CYPRIOT students who miss their required A level grades to enter British universities this August will face the toughest competition yet for ‘clearing’ places, after the recession has forced the UK government to cap university places and slash higher education funding by 200 million pounds.
The cap means that the British Council’s annual August clearing event, which gives UK colleges with places still to fill a chance to visit and recruit students at the last minute, will not be going ahead.
“British universities get funding for each EU student from the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFC). However, in the current economic environment HEFC has introduced capping on the number of funded students,” Richard Law, the director of the British Council in Nicosia told the Sunday Mail.
He said this has meant more pressure on places, especially in the popular subjects. “The traditional August clearing event is not taking place this year because there are not enough places.”
Pantelitsa Michael, UK Educational Services Coordinator at the British Council said that while there is no specially organised event, the Council will offer its facilities for those wanting access to the UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) general clearing service, traditionally used by late applicants or by those who failed to get the grades required by the universities they first applied to.
Increased pressure for places coincides with a record number of Cypriot and international applicants.
UCAS reports that over 3,000 Cypriots have already applied so far this year, a full 12.5 per cent higher than the same time last year, when 2,664 had applied. Only 1,447 won places last year.
The increase in applications is reflected globally. Since 2004, annual applications to British universities have risen steadily from 490,000 to 640,000.
This increase would be fine under normal economic conditions. However the crisis has forced the UK government to slash its higher education budget and cap places for EU students, who the government would otherwise have funded. While universities can take on students beyond the cap, they will receive no funding and have to either cut costs or increase fees.
With applications increasing faster than the number of places on offer, it is not surprising that globally rejections rose from 115,000 in 2006 to 158,006 in 2009.
So where does this leave Cypriots thinking of applying to British universities, and is there anything they can do to improve their chances?
Fortunately, Cyprus is in a strong position compared to other applicants, and the consensus among the experts is that Cypriot students are among the highest-achieving and successful applicants.
UCAS’ 2009 statistics support this. For example, Cypriots comprise 1.5 per cent of all overseas applicants, but two per cent of acceptances.
“Competition is tougher, but Cypriots needless to say achieve highly in both Edexcel and Cambridge exams, and the number of Cypriots who take ‘Best in the World’ awards is stunning. Cypriots have nothing to fear,” Law said.
Law says British universities remain eager to attract Cypriot custom, with 57 attending the British Council education exhibition this year.
Inevitably, the most successful applicants seem to be from the large numbers of English-speaking private schools that teach the UK curriculum.
Tony Balkwill, careers advisor and English Literature teacher at the Falcon School in Nicosia, said that almost all of their sixth form students go on to higher education, with 90 per cent heading to Britain’s top 20 universities, the so called Russell Group, while the remainder head to the United States.
“Around 30 to 35 students go to Russell Group universities every year and around three go to Oxford or Cambridge,” he said, adding that Falcon students have not yet seen a drop in their success rate due to the recession in the UK. “The most popular universities are in London, but a few go to Birmingham and Manchester.”
Dr Ed Brambley, a Research Fellow and applicant interviewer for Maths at Cambridge University agrees that Cypriots are strong contenders, in spite of the language difference and the tighter limits on EU places.
“I suppose the main factor for a foreign applicant is language. For Maths students this is not such a problem, but in the case of subjects like Literature, an interviewer will assess their English and if it might be a barrier to their education, it would be a worry.”
As for the recent trend in applications, Brambley said that as EU citizens, Cypriots’ relatively high standard compared with the rest of the EU puts them in good stead. Had they been outside of the EU, then academic ability could have been overshadowed by the higher funding costs.
Another factor that enhances applications from Cyprus is studying the International Baccalaureate, which improves a student’s flexibility and is increasingly well-regarded by British universities. The American International School and the Pascal School both in Nicosia currently offer this alternative to the traditional GCSE courses.
The other key to getting a university place is choosing realistic options based on predicted grades, as is a good personal statement that demonstrates a real interest in the subject you want to study and a broad range of interests and experiences.
But the recession in Britain has meant that aside from studying hard and getting the grades, it is absolutely vital that applicants apply early and forget clearing.
Stelios Christofides, Senior Educational Officer at the Ministry of Education said “a considerable number of Cypriot students do not apply until they get their results, and go through clearing.”
Law advises against this, and urges 2011 applicants to apply as soon as possible. “My message to Cypriot applicants is that you are welcome in the UK, but you need to think about applying earlier, certainly no later than November. This is especially true if you want to go to popular universities.”
This system is likely to disadvantage women. Since men are required to serve in the army, they have the option to apply twice with their already attained grade; for deferred entry during their first year of military service, and the normal route in their second. (Not all universities, however, accept applications for deferred entry.)
Any girl who either does not apply during their last year of school, or who fails to attain their grades, would have to delay a year or study locally.
Christofides said that many are choosing the latter, since there is an increasing range of courses on offer and free tuition fees at the University of Cyprus and at TEPAK, the technical university.
And while the fees at the local private universities are high compared to British universities, this is often offset by the far cheaper living expenses.
