June 2023
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This conference considered next steps for reform of the higher education admissions system in the UK.
It followed the publication of the Future of Undergraduate Admissions by UCAS in January, which outlined five steps UCAS is taking to reform the undergraduate admissions process, including proposals to adapt the free text personal statement on applications into a series of questions, as well as references, grades on entry, personalisation, and widening access and participation.
We are pleased to have been able to include a keynote session with Clare Marchant, Chief Executive, UCAS, on the priorities for UCAS.
Sessions also looked at the implementation of the self-regulatory Fair admissions code of practice, developed by UUK and GuildHE last year, which sets the behaviours for universities to improve fairness and transparency in the admissions system while maintaining high academic standards.
Overall, discussion looked at:
- priorities for reform: implementation of key UCAS proposals for the admissions system
- applications: ways to increase the personalisation of applications - how students can make best use of changes - increasing the overall confidence in and quality of the admissions process
- impact on staff: implications of reforming personal statements for university admissions teams and decisions - priorities for schools in assisting the applications process
- student support: next steps for applicant information and outreach - considering fair recruitment practices - the future of unconditional offers and other incentives
- contextual offers: improving the reliability of offers made to prospective students
- code of practice: implementation - supporting fairness and transparency in decisions - developing the use of contextual factors in admissions - building reliability into admissions processes
- inclusion and diversity: how to ensure broader student groups are considered in the reform process - improving the process for disadvantaged students
- international students: assessing and taking into account the needs of international students - aligning the admissions process so that it brings in the perspective of the devolved nations
The conference was an opportunity for the stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from the DBT; DfE; Department for the Economy, NI; Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, ROI; and the Welsh Government.
