Derby says it can't honour all offers

Derby University has written to all applicants holding an "insurance" place on its diagnostic radiography course this September to tell them it cannot honour the offers and that they should seek alternatives.

The radiography department issued the letter at the start of June to 51 applicants, who chose the Derby course as their second choice, saying that due to "an extremely high number of applications we cannot guarantee you a training placement for the commencement of the programme in September".

The decision, which the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service called "unusual", could undermine trust in the application process for university entry and comes at a bad time for the students affected.

The letter asked students to reply with their decisions before last Friday, with the consequence that many students would have had to make decisions in the middle of their A-level exams.

More than 20 institutions in the UK offer a BSc in diagnostic radiography, which leads to a professional qualification. Students spend at least half their time on clinical placements, interacting with patients.

Derby said it was unable to find extra placements through the National Health Service to meet demand.

In a statement, the university says a nationwide increase in the number of those applying to radiography courses, coupled with an NHS campaign to attract students into the profession, had led to an increase in applications. Derby received nearly 400 applications for 45 places.

The university is now negotiating with the NHS, which funds diagnostic radiography courses in England, to increase the number of placements. An official said: "We sympathise with prospective students and took the decision to inform them about the situation now, while there is still time for them to consider their options and decide whether they wish to pursue alternatives."

The alternatives offered in the letter are to choose a different university, defer entry at Derby until 2006 or to consider enrolling on another course at Derby, which the university said it would consider "favourably".

But those affected suggested the university's actions were insufficient.

"You have to ask why the students involved weren't written to sooner," said Rob Edwards, head of sixth form at Sir John Leman High School in Suffolk.

He said it was the first time in 17 years at the school that he had received such a letter.

He said: "It's undermining the basis on which Ucas makes offers."

Laura Galer, 18, an A-level student at Sir John Leman, received her letter on the first day of her exams. "It's increased the pressure for me," she said.

Ms Galer said she had not decided what to do if she failed to get the grades for her first choice , Bristol University. "I'll probably think about clearing or take a year off," she said. But she said she definitely would not be applying to Derby again.

Ucas said it was aware of "the unusual situation" at Derby and was available to help, adding: "Ucas is in dialogue with the institution to prevent such circumstances arising in the future."