Why it will be easier to get into a Russell Group university this year

It will be easier to get into a Russell Group university this year after the number of clearing places has risen, analysis suggests.

Three-quarters of the 24 elite universities currently have courses available through clearing, which matches applications to degree places that are yet to be filled.

More than 23,000 courses with vacancies for undergraduate students living in England were available on the Ucas clearing site on Wednesday, according to the PA news agency sample of 130 of the UK’s largest providers.

It included 18 Russell Group universities, which had a total of 3,892 courses for English residents available through clearing between them.

It marks an increase compared with last year, when a similar analysis showed 15 of the research-heavy universities had vacancies for English residents through the clearing site. Those 15 universities had 2,021 courses available between them in the same period last year.

The Russell Group universities of Liverpool, Manchester and Durham had no courses listed on Ucas’s clearing site eight days before A-level results day last year, but this year all three have vacancies.

PA analysis also showed the overall number of university places available through clearing has risen to 23,306 across UK universities, up from 22,410 last year.

The latest figures suggest it could be easier for pupils opening their A-level results next Thursday to find places at top universities.

Clearing is open to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on A-level results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers. Oxford and Cambridge do not offer places through clearing.

Universities do not always choose to fill all courses available through clearing, and often only finalise the number of places available once they have received all exam results.

The rise means many universities could be scrambling to fill places next week, at a time when the sector faces serious financial pressure following a drop in lucrative international students.

Senior education sources said it could mean some universities lowering their entry standards for students who fail to meet their offers and call up to negotiate on A-level results day.

University leaders have warned of significant financial concerns in recent months following a dramatic drop in foreign student numbers. Fees from international students have largely propped up the sector in recent years as domestic tuition fees remain frozen at £9,250.

Home Office figures in April showed Tory restrictions on foreign student visas has slashed the number of dependants they are bringing to the UK by 90 per cent.

The number of overseas students applying for visas also fell by 15 per cent, from 39,900 in the first quarter of 2023 to 35,000 in the same period in 2024.

Experts have also warned that the cost of living crisis may have also prompted a decline in domestic applications to university. Latest Ucas figures showed a slight drop in the proportion of students applying for a university place this year.

By the end of June, 41.9 per cent of 18 year-olds across the UK had applied for a place through Ucas – down from 42.1 per cent last summer and 44.1 per cent in 2022.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank, said the drop in overall applications “leaves universities with unused resources and empty places”.

“The end result is a real battle for students with, for example, quite probably more courses at Russell Group institutions in clearing this year and also lots of voluntary redundancy schemes in place for staff at many universities,” he said.

“Any university that is really strapped for cash and which is on course for empty places needs to have a really good clearing to keep the wolves from the door.”

‘Plenty of options’

A Ucas spokesman said: “For anyone who doesn’t receive the results they were expecting or those who want to reconsider their choice, there will be plenty of options in clearing with just under 30,000 courses available – which is in line with last year.

“As is the case each year, clearing is likely to be competitive for the most selective courses and at the most selective universities. Ucas’s advice to students is to research their options and make a plan ahead of results day.”

A Russell Group spokesman said: “Each year, the vast majority of students who are placed at Russell Group universities – typically over 90 per cent – come through the main Ucas cycle. However most of our universities usually have places available in clearing for some courses, and the same is true this year.

“Admissions decisions can be flexible depending on individual circumstances and the places available each year, but our universities only accept students who have the capability to succeed on their chosen course. This is reflected in the consistently high outcomes for graduates of our universities from all backgrounds.”