I’m worried I’ll lose my UK college place due to a surge in applications

I received a conditional offer of a place in a UK university earlier this year and am waiting to find out how I performed in my Leaving Cert results this week. I've seen reports that many UK colleges registered more applicants than they anticipated due to grade inflation and are running out of space. Should I be worried?

You are one of many who have contacted me over recent weeks with the same question. The decision by the UK government to accept teachers’ estimated grades without a standardisation process was always going to inflate performance. UK universities who normally experience a 75 per cent success rate in applicants securing the required grades saw that figure increase to the mid-90s in 2021.

Do you want to commit to spend the next three to five years in a programme which is struggling to maintain the highest standards of delivery?

This has created huge problems in many high-demand courses, with some faculties allegedly offering successful applicants cash sums of up to £10,000 to defer for a year. That you might be so fortunate?

Anything I might say to you today is pure speculation, but I cannot see a university renege when a firm offer has been made to you, no matter how difficult it may be for them to deliver on the promise.

Leaving Cert survival guide for stressed students (and their parents)

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My son wants to drop Leaving Cert exams and opt for accredited grades. Is this wise?

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I want to apply for a postgrad abroad. How do I go about it?

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Pay rates in childcare are abysmal. Should I retrain as a primary teacher?

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The question that I would ask is: would it be a good decision on your part to commit to a programme where the course is attempting to educate far more students than it currently has the capacity to deliver for?

At university level, access to lecturers in their respective disciplines is vitally important as are tutorials, practicals and placements in many medical, paramedical, science/engineering related courses. Do you want to commit to spend the next three to five years in a programme which is struggling to maintain the highest standards of delivery?

Accommodation

A further issue that may arise, even if you are offered your place, is that of accommodation which will be under huge pressure, given the unexpected surge in registration across all programmes.

Spend the weekend considering your result and any alternate offer you may receive from the CAO next Tuesday

It's not all gloom and doom, however. Although the numbers of successful domestic students has rocketed in the UK this year, there has been a substantial collapse in applicants from much of Europe due to higher fees linked to Brexit. (Students from the Republic are exempt due to mutual agreement).

Thus may counterbalance the surge in domestic registrations, but it will also alter the previous mix of nationalities within faculties.

My advice would be to see what Friday brings in terms of your Leaving Cert results. You may well secure even more favourable offers from colleges within the CAO system, or have opportunities to consider universities in EU countries in places such as the Netherlands, which have grown in popularity with Irish applicants in recent years.

Spend the weekend considering your result and any alternate offer you may receive from the CAO next Tuesday. If your UK conditional offer becomes a firm one, consider all the factors I outlined above before making your final course selection.