Contextual admissions schemes are commonly used across the United Kingdom (UK) for admission into higher education (HE) institutions. These schemes consider an applicant's background and circumstances alongside academic achievement to provide a fairer evaluation of progression into university. Several contextual factors have been considered by HE…

First-in-family students make up a majority of young first-degree students yet face a number of challenges. So they are now the focus of many specific interventions in the UK and the USA. This report looks at the pros and cons of using first-in-family as a key measure of disadvantage. It argues that, while it is an appropriate metric for low-level…

We reveal the current level of flexible admission systems (FAS) at UK universities, and explore its impact on student enrollment rates. We employ quantitative analysis techniques for data collected and customized from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in the UK, during the period 2010-2015. To understand the impact of FAS on student…

This report reviews literature on both sides of the Atlantic to study the admissions process, specifically focusing on elements of the process which may prove to be particular barriers to disadvantaged students--including the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) form, course choices, predicted grades, and personal statements--and looks…

We study the UK's university application system, in which students apply based on predicted examination grades, rather than actual results. Using three years of UK university applications data we find that only 16% of applicants' predicted grades are accurate, with 75% of applicants having over-predicted grades. However, high-attaining,…

This 2015 "mba.com Prospective Students Survey Report" explores the motivations, career goals, preferred program types, financial choices, decision time lines, and intended study destinations of individuals interested in pursuing a graduate management education. Findings analyzed in the report represent responses from nearly 12,000…

This paper explores hidden messages sent out by schools about Oxbridge, using Basil Bernstein's concepts of classification and framing. Research in three case-study schools captured these messages from their everyday practices and processes, including their events and activities, sorting mechanisms, interactions and resources. Whilst all of the…

Every year, many students in the UK fail to achieve a place at their preferred university because they take the wrong A-level subjects. This study aims to suggest a framework for helping students choose the right subjects. Data on student achievement in A-level examinations were obtained from a UK sixth form college over a four-year period.…

In 2005, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned to evaluate the potential value of using an aptitude test as an additional tool in the selection of candidates for admission to higher education (HE). This five-year study is co-funded by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), the Department for…

Here, the narratives of a group of non-traditional students who entered traditional UK universities are examined. A number of participants felt there was a kind of romance or exotic quality to the sights, sounds and smells of traditional institutions, which constituted part of the attraction. The process of becoming a student at an elite or…

Advocates uniformity in college applications--a centralized application system in which candidates would supply the required academic, personal, and financial information and a rank-ordered listing of their target universities or colleges. Target colleges would segmentially evaluate the applicant as a first-choice candidate until the applicant was…

Examines the role of the new Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in the United Kingdom, created in 1993 when British polytechnics and other institutions achieved university status. It focuses on the application strategies of prospective university students, the increased volume of applications, and the effect on universities. (MDM)

A survey investigated the feelings and beliefs of British university applicants at one point in the application process: after the application is acknowledged but before offers or examination results are available. Results suggest many see the process as straightforward, helpful, friendly, but a sizeable group consider it slow and complex. Many…

Ireland's computerized, national system of university admission, which assigns all students to institutions simultaneously, and Britain's system using a single set of admissions forms and centrally coordinated admissions, suggest that centralization can be an efficient and cost-effective method of linking students with colleges in the United…