Tens of thousands of A-level pupils were desperately trying to find a university place last night after a record drop in grades.
More than 43,000 ended up without a guaranteed place – the highest number in a decade – following a post-pandemic crackdown on grade inflation and a higher than usual number of applications.
It means pupils face a frantic scramble in the coming days to find places via Clearing – the process through which universities fill remaining spaces on courses.
To compound the problem, there are far fewer Clearing courses available at top universities this year than there have been previously.
