10,000 extra students apply to universities
Thousands of students could be disappointed this summer because the number of applications to Leicestershire's universities has risen at almost twice the national average.
All three universities have seen an increase of between 17% and 18% – equal to at least 10,000 extra applications across the county.
This compares with a 9.7% increase nationwide, which itself was described as a "crisis".
At the University of Leicester there are more than 20,000 applications for 2,900 places this year.
It warned that students who narrowly miss expected grades could be rejected because of the competition for places. Higher unemployment rates, as well as Leicester's increasing reputation as a good place to go to university, are being cited as reasons for the higher number of applications.
Richard Taylor, the University of Leicester's director of marketing, said: "We are struggling with demand. Clearly this is good news in the sense that more students are applying and wanting to come to the University of Leicester, as University of the Year, but it is certainly going to give us some issues this summer.
"In a normal year, without this pressure, we would look sympathetically on students who have narrowly missed their grades but that will be difficult this year. Any student who gets the required grades will get a place but the problem will be with those who narrowly miss out."
The universities of Leicester and Loughborough have seen an 18% rise in applications.
De Montfort University has seen a 17% rise but says it hopes to soften the impact by offering more places.
A De Montfort spokesman said: "We are expecting to recruit more students this year than last year because of the significant increase in numbers of people applying."
A spokeswoman for Loughborough University said: "Loughborough University continues to grow in popularity and we have seen an increase of just over 3,000 applications since this time last year, spread equally over all of our programmes."
Rachel Palmer, 22, of Wigston, has just completed a two-year national diploma in media at South Leicestershire College, in South Wigston, and has been offered a place at De Montfort to study media production.
She said: "I am worried about the economy because I know it will be harder to get into certain jobs.
"I want to work in radio or TV, but I know I want to go to university."
The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills has imposed a cap on additional numbers at university for the next academic year so that the cost to the Government of paying fees, grants and loans does not increase.
The Conservatives' universities spokesman, David Willetts, said: "Ministers are sleepwalking into a crisis in university applications."
11 Comments
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by Mr., Leicester
Friday, July 10 2009, 2:46PM
“A costly way to try and better your employment chances, but they¿re NO guaranties that when you come out 3 years late thing will be any better and at around £3000 a year in fees good luck!”
by Dave, Leicester
Friday, July 10 2009, 12:30PM
“I'm not suprised with unemployment at the level it his. Also the goverment know this that's why there talking about changing the loans and grants system.”
by Anon, leics
Friday, July 10 2009, 11:44AM
“AM Hinckley - he/she is quite clearly deluded as your right - that comments on a story about house building. Best thing to do is ignore Shaheen as he/she has got into a iridiculous race argument on another story and quite clearly has no idea about how to interact with people or for that matter - how to make sense??? Strange person”
by AM, Hinckley
Friday, July 10 2009, 11:42AM
“Shaheen, see my comment to you on the CSI story !! :-)”
by Shaheen, leic
Friday, July 10 2009, 11:40AM
“Am, we all know who is really to blame. Too many doughnuts I fear for the teachers. Sorry as I appear to have offended you - are you married to a large teacher by any chance lol.”
by AM, Hinckley
Friday, July 10 2009, 11:32AM
“Shaheen, I'm interested... has a teacher upset you recently perchance ?? Maybe had your UCAS application rejected ?? That comment seems to be on a couple of stories today”
by AM, Hinckley
Friday, July 10 2009, 11:26AM
“I think here there is a bigger issue of who SHOULD go to university. My wife is a deputy head in a junior school. As part of her job she has to encourage little Johnny and jenny that yes, they might not be able to spell her name properly by the age of 11¿ but they can be a microbiologist because dear Gordon has told them that everyone has a right to go to university.
Surely the whole system of education and training from the age of 16 should be looked at. All they system is doing now is leading people on. At the end of the day, if we were all the same, with the same intelligence we¿d all do the same job. The fact is, some people aren¿t clever enough to go to university, some people aren¿t practical enough to be a craftsman, some don¿t have the aptitude to run a business¿ Let¿s stop kidding people and point them in the right direction for their skill set, not the one that makes people feel great because everyone can have a degree¿ Just another point of view !!”
by Shaheen, leic
Friday, July 10 2009, 11:22AM
“I blame the teachers - especially primary teachers. They need to lose weight.”
by DR Hinckley, Hinckley
Friday, July 10 2009, 11:08AM
“whilst many more students are applying, the fact is that universities have limits on the number of students they can accept and more seriously will be fined substancial amounts if they acceed these limits. This threat is within the context of the UCAS admission system that allows little felexibiity particulalry at this stage in the cycle ie almost at the end!. The upshot will be lots of university students placing strain on a system which will be streched even further financially. Thanks Gorden yet another shot in the arm for the country”
by John Stitch, Leicester Town
Friday, July 10 2009, 10:21AM
“No doubt the knee jerk reaction from the government will be to go all out to make sure that there are University places in the future for absolutely every 17/18 year old who thinks they want one ( or doesn't like the idea of finding a job )
It goes without saying as to what that will do to the standards of excellence that Universities always stood to maintain to begin with.”