PQA’s demise doesn’t mean England’s admissions system can’t be improved

Many people in English higher education will have welcomed the government’s recent announcement that it will not implement the mooted post-qualifications admission (PQA) system after all. However, this should not be seen as an opportunity to rest on our laurels. England’s admissions system still faces major challenges.

The case for PQA was mainly based on the inaccuracy of predicted grades: better to judge students on what they have done rather than what they might do. But it was surprising that the debate did not also engage more with the problem of the probable 100,000+ learners who are unhappy with their choice of course and institution. The annual Higher Education Policy Institute/Advance HE Student Academic Experience Survey of more than 10,000 undergraduates consistently shows that more than a third would rather be doing another course. Particularly worryingly, this is true of more than 50 per cent of black learners.

These mismatches will not be addressed by the government’s vague commitments, in its response to the PQA consultation, to improve transparency, reduce unconditional offers and reform personal statements. Nor will changing university marketing to provide more data on completion and graduate outcomes. To choose courses that better meet their needs, students need more information on the courses themselves.

A more systematic and innovative approach to course choice is needed, starting earlier than it does now. The University and College Union’s work on PQA, in which I was heavily involved, argued repeatedly for an entitlement to information, advice and guidance from year 10 (the fourth year of secondary school).

Students should also be able to enrol in the Ucas admissions system from that year. This would stimulate all schools to start their higher education progression work earlier than year 12. It would also allow Ucas and universities to provide online information throughout the time students are deciding what they want to do with their futures. A student choice week at the end of year 12, devoted to visits and other activities with universities, would be the final piece of the jigsaw.

These changes are all achievable even in the existing “pre-qualification” admissions system at a relatively modest additional cost. England should also trial a version of the Study Choice Check system that was introduced in the Netherlands in the 2010s to improve graduate outcomes by addressing the mismatch between student preferences and course selection. It amounts to an online interactive questionnaire, set by universities, that all students have to complete when they apply. Rather than testing their knowledge, it examines the fit between them and the course they are interested in and gives them a better understanding of what they are signing up to.

Then there are the new students that the government would like to welcome into higher education via the lifelong loan entitlement; a consultation on this has also been launched. Attracting older learners and those who have taken T levels – the new technical alternative to A levels – will require flexibility in admissions. This, again, means communicating clearly what the options are for students entering via these routes. Recent research undertaken by the National Education Opportunities Network, for instance, suggests another mismatch in admissions – this time between the breadth of university courses that students think T levels will allow them to progress to and the much narrower reality.

We must also ensure that the university entry process is no more complicated for lifelong learners than it is for school-leavers. The standard Ucas application deadline of the January prior to the first year of the course may not work for many of these students. They can, of course, apply directly to a university, but if the goal is to create a genuinely lifelong learning system then the globally recognised strengths of the Ucas system should be available to all applicants regardless of age or course.

Finally, some people worry that PQA would put an even greater admissions focus on grades, adding to the pressure of A level examinations. This is a genuine concern. Since the pandemic, an increasing number of US providers, too, have become concerned with the high-stakes nature of the SAT system that has governed entry into much of the system, particularly regarding its impact on access for those from under-represented backgrounds. More than two-thirds of US colleges and universities, including Harvard and Princeton, are now saying they will not require admissions test scores for this year’s admissions cycle.

Widening access remains one of the biggest challenges the English system faces. At present rates of progress some calculate that it could take more than 300 years to close gaps in progression to more selective universities. Each national admissions system is different but, as with Study Choice Check, looking at what other countries are doing can inspire change. Trialling the use of a range of different indicators for university admissions, such as portfolios of high school academic work, may accelerate progress in opening up higher education to all those who have the potential to benefit.

It is tempting to see the government’s response to PQA as the end of real reform to the admissions system for now. However, if we really want to improve it then hopefully it is just the beginning.

Graeme Atherton is director of the National Education Opportunities Network, based at the University of West London.