling, the Office for Students has warned.

In the first of a series of briefing papers on policy issues, the regulator considers how a sharp rise in unconditional offers is affecting students’ decision-making, access to higher education and life outcomes.

In the paper, the OfS says that applicants who receive an unconditional offer are more likely to miss their predicted A levels by two or more grades, while students from low-participation areas receive a higher share as they are likely to apply to institutions that give out more unconditional offers.