SUSPICION GROWS THAT UNIVERSITIES ARE INFLATING RESULTS TO ATTRACT NEW STUDENTS
Universities have been accused of deliberately inflating graduates’ degree grades in an effort to retain their league table ranking and attract more new students, as it emerged that three quarters of graduates now obtain a first class or 2.1 degree. The allegations are so serious that the Office for Students has warned it will name and shame universities found to be engaging in the practice, as fears have been raised that making top grades too common will undermine the value of all university degrees in the long-run, if employers perceive them to be ‘dumbed-down’.
The row erupted after new data revealed that more than one in four UK students graduated from university with a first-class degree last year. The official figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that the share of graduates with the highest possible result rose 44% in five years.
In 2012-13, the first year higher fees were charged, 18% of those who completed their first undergraduate degree got a first. In contrast, in 2016-17, 26% were awarded the top grade.
That means that three-quarters now graduate with a 2.1 or above. So, what is going on? Are students working harder, are exams getting easier, or are university examiners getting softer? And what does all this mean for the graduates attaining these degrees, as they enter the job market?
WATCH THE BLUE LINE Are students getting smarter, universities getting kinder, or exams getting easier?
The answers remain unclear – but the year-on-year rise has prompted calls for wholesale reform in the sector, amid fears that the trend is devaluing qualifications and making it harder for employers to differentiate between graduates.
Unlike national exams such as GCSEs and A-levels, universities are free to award as many first and 2:1 degrees as they like, as there is no standardised grading system. Universities are currently allowed to set their own grade boundaries and algorithms for calculating final degree classifications – a system which critics say is open to abuse.
For what motive? Financial, of course. Worryingly, concerns have been raised that some universities may be awarding a larger percentage of high grades as a ploy to tempt new students to study at their university, as opposed to rival institutions. Better degree results can be used to help an institution to retain its league table ranking, which many prospective use to help them decide which university to attend.
At Graduate Fog, we feel that is a very serious allegation, as it would mean that artificial grade inflation is effectively being used as a marketing strategy, regardless of the consequences to the students and graduates they are supposed to be educating.
Last night the new university regulator warned that universities found to be engaging in foul play would face “strong regulatory action”, as it reiterated calls for the creation of sector-wide standards for awarding degrees. Despite the Government’s repeated calls for the education sector to tackle the problem, insiders continue to warn that institutions are continuing to bump up marks in order to maintain their league table rankings.
In an effort to talk tough on a problem that Graduate Fog feels is so serious it could become the (already fragile) university market’s undoing, the Department for Education insisted that suspect institutions would be subject to monitoring and analysis and, if found to be breaching regulation, face being publicly listed.
For universities that failed to comply, the regulator would be free to pursue harsher punishments, including fines, suspension and even being stripped of their degree awarding status. A spokesperson said:
“The new Office for Students will, as a matter of routine, undertake analysis of degree classification trends and identify any cases where the pattern may suggest good or poor practice. The agreement of clear, sector-recognised standards will also be key to enabling the OfS to take strong regulatory action where grade inflation is happening.”
While universities may find this trick to be an effective marketing effective plan in the short-term, there is surely a real risk that in the long term an abundance of students with high grades will reduce the overall value of top grade degrees, as they become too commonplace.
Already we are hearing graduate employers complaining that too many applicants have a 2.1 degree. This is bad news for everyone, particularly those from less well off backgrounds. Why? Because in some cases, employers say that a difficulty distinguishing a really good degree from an okay one could make them more likely to use other additional selection criteria, like UCAS points or the prestige (‘snob factor’) of the university where the graduate studied.
HESA’s new figures included some other interesting findings. Women were more likely to graduate with a first or upper second than men (77% compared with 72%). Those who studied full time were also more likely to obtain one of these results, at 76%, compared with 54% of part-time students. There were also regional differences, with 75% of students at English universities gaining a first or 2:1, 78% in Scotland, 71% in Wales and 76% in Northern Ireland.
* SHOULD THERE BE A LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF FIRST AND 2:1 DEGREES AWARDED?
Is it good news that more top class degrees are being given out? Or do you fear the consequences of a university system that is perceived to be dumbing down in order to keep its customers – students and graduates – happy? We’d love to know what you think, so please post your thoughts below…
Although srutiny should be continuous, particularly of the process of curriculum management/delivery, I dont think that We should take seriously the critique of any party- such as employers – who may merely sit on their proverbial posterious whilst the a) State and b) Students accept responsibility for skills development/training.
Student Debt already exceeds £100Bn, and yet that debt is being absorbed by a) the State, and b) Students. Employers sit on their proverbial posteriors.
Employers will always criticise …like the proverbial child in a kindergarten class who cannot get their own way.
I have a First and given my time again I would try and get a job at 18. You have such a head start in life with three years of work on the CV and money in your bank account.
Same. I have a first class and it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. Employers actually avoid graduates these days and that leaves us in limbo with no prospects or future.
Thanks for the comments here – really interesting. Am I correct in thinking that your anger is more towards employers for not recognising your achievement properly, rather than to universities for luring you into making an investment that hasn’t paid off?(yet!)
PS Don’t forget that our e-book “How to get a graduate job now” is currently FREE to download – you’ll find lots of great advice in there, to re-charge your job hunt. Sales / downloads always rise at this time of year – so if you’re struggling please remember you’re not alone!
@Tanya
I blame the university and education sector. I was pushed into big life decisions at an early age. Now I can’t afford to re-train. I would have to move to Europe to do a proper degree. Employers are just leaches who are taking advantage of the situation – cheap, educated, disposable staff.
@The other candidate had more experience…
It seems pretty terrible to me – people chose courses at 17 and tend to be pushed to go to university immediately. I can’t understand why. Particularly in the state sector I’ve never heard of anyone advised to take a year out, or do something else while they consider their options.
Before the huge fees came in as I recall you at least had some options to do a second degree.
@Jay Ritchie
So the government can massage their unemployment figures.
There is no social mobility in the UK. What if I now want to become a dentist? I can’t, unless my family are wealthy. I would have to go to Bulgaria.
It’s time to leave the UK for a better quality of life.
Good luck to all.
Similarly, at 18 I’m not sure I was old enough to be making decisions that would follow me for years afterwards. I was an academically able sixth-former at a decent college and you studied hard, got AAA and ended up at somewhere like Bristol, Warwick, Nottingham or Durham. It was just the norm back then. You were on a conveyer-belt and there was never any discussion of alternative options. Hence I ended up with a History and Politics degree from a ‘redbrick’ in the middle of a recession. 😀
You get older and you realise how several years swanning about at university can be a disadvantage in the labour market. People I know who left school at 18 are now leading adult lives compared to those who went off to University. I now realise what several years of lost earnings mean.
I graduated some time ago. The problem I now have is that I am not being successful at interview for roles in the area that I have trained into or to be honest slightly fell into after university. Unis have lots of advice-based roles (students’ union, university advice teams, housing advice, debt/money, immigration advice and other office jobs like Registry). This is what my CV is geared towards and I am not being successful at interview despite the relevant experience.
My worries are threefold:
A)If I can’t obtain a permanent role in this area — what then?
B)I’ve taken a few short-term contracts to remain employed and now I worry about the risk of being seen as a ‘job-hopper’ or being pigeonholed as a temp. There comes a point in life where you need stability not lot of short-term gigs.
C)So many of the university jobs are in London so it would be beneficial to stay living down south but I am starting to realise I need to choose between the south and being part of generation rent for the next decade or the north and moving closer to adulthood. My savings of just over 10k are a deposit on a flat in cheaper areas of the country.
Anyway, back to the applications…
I would think long and hard about pursuing those roles (university advice teams, housing advice and office jobs in general). That is basically admin work which is low paid and dispensable. They won’t touch a graduate with a barge pole as they can get an older person who has worked in admin for the past 20 years.
There are people my age who have their own houses who didn’t go to university but they are usually couples. They are either self-employed trades people or do things like dental hygenist. Some did apprenticeships.
Russel group is a con and a marketing ploy. The name of your university doesn’t make any difference unless it’s Oxbridge, Imperial or LSE.
Well since my last post I’ve been made an offer.
Once you have experience in one area it can be difficult to jump into another area. I could not decide tomorrow for instance that I wanted to do maritime insurance disputes for one of the firms off Fenchurch Street. I have no experience and would not get an interview. Once your CV is geared towards a certain industry I feel as through it can be very difficult to get anything elsewhere.
I don’t claim to have all the answers other than that the more money I can bank the better prepared I am for any future job searches/recessions. I feel like a squirrel collecting as many acorns while I can as who knows what tomorrow will bring.
@Successful on this occasion
Another liar.
A degree is like a tv license, you dont need it theyll scare you into thinking you do.
I’m currently doing a degree (2nd year) and it is so challenging it’s pushing me to breaking point but I’m getting majority firsts in my assignments and I’m working bloody hard for them. Can the better grades not be correlated with the fact degrees are expensive now and students can’t afford to slack off? It’s very upsetting to think after dedicating 3 years to my degree and working my socks off, that employers would doubt my qualification.
I’m a mature student, surrounded by similar students from 23yrs all the way to 60. We’ve been out in the big wide world and with experience under our belts we’ve made a decision to return to education to better ourselves. I’ll be 26 when I graduate. I’m surrounded by hard working students who are putting their heart and soul into their work.
I agree universities are reluctant to FAIL students, a pass is 40%, I’ve noticed that, but slackers get the lowest grades. The kind of grades that make it pointless to have even done a degree.
High grades are, in my experience, well deserved and appropriately awarded.
Becky
Grades don’t mean anything. I got a first in physics in 2015. I was getting 80%+ in modules like nuclear and solid state physics. I even published work in my third year as part of my project thanks to my lovely supervisors. Going further; on my masters course the majority of my grades were distinctions. In the end it just scares employers off (apart from the teaching profession who are desperate for top graduates).
Someone dropped out of my undergrad and did a 2 year IT apprenticeship with the government. Now they are a senior software developer with money supermarket. A graduate would needs years of expeirence to even interview for that role.
Experience is everything. Graduates can no longer say “I am a graduate therefore I am smart and adaptable”… that is no longer acceptable. Employers want experienced people who they don’t have to train. They will also try to pay as little as possible unless your skills are niche… hence why recruiters never disclose rate of pay.