Sean Coughlan reports on Sutton Trust research analysing the UK university admissions process.

University admissions would be fairer if students applied after they knew their A-level results, says a social mobility charity. The Sutton Trust says relying on predicted grades is working against talented, disadvantaged applicants.

This summer, almost three-quarters of applicants in the UK failed to achieve the grades forecast by their schools. But the charity warns that poorer students are more likely to have their grades under-predicted.

Report author Dr Gill Wyness said it was vital that “disadvantaged students are able to play the admissions game on the same terms as their better-off peers”.

Under the present admissions system, universities make offers of places based on the grades predicted by teachers. The Sutton Trust says that this is a system that favours more ambitious, better-informed applicants, from wealthier families and high-achieving schools.

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Sutton Trust CEO, Dr Lee Elliot Major, was interviewed on BBC 4’s Today programme this morning too.

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