IFS report on the effect of A-level results on universities

19 August 2020

Responding to today's IFS report on university places, Dr. Tim Bradshaw, CEO of the Russell Group, said: 

 “This is a stressful time for students and our admissions teams at Russell Group universities are working tirelessly so as many students as possible can benefit from the skills and knowledge a university education provides.

“Supporting young people is the priority but the IFS is right to highlight the scale of the disruption the current situation has caused - and not just for students but for universities too. We continue to urge Government to provide guidance and additional support to help the sector deal with both the immediate and longer-term impact of an unprecedented rise in numbers. In particular, we have specifically asked the Government to guarantee it will provide funding to cover the additional costs of teaching high-cost subjects such as engineering, chemistry and health-related courses.

“Many of our members are taking more students this year and have committed to honouring offers made, however constraints on capacity, teaching and support resources and the need to ensure universities operate in a Covid-safe way, mean some places may have to be deferred.“

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