Many students admitted this year chose York as their last resort, after failing to meet their first-choice offers or accepting through clearing.
2013 has seen far more students accepted through clearing and adjustment, with 10-20% of the intake now entering through those means.
However, the overall amount of applicants, and incoming students, to the University of York has increased by 6-8% since last year. This is particularly significant following last year’s tuition fee rise, which saw recruitment numbers severely affected.
One student who will be coming to the University through clearing explained to Vision, “I was absolutely desperate to go to Bristol, but after I didn’t make my offer I was left with little choice. Fortunately for me, I phoned up York on results day, and they offered me a place. I spoke to other universities as well, with lower grade boundaries than Bristol, however York is the only university that helped me. I am pleased to have a place at any university, and will see how York pans out.”
University staff are convinced this is a positive development, though, as this year has seen more students accepted via the conditional insurance route; students who applied to Universities at the top of the league table, such as Oxford and Cambridge, and didn’t meet their grades are coming to York.
David Duncan, University Registrar, commented on these figures saying “there appears to be a general trend towards students making their final choice of university after they receive their results. Most top universities now participate in clearing and adjustment, like York, and will have attracted some excellent candidates at this stage of the recruitment process.”
This news comes after the revelation that the University was being fined after letting too many students in through clearing.
In addition, the University seems to have far more students coming in than expected, as the earlier accommodation shortages showed.
These figures show that although more students are attending York in 2013, less students made it to the University with York as their first choice. This coincides with national statistics showing 0.3% fewer students receiving A’s in their A Levels, and 7.9% less students receiving A*’s compared to last year. With less students reaching the higher grades, Russel Group universities such as York gained more through clearance, as the figures show.