An English university has said that its decision to stop making unconditional offers was driven by concerns that they were dragging down its entry standards.

St Mary¡¯s University, Twickenham said that analysis of the ¡°conversion rate¡± of offer holders into entrants showed that there was ¡°little or no¡± difference in the likelihood of someone who had received an unconditional offer enrolling at the institution compared?with someone who had been given a conditional offer.

Further evidence showed that ¡°rather than enhancing the St Mary¡¯s mean entry tariff, the unconditional offers results could be detrimental to it¡±, the university said. All of the UK¡¯s main domestic league tables use average entry standards as a metric.

The move comes amid mounting concern about the role of unconditional offers in UK university admissions. Ucas data show that almost a quarter (22.9 per cent) of 18-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received at least one unconditional offer in the 2018 admissions cycle. In 2013, this figure was just 1.1 per cent.

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Sam Gyimah, the universities minister, has called the increase ¡°completely irresponsible¡±. Some admissions experts are concerned that unconditional offers discourage students from trying their hardest in the run-up to their A-level exams.

Last year, St Mary¡¯s made 499 unconditional offers.

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John Brewer, pro vice-chancellor (global engagement) at St Mary¡¯s, said that pulling out of unconditional offer-making was the ¡°right decision¡±.

¡°We are determined to maintain standards of entry to St Mary¡¯s and, by listening to the views of schools, teachers, our own staff and students, we believe that with the evidence that has been available to us that we¡¯ve made the right decision,¡± he said.

¡°It was clear to us that a number of students who enrolled with us after an unconditional offer was made didn¡¯t meet the grades they expected and this didn¡¯t merit the investment we made into that particular part of our recruitment programme.¡±

Professor Brewer has previously raised concerns that schools were becoming increasingly willing to over-predict the grades that their pupils were likely to achieve, in the expectation that they will receive unconditional offers.

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chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com