The director of the admissions watchdog body has admitted that he is worried that universities will offer students cut-price places in September.
Sir Martin Harris, head of the Office for Fair Access, writes in The Times Higher today that he fears that universities struggling to recruit students may increase bursaries and discount fees at the last moment.
This could mean that students who apply late to universities pay less than those whose places are agreed before their summer exams.
Sir Martin warns that this would be a mistake in the short and the long term. He told The Times Higher : "I am concerned that a small number of institutions might be tempted with this 'cut-price sales approach'.
"I am a little anxious about last-minute turbulence in September. My advice to universities is to stand firm and not to do this.
"The issue of equity between students could be placed in jeopardy and the carefully crafted and widely publicised access agreements that institutions have made with the Office for Fair Access could be undermined."
He added that if universities tried to lure students with lower fees and more generous bursaries, it would be unlikely to increase the number of applicants.
David Law, chairman of the Admissions Practitioner Group of the Academic Registrars' Council, said: "We are certainly concerned about how the new system will operate.
"We want to make sure it operates fairly and that last-minute decisions on bursaries and fees are not made on the basis of filling courses."