LIVERPOOLS universities have been plunged into confusion by last-gasp changes to the allocation of student places, MPs warn today as they call for the shake-up to be shelved.
The government left it too late to offer vice-chancellors an extra 20,000 places if they slashed their planned fees to an average fee of £7,500 or less, the all-party education select committee said.
The proposal which has kicked off a price war, with one in five universities now seeking to reduce fees has sparked a great deal of uncertainty and should be deferred until at least 2013, its report said.
Adrian Bailey, the committees Labour chairman, told the Daily Post: The allocation of places is a real problem for universities. Its causing a lot of uncertainty.
They dont know how many students they are going to attract next year, or how much funding they are going to get. Thats why we believe the changes should be deferred for at least a year.
Students have also warned the scramble to cut fees is causing confusion. Many will have applied for cheaper universities, only to discover that others which they feared were too expensive may now be within their budget.
But, last night, universities minister David Willetts appeared to rule out a rethink, saying: We have to get on with ending the present system of setting quotas of places at each university, because it lets students down.
Under the changes, 65,000 extra places will be created next year for students that achieve AAB grades, or better, at A-level, on top of the normal cap at each university.
And 20,000 places will be transferred to universities with average fees below £7,500, tempting 24 unnamed institutions to seek to slash their prices just weeks before the application deadline for most courses.
Some experts have warned this market will produce an Ivy League dominated by universities in the South but excluding the University of Liverpool, for so long a member of the Russell Group elite. Todays report also warns ministers richer students must not be allowed to pay fees upfront, dodging interest.
