Top universities always admit more number of students from top independent schools. They would get talented minds from sound financial background. They will not take any pains to select the candidates from the other side of the track. There are no concerns among the university officials to admit students who have not received the benefits of the privileged education. No solutions have been found so far, to change the scenario.

It is also a fact that many of the state schools do not have the capacity to develop the students so as to get admission into the top class universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. Those schools are never embedded with a vision to elevate their students up to the mark. However, it cannot be left as it is. One fine solution would be the improvement of the standard of the state schools and the level of expectations in their thinking should be enhanced. Government should chalk out a recognition plan for the universities which are taking serious steps to reach out to those students from the state schools and from the underprivileged sections of the society.

Intelligent British children hailing from poor families should be nurtured well in all ways. Normally, the poor would have lesser educational expectations and those expectations should be developed in schools where academic talents are taken up seriously. They should also be given equal opportunities irrespective of their status of living.

There is also a major flaw in the system as the universities are admitting the students based on the predicted results. This might disappoint the students who had scored top grades and had not applied to the best colleges feeling that they might not score up to the mark. The university admission process is partly guesswork for both the students as well as the academic officials. If the students apply after the results were out, they would be in a position to take the right decision.

The government has also announced that it wants to change the system wherein the predicted results would not be considered. A taskforce was also formed on university admission procedures in order to restore the confidence in the process of admission. It also recommended various admission procedures that are to be implemented by all the universities to develop a transparency in the selection process.

Most of the universities find it difficult to interview all the candidates. To fill up 5,000 admissions, nearly 50,000 applications would be received by the universities. So, it is very difficult to manage the crowd. That is why the tutors decide on the basis of GCSE, predicted grade levels and AS level grades and also on the basis of personal statement through UCAS form. This is not the proper way of selection, as the students had appeared for the GCSE and AS exams a year before they applied to the university. Then judging the performance of the students one year ago, would not give a reasonable result.

After there was a mounting pressure from various levels for a change in the system, the Government is planning to publish by 2008 the ‘A’ level results, a week ahead of the start of the application process in the university. There is no doubt that the British universities are of world-class. Higher education contributes to the wealth of the nation. Students who come from all over the world to pursue studies in the UK feel that the universities in the UK, especially Oxford and Cambridge, can claim to be the world’s best. However, there is a possibility of a great change in the situation because of the problems encountered in fund raising by the universities to improve their infrastructure.

Many academicians are also leaving for the US to explore better opportunities. Though the situation is not so alarming, a lot of problems regarding funds might crop up. In the future, the universities will badly need funds to pay salaries and to improve the infrastructure for conducting outstanding research.

Many academicians suggest that the government contribute a major part for running the degree courses in order to overcome the situation. Academicians also predict that if there is no change in the system, then the situation might turn worse with the universities unable to create better infrastructure. Unless and until the government attends to these shortcomings and changes the process reasonably, we cannot expect any improvement in the standard of education.

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