Oxbridge Overloaded
Record numbers of students have applied to Oxford and Cambridge this year, according to new data released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Figures just out reveal that 26,840 applicants made the 15th October deadline, a 7.1 per cent increase on last year's rate.
The 1,779 additional candidates to be considered this year promise to push resources to the absolute limit. Dr Geoff Parks, Cambridge director of admissions, said that the huge number of applicants could force the university, "with extreme reluctance", to consider implementing a preliminary round of testing, with weaker candidates not being offered the chance to attend an interview. This admission has caused unrest among Cambridge dons, as the university has prided itself upon a pledge to interview every applicant.
Oxford applicants, however, look to be safe for the foreseeable future. Jane Minto, director of the Oxford Colleges Admissions Office, told The OxStu that there is "no intention of introducing pre-interview testing" at Oxford. Miss Minto was at pains to stress that Oxford has always taken a subtly different approach to applications from Cambridge, pointing to the amount of "preliminary sifting" undertaken by the colleges.
Contrary to Miss Minto's comments, however, it now looks certain that testing will play an ever more important part in the selection of candidates. A document leaked to the press shows that Oxford is leading a gaggle of universities in a bid to introduce a national standardised test for Law applicants - the 'Lnat' - which could be the first subject-based admissions exam to be adopted by every university in the country.
13th Nov 2003