Results based on new system after grading fiasco in 2020 saw thousands of students have their results downgraded
A record number of students have been accepted onto UK degree courses this year, Ucas figures show.
In total, 435,430 students have had places confirmed on an undergraduate course in the UK, up 5% on the same point last year, according to data published by the university admissions service.
A record 395,770 students have been accepted on their first choice full-time undergraduate course in the UK, up 8% from 365,500 in 2020.
The figures come on the day that students across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are receiving their A-level results, and students across Scotland are receiving their Highers results.
Overall, 388,230 people from across the UK have had places confirmed. This is an 8% increase on results day last year.
This year A-level, AS-level and GCSE results in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be awarded through teacher-assessed grades (Tags) overseen by examination boards, while the Scottish Qualifications Authority will use a similar process in making awards.
Education policy is devolved to national governments, so each of the four countries have their own systems and qualifications.
Last year Ofqual, the exam regulator in England, attempted to award qualifications using an algorithm that allocated grades to each school based on past results, but that was abandoned shortly after A-levels were published, following an uproar.
This year grading has been left in the hands of schools without restrictions, leading to expectations that average grades will rise. But Ofqual and Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, have defended teachers from accusations of causing grade inflation.
A record number of school-leavers have applied through Ucas for places on university courses for this autumn, with 43% of the UK’s 18-year-olds wanting to enter higher education. University admissions officers have reported strong demand for health-related courses such as nursing and medicine, most likely as a result of the Covid pandemic.
