Top universities offering more clearing spots to overseas students than British applicants, analysis reveals - as tens of thousands of pupils set to collect their A-level results TODAY
Hundreds of degree courses at top universities are being offered to high-paying international students instead of British applicants, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Analysis shows that pupils collecting their A-level results today will have far fewer options than those applying from abroad when it comes to choosing alternative courses through the Clearing process.
Of the 24 top institutions in the Russell Group, 17 have places available through Clearing – and 11 are offering more courses to those from abroad than to those living here.
Overseas students pay much higher fees. Today, more than 250,000 students will find out if they made their predicted grades and secured their course of choice.
Hundreds of degree courses at top universities are being offered to high-paying international students instead of British applicants (file image)
Edinburgh University has 253 clearing places available for overseas students, but only one for students from Scotland or England (file image)
It is expected tens of thousands will enter Clearing to find a new course, and admissions chiefs have said there will be 'every kind of course under the sun' available, including medicine.
Choices will be even more plentiful for international students – who pay up to £38,000 a year compared with the £9,250 paid by those living here.
In one example, Edinburgh University has 253 available for overseas students, but only one for students from Scotland or England.
Durham University has 98 courses available for international students, but only 42 for English students.
Exeter has 437 for international students but just 214 for home students.
As of yesterday morning, Russell Group universities had a total of 4,504 courses available to foreign students, against 3,883 for domestic students – equating to 621 more (16 per cent).
Durham University has 98 courses available for international students, but only 42 for English students
A Russell Group spokesperson said that of those students who did join their universities last year through Clearing, more than 80 per cent were UK students (file image)
Alan Smithers, professor of education at Buckingham University, said: 'Universities have struggled to attract the number of international students they had been hoping for, in order to balance their books. This is leaving their finances very precarious.
'The new Government should urgently seek to find less precarious ways of financing universities.'
It is understood new rules in January which banned international students from bringing in family members has had an impact on numbers.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, said the financial position for universities had deteriorated 'very fast' in the past year.
Clearing is run by admissions body Ucas, allowing students who have missed their predicted grades – or done better than expected – to shop for a new course.
A Russell Group spokesman said: ‘Of those students who did join our universities last year through Clearing, over 80 per cent were UK students.
‘This year Ucas data shows that more UK 18-year olds are holding an offer than last year and, whilst the number of places available in Clearing varies across different universities and different courses, early indications show availability across the sector is at similar levels to previous years.
‘All students, wherever they are from, are considered on their academic merits according to their suitability for the course.’
A Durham University spokesman said: 'Entry to degree courses is not made available to international students at the expense of home students. We recruit to separate streams for home and international students.
'Through our robust, transparent and publicly available admissions policy, we treat home students and international students equitably and fairly.
'Places on a wider range of courses are currently available through clearing to international students because many international students have already received their exam results, for example for the International Baccalaureate.
'When A-level results are published on Thursday 15 August, we expect to be able to offer to home students places on more courses through clearing.'
An Exeter spokesman said: ‘Programmes sometimes have multiple variants and all of these may be listed even those there are only a handful of spaces available across the discipline.
‘It is not unusual for there to be more vacancies for international students since a higher proportion decide to apply after they get their results and use clearing to do so.
‘The University of Exeter is one of the largest recruiters of home students in the country.’
