‘Considerable’ support for plan to scrap tariff points

Ucas put forward a recommendation to phase out tariff points, which attempt to give a guide as to the worth of different qualifications, in a consultation launched in February for its Qualifications Information Review.

A report released by the body on 31 July shows that just under a fifth of universities want to retain the tariff for setting entry requirements and making offers.

The report says Ucas will now “engage” with such institutions to “understand further the challenges and issues that they would face if this recommendation were to be implemented, and what solutions and support could be provided”.

It adds that the Ucas board will make a final decision on whether to scrap tariff points in the autumn.

Five other recommendations put forward by the consultation were also broadly supported, and have now already been approved by the Ucas board.

They include the development of a “rigorous” way to compare “demand” across different qualifications; the development of a simple qualifications metric for management information purposes; and the publication of an annual report on the use of qualifications within higher education admissions.

simon.baker@tsleducation.com