English universities risk breaking law over offer withdrawals, say ministers

Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Regulators push universities to remove oversubscription loopholes after surge in higher A-level grades

Universities in England risk breaking competition laws if they add loopholes letting them withdraw offers from students at the last minute if courses are oversubscribed, ministers and regulators have told vice-chancellors.

For the last two years, the surge in A-level grades allowed more students than forecast to meet their offer targets, and some universities withdrew offers when it became clear that courses would be oversubscribed.

In a concerted push by the government, the Office for Students (OfS), the higher education regulator for England and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), universities have been told to remove the oversubscription clauses from their offers or face possible punishments from the regulators.

By Richard Adams.

Full story at Yahoo News.