OfS to target admissions system in the year ahead

The Office for Students has pledged to review the university admissions process in its business plan for 2019-20.

Setting out its aims for the year ahead on 29 April, the regulator promised to “evaluate the extent to which [the admissions system] is operating in the interests of students”. In April, education secretary Damian Hinds demanded a review of the admissions system following the rise in unconditional offers handed out to prospective students. The OfS is expected to publish a briefing on contextualised admissions on 1 May.

Commenting on the plan, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service chief executive Clare Marchant said she looked forward to working with the OfS and the Department for Education to “make sure that the admissions system continues to evolve appropriately, and students are able to make well-informed decisions about their futures” .