Universities are due to meet next month to consider the implications of bringing A-level results forward a month to July amid fears that that a new admissions system could deprive staff of the time needed to assess applicants properly.
Ken Boston, chief executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, sparked fresh debate on a post-qualifications applications (PQA) system this week when he predicted that new technology would soon mean A-level results becoming available to university applicants in mid-July rather than mid-August.
Mr Boston said this would create sufficient time for the implementation of a PQA system whereby students apply to university with their exam grades rather than predicted results, 45 per cent of which are inaccurate.
Universities have set up a Delivery Partnership to examine the issue of admissions. It is understood that the partnership will examine PQA in light of Mr Boston's comments at its inaugural meeting next month. A date has yet to be set for the meeting.
A spokeswoman for Universities UK said: "We expect the Delivery Partnership will look at all the factors that would go into considering any future progress towards PQA.
"A-level results cannot be the only indicator for entry, just as predicted grades are not. Universities take into account a wide range of factors."
The partnership, which also involves school and further education representatives, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and the National Union of Students, will be chaired by Sir Graeme Davies, vice-chancellor of the University of London.
The vice-chair is David Vaughan, principal of Cumbria Institute of the Arts. Other members are expected to be announced shortly.
David Law, chairman of the Admissions Practitioner Group of the Academic Registrars' Council, said: "The admissions community will welcome any move that can be made to publish results earlier. It's not just a case of being helpful to universities - this will be helpful to applicants."
But Mr Law admitted that admissions staff across the country would be split over Dr Boston's vision of students applying after they received their results.
He said selection was a lengthy process that relied on more than exam grades and that even if these came a few weeks earlier, there would not be enough time to carry out the assessments currently used to select candidates.