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Survey shows uncertainty about admissions, and only half of students are satisfied with online learning
Around a third of applicants feel less confident that they will get into their chosen university because of the coronavirus, despite a government ban on unconditional offers to stop a “dangerous scramble” for students. At the same time, only half of existing students say they are content with the alternative digital classes now on offer.
A survey by the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank has revealed that 29 per cent of applicants are less confident they will get a place at their preferred university than they were before the coronavirus pandemic caused A-level and other exams to be cancelled. A total of 20 per cent feel more confident and 46 per cent do not think the coronavirus will make a difference.
Universities minister Michelle Donelan has extended a ban on universities making unconditional offers to 20 April in a government attempt to avoid a free-for-all in student recruitment that could see some institutions go to the wall.
Nick Hillman, director of Hepi, said that although it could be seen as “a bit counterintuitive” for a third of applicants to express concerns about getting their chosen university place, they were likely to be those who “just feel very uncertain” as a result of the pandemic.
Rachel Hewitt, director of policy and advocacy at Hepi, said university applicants “need greater certainty” on what will happen to their places. “It is essential this group, who have already lost out on the end of their school experience, are not disadvantaged from getting into the university of their choice. The data shows this is a concern for a significant minority of applicants,” she said.
Students will be given A levels this year using a mixture of teacher assessment and predicted grades. According to Hepi, 27 per cent of students think their predicted grades are worse than they would have achieved in their summer exams. A total of 13 per cent think they are better and 46 per cent believe they are accurate predictions.
Commenting on the survey, Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said applicants were “already suffering from a turbulent end” to their education and needed “safety nets” to secure their places.
“It is not business as usual at the moment and it is unlikely that everything will have returned to normal by the start of the new academic year,” said Grady. “We want guarantees from universities that students who decide to appeal their results or resit exams can hold their university place while they go through that process.”
According to the Hepi poll, half (49 per cent) of existing students are happy with their diet of online teaching, compared with 23 per cent who are unhappy with the digital delivery introduced when face-to-face teaching was halted. Social restrictions to combat the coronavirus have forced universities to complete this year’s teaching through online lectures.
A total of 42 per cent said they wanted assessments to continue online during the pandemic, while 17 per cent said they would rather have exams pushed back until after the crisis. Just over a third (36 per cent) wanted assessments for the rest of the year scrapped altogether.
Despite calls from the government and the National Union of Students to cancel rental contracts for students who return home during the pandemic, only 55 per cent of students have left their term-time accommodation.
Hepi worked with survey firm YouthSight to poll 1,000 students and 500 applicants.