Responding to the decisions on access agreements from the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), Professor Sir Steve Smith, President of Universities UK, said: “This has been a tough and thorough process and it's clear that universities have been pushed by OFFA.
“Universities will spend more on financial support and outreach measures as a proportion of fee income from 2012. And the average cost per student [estimated to be £7,881] will be lower than the often quoted figure of £9,000.
“It's important to note that these agreements will have been set according to universities' individual circumstances in terms of student intake, location and so on. This does not represent all their expenditure on access measures. More will be spent from other sources on financial support, outreach, and retention.
“It is clear that universities will be committing a considerable percentage of fee income on measures to support poorer students. This is vitally important to ensure that no student is put off from applying to university due to concerns about money. Alongside this increased financial assistance, universities must also be supported in their use of contextual data in the applications process.
“Reviewing these agreements annually will be important. Universities are aware that their performances will come under close scrutiny from OFFA, government and the public generally.”
Notes
- All access agreements are available on OFFA’s website