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 06 July 2008 14:42 BST

Women miss out on uni places

Tuesday, 04 Dec 2007 12:14
The report found that 19 per cent of UK applicants failed to secure a higher education place.
New research has revealed that older women and people from ethnic minorities are least likely to secure a place at university.

The number of potential students who failed to find a place at university has risen in the last three years, up from 76,000 in 2003 to 87,000 in 2006, according to a new report from the university admissions service Ucas.

And women were revealed to be most likely to feature in the 'non-placed applicants' group (NPA) with 66.2 per cent in the 'no offer' category between 2003 and 2006 and 67.1 per cent in the 'withdrawn' sector.

Some 48.7 per cent of applicants from black and minority ethnic groups fell into the 'no offers' category while 37.5 per cent of all NPAs were from these groups.

The report, to be launched at a conference today, shows that NPAs tend to be older, from poorer backgrounds and have studied non-traditional qualifications with 37.5 per cent having received no offers from any universities.

However some 38 per cent of all NPAs from 2003 to 2006 later reapplied to university, with 80 per cent of these applicants securing a place.

The director of policy at Ucas, Jill Johnson, said the findings "indicate a need for a greater level of support to be provided to potential entrants to higher education who fall into the different categories confirmed by identification of the characteristics of non-placed applicants".

"These findings must of be great interest to those responsible for widening participation and more general outreach activities," she added, "but government and relevant agencies, too, must take heed of the indicators of a requirement for additional encouragement to be given to those who may otherwise be 'lost' to higher education completely, with all the associated consequences for both the individuals concerned and the wider economy."End of story


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