Redesigning the UK’s university admissions system

In the Economics Observatory, Dr Aytek Erdil argues for a post-qualification admissions system that includes a matching mechanism, with students receiving university offers after they have received their A-levels.

How should policy-makers ensure university admissions are both fair and efficient, following two summers of disrupted exams? In an opinion piece Dr Erdil argues one solution is a new post-qualification admissions (PQA) system, probably with UCAS playing matchmaker.

The intention behind his proposals is to remove any potential unfairness of offer decisions based on predicted grades. UCAS would then assign students to courses, using the students' preference ranking for courses they apply to, after the grades are known.