Embrace PQA or have it imposed by Whitehall, UK v-cs warned

Reform of university admissions is long overdue with little change since the 1960s. Ideally, universities should be at the forefront of change but with the current Government consultation is underway and universities could find themselves "following instruction" rather than being the independent educational establishment they keep trying to portray. Any reform needs to drive down bias (unconscious or otherwise) despite a decade or so trying to address this, more needs to be done to eradicate this from the admission process. Also, reinstating of university recruitment capping (I can't believe I've said that in type) needs to happen. I once saw the removal of capping as being an advantage for students, especially if universities took it as an opportunity to address diversity within the student population. Unfortunately, once I took off my rose tinted glasses, it isn't what I experienced or heard from chatting with counterparts in some other HE providers. The "more bums on seats = more money" approach seemed to be a driver for some without the investment in academic learning and teaching infrastructure/resources to support students adapt to higher education and achieve success. Yet, there is a question around why UK attrition is so high. PQA is a good starting point. It would be a fairer option to apply after level 3 outcomes have been release putting students on a level playing field, no matter what their gender, ethnicity, school/college, region or postcode. So, I'm uncertain how Ms Curnock Cook sees this model as being a disadvantage to poorer students. But lets not forget about the students who choose a vocational route to university education, they need to be treated as fairly as those applicants with successful A level results. Given the disruption to education/examinations that covid has caused now would be the right time to take decisions on the application/admissions process in readiness for 2022/23 academic year.