STARK WARNING FROM PUSH: UNIS RELYING ON CLEARING TO FILL SPACES HAVE MORE DROP-OUTS

With A Level results published today, the leading independent advice website for university applicants Push.co.uk has issued a stark warning to students not to make rash choices as new findings reveal they may find themselves at greater risk of dropping out of university.

Push.co.uk , the UK’s most detailed guide to universities, cautions that there is a strong statistical link between universities that accept a lot of students through the clearing process and those with high ‘flunk rates’. During clearing, applicants don’t have the time to consider whether the university and course are right for them and many come to regret their choice.

In 2007, 38,885 students are officially recorded as having found places through clearing, but this is thought to be a fraction of the actual number which Push’s own research sourced from the universities themselves reveals to be in excess of 53,000 – around one in every ten students.

Push reveals that the average UK flunk rate stands at 19.7%, but at all four universities that get more than a quarter of their students through clearing, over a third of students drops out, fails or abandons their course for another university.

Push.co.uk describes clearing as being like “speed-dating with a blind matchmaker” or “going to the January sales to look through the stuff no one else wanted in the hope of finding a bargain”. Applicants are urged to consider re-applying for next year, but, in order to help those who are determined to go through clearing to find a university that does suit their needs, Push.co.uk is providing free access to its exclusive Uni Chooser software.

The Uni Chooser users a unique ‘sift and sort’ algorithm, which helps applicants build a ranked shortlist of suitable universities in around an hour, based on courses, location, entry qualifications and over 200 other criteria such as housing and social factors.

For those determined to ignore the warnings about clearing, Push offers three key tips:
· Don’t panic: only choose universities through clearing that you would have considered anyway.
· Don’t feel forced into making hasty decisions – it’s better to wait a year and re-apply than end up regretting a snap decision.
· Find out all you can about a university before even considering studying there by using the search tools at Push.co.uk and reading the university profiles ( www.push.co.uk/list-of-uk-universities ).
Further advice on clearing is available at www.push.co.uk/get-a-place/clearing .

Johnny Rich, Editor of Push.co.uk, says,
“It’s important that applicants make sure they know what they’re letting themselves in for. Behind the statistics, there are thousands of people who’ve made hasty or ill-informed decisions, choosing places that just aren’t suited to them. They end up regretting it and it can be a costly error. The message is simple: don’t be rash – don’t rush.”

-ends-

For advice and information about university clearing:
www.push.co.uk/get-a-place/clearing
For the full table of flunk rates and clearing rates:
www.push.co.uk/press/flunk-rates-and-university-clearing

NOTES TO EDITORS:

This information is presented in an accessible and user-friendly style and published without fear or favour at www.push.co.uk. The site provides an invaluable resource for anyone hunting for a university place. It features comprehensive information about each university, application and survival advice, financial guidance, forums and a uniquely powerful search function to help applicants identify the right university for them.

Each year Push also visits hundred of schools, colleges and sixth forms giving advice direct to students and is a respected supplier of information about higher education to media outlets and businesses.

Keywords:: university, clearing, flunk rates, failing, degree, courses, student life, lectures

Name:: Push.co.uk

Email:: james@push.co.uk

Contact Information::

For further information including university league tables, top tens, regional and local breakdowns, and interviews with Johnny Rich,
Series Editor:

Online: http://www.push.co.uk/press/

Laura Davis: Tel: 020-7005 3650/1/4
Email: press@push.co.uk
james@push.co.uk

Website: http://www.push.co.uk