More university places to be available now than in any recent year

This is despite forecasts that the number of top grades for A-levels will fall back to pre-pandemic levels

Pupils receiving their A-level results on Thursday will have more choice of university places than in any recent year despite forecasts that the number of top grades will fall back to pre-pandemic levels.
The drop in demand from mature and international students means the number and variety of places available in clearing on Thursday will far exceed the norm.
There were almost 27,000 courses available through clearing on Wednesday, with the figure expected to rise on Thursday as top universities save space for high-achieving pupils.
It includes 3,500 courses at 17 of the 24 Russell Group universities – a 61 per cent jump compared to last year.
Fewer than 2,200 courses were available between the elite institutions on the eve of A-level results day in 2023.
Universities face increased pressure to fill places this year amid warnings of a looming financial crisis. It means pupils could be welcomed onto degrees even if they miss their offers, with one education source describing it as a “buyer’s market” this year.
Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their exam results on Thursday, with 320,000 pupils set to find out whether they have secured a place at their first choice university.
This year’s school leavers will be the first in five years to have sat both their GCSE and A-level exams following disruption from the pandemic.
Up to 16,000 fewer top grades could be handed out if exam regulators “stick to their guns” and return grading to pre-pandemic levels after years of inflation, according to one forecast.
It would mean the proportion of A*s and As falling to 25.4 per cent – down from 27.2 per cent in 2023 and 36.4 per cent in 2022. Wales and Northern Ireland made 2024 their target for returning A-level grades to pre-pandemic normality, while England aimed to return to normal last year but still fell short.
The Telegraph understands that the exams regulator in England may have instead settled on last year’s grading levels, meaning some inflation could be baked into the system.
There are fears that efforts to lure more school leavers into university may not be enough to offset the financial hit from a drop in lucrative international students.
Vice-chancellors are now calling on the Government to provide urgent support for the university sector to stop one or more institutions buckling in the coming months.
“We are anticipating a much more competitive clearing this year, partly because those institutions who fail to meet their international targets will have to try to balance their books somehow and see if they can increase domestic recruitment,” said Prof Nick Braisby, vice-chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University.
“But in the short term, I do think some institutions will need to see a cash injection of some kind. And what I’d like to see the Government do is actually increase tuition fees immediately, or as soon as they can.”
Prof Braisby told The Telegraph that Sir Keir Starmer should raise tuition fees to around £9,750 in the coming months, adding: “I don’t think the Government can afford to kick us into the long grass.”
Prof George Holmes, vice-chancellor at the University of Bolton, said Government “needs to recognise that while universities are autonomous, they are not separate states”.
“Universities are too important to their regions and to economic growth and NHS workforce development to be allowed to flounder,” he said.
Baroness Jacqui Smith, the universities minister, said on Wednesday that it was “vital we have a sustainable higher education funding system going forward”, but that Labour needed “to take our time to get it right”.
Speaking ahead of A-level results day, Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, added that “students up and down the country should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved”.
“Young people deserve enormous credit for what they have achieved, in the face of both the huge disruption of recent years, and in too many cases the inequality that goes hand in hand with young people’s backgrounds,” she said.
“I am determined to break down these barriers to opportunity so every young person can pursue their dreams and thrive.”
It comes as this year’s results could prove a crucial moment for private schools to prove their worth ahead of the Government’s plans to start charging VAT from January.
Last year, 47.4 per cent of pupils in private schools achieved at least one A or A* grade in their A-levels, while 39 per cent did at grammar schools and 25.4 per cent achieved top grades at academies.
Shaun Fenton, the head teacher of Sir Keir Starmer’s alma mater Reigate Grammar, said it would be “evident that independent schools can perform well when it comes to league tables”.
“This week, the independent sector will be shown to do well in the exam hall. But that’s bittersweet, because that’s only a small part of what we do,” he told The Telegraph.
Julie Robinson, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, urged the Government not to politicise any attainment gaps brought to light by this year’s results.
“I’m hoping it won’t be politicised, we need it not to be politicised – so I would hope that everyone from politicians to parents all just want to see children thrive,” she said.
“I’m hoping that the focus will be on the success of those pupils and the results of their hard work – these are the children that have come through Covid. They have not had an easy time – I’m fully expecting the focus to be on congratulating their results, whichever schools they’ve been to.”