HE News Brief 30.1.12
by Abby Chau
- SOUTH KOREA: A third of universities have announced the intention of dropping tuition fees by at least 5%
- SAUDI ARABIA: The government has announced that it hopes to have 50,000 graduates from the world’s top 500 universities by 2020
- UK: Application rates projected to fall by 10% for the autumn 2012 term amidst tuition fee hikes and budget cuts
- GERMANY: A different take on foreign students?
HE News Brief 29.11.11
by Abby Chau
- SOUTH KOREA: Recognition of foreign diplomas paves the way for Asia-Pacific higher ed collaboration
- UK: Initial figures show that applications for 2012 sees a 15% shortfall
- CANADA: Positioning itself as a popular destination for international students
- RUSSIA: Recognition of foreign degrees in 2012 Read more
UK university admission system may undergo major overhaul
For more than 50 years, applicants to UK universities have followed the same procedure. However, this may all change soon, as the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) has proposed a revamp of the undergraduate admission process, which will see students applying to university after they receive their exam results, rather than before as at present. This change may come into effect as soon as 2016.
The key findings of a UCAS review into the admissions procedure were published in a report titled Admissions Process Review Consultation. The report found the current system of applying to universities to be ‘complex and difficult to navigate’ and not easily understood by applicants. The current system has been put under pressure by the huge surge in the number of applicants in the last five decades. There were only 80,003 applications in 1963 compared to almost 700,000 in 2010.
The proposed post-results system of application is considered by UCAS to be potentially more user-friendly because it will be based on actual rather than predicted grades. Evidence suggests that there may be confusion among some applicants about how the current system works. UCAS states that in some courses almost 50% of applicants submitted predicted grades which failed to meet the minimum entry requirements. More than 30% of applicants provided incomplete information, and this percentage was higher among international students, who found it hard to understand the system. Read more
HE News Brief 25.10.11
by Abby Chau
- CHILE: Student protests have erupted in Santiago
- CHINA: Collaboration of 11 institutions to form the Beijing Tech
- INTERNATIONAL: A new report by the World Bank follows 11-leading universities
- UK: A BBC investigation into graduate employability
- NETHERLANDS: Call on cap for foreign student numbers Read more
HE News Brief 18.10.11
by Abby Chau
- UK: A new report outlining the higher education outlook
- LATIN AMERICA: A new rankings of the region has raised questions about governmental spending habits
- INDIA: Foreign branches must adhere to too many restrictions
- US: Some institutions have closed foreign branches
- AUSTRALIA: Trends for international student numbers Read more
HE News Briefs 27.9.11
by Abby Chau
- AUSTRALIA: Visa restrictions have been lifted for international students
- UNITED STATES: Admission officers feel pressure to look at students who can pay their own way
- SAUDI ARABIA: The country has been building partnerships around the world but some warn caution
- SPAIN: Finding it difficult to implement its second year plan for the Bologna Process
- BRITAIN: Tuition fee hikes have made some consider other routes for students Read more
HE News Briefs 14.9.11
- KOREA: After an extensive audit, 43 institutions have lost important funding
- ENGLAND: Institutions are rethinking the amount they want to charge for tuition fees
- INTERNATIONAL: According to a new report, collaborative international degrees are on the rise
- NETHERLANDS: Morning raids at VU Amsterdam and University of Amsterdam
- UGANDA: Institution shutting down due to lack of funds and staff discontent
Read more
HE News Brief 6.9.11
by Abby Chau
- SCOTLAND: Collaboration between academia and businesses is on the surge
- INTERNATIONAL: Publication of the QS World University Rankings®
- INTERNATIONAL: The correlation between university degrees and financial stability
- EU: Expanding the Erasmus beyond EU countries
- GREECE: New higher ed reforms amidst economic turmoil
Read more
HE News Brief 23.8.11
by Abby Chau
- UNITED STATES: California’s beleaguered higher education system
- SINGAPORE: Cap on foreign student numbers
- AUSTRALIA: International student woes
- UNITED KINGDOM: New report by HEPI looks into UK higher ed system
Read more
A-level results are out…
For close to 300,000 A-level students, and their parents no doubt, 18th August is a date that will have been circled in red. Yes, results day is upon us, and it looks like for many students the news has been good – although some will have had to wait for longer to find out as the UCAS (University and College Admissions Service) website was temporarily taken down due to a high volume of traffic.
Dominating the headlines, as it has for the past 29 years, is the fact that the overall pass rate has risen, standing this year at a record high of 97.8 per cent. The share of students getting A or A* grades has, however, remained static at 27 per cent. This is something of a turn up for the books, as, until now, this figure has risen every year since 1997. At the very pinnacle, though, there has been a slight increase in students receiving A*s– up 0.1 per cent, from 8.1 to 8.2 per cent.
Though this increase only represents a tiny percentage of students – just over 800 – the figure is important due to the increased prominence of the grade in top universities’ admissions requirements. Last year only University College London, Cambridge, Warwick and Imperial College London demanded an A*. This year Oxford, Bristol, Exeter and Sussex have joined their ranks, and UCL, Warwick and Imperial all increased the number of courses requiring the grade (awarded for a score of over 90 per cent in final year exams), suggesting that perhaps, as universities get to grips with a grade only introduced in September 2008, it will become increasingly necessary for domestic students looking to gain a place at the very best UK universities.
Scottish Standard Grade and Higher results were also released earlier this month. The pass rate for the latter rose to 75.2 per cent – an increase of 0.5 per cent, while the figure for the former remained static at 98.5 per cent. Read more
