Universities cutting back gap years

Some universities are reducing the number of students allowed to defer entry in order to take a year out. This will affect the thousands of students across Britain who gain undergraduate places then defer entry for 12 months to travel and / or work.

Some Universities have put a cap on deferred entries in the region of 10% per year while some students have been told that they will not be allowed to defer entry for a year. If this is the case their only remaining option being to reapply in 2011 if they want to take a gap year which could put people off.

Liz Murphy, Exeter’s head of admissions, told The Sunday Times: “It’s about fairness. Everyone has to be judged in competition with those who are trying to get in at the same time. We don’t discourage gap years, but we do look very carefully now at what applicants are doing or planning to do. It is a very competitive marketplace to get a deferred offer.”

Recently, The Telegraph reported that David Willetts, the Universities Minister, said he wanted to establish joint university courses with other countries to address the concerns of business leaders.

"Businesses say there aren’t enough students with experience of languages, different cultures and the wider world..."

The new UK Government plans to develop courses between British universities and those in countries such as India to address the issue.