09 April 2004
The social mix of people applying to university will be widened only if all educational institutions play their part, university leaders have warned.
Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, said: 'The key need is to increase applications, and universities alone cannot make this happen. All stakeholders in education have a role to play.'
Warwick was commenting on the draft conclusions of the Admissions to Higher Education Steering Group, which reported on April 6. It recommends that exam results should not be the sole determinant of academic potential and that the circumstances of an individual's schooling, their performance at interview and non-academic experience should also be taken into consideration. It also called on universities and colleges to publish their admissions policies and processes and course dropout rates.
Professor Steven Schwartz, head of the steering group, said: 'Admissions are bogged down by additional assessment, low awareness of new pathways into higher education and a dependence on predicted rather than confirmed exam results.'
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