By Graeme Paton. Almost 3,000 courses were still available at Britain’s best universities on Thursday night as elite institutions scrambled to recruit bright students. Sixteen out of the 24 members of the elite Russell Group are advertising degree places through the clearing system. Courses are being left open to students who may have narrowly missed out on their original offer of a place at another highly sought-after institution. Many places are also likely to be taken by students who want to “trade up”, shunning their existing course offer after gaining better than expected grades. Last year, just 1,300 students gained places through “adjustment” but it is thought numbers could rise this summer. It represents the first evidence of a competitive market between universities after the Coalition reforms to the higher education system in England. More...

Editorial. For the individual student, the chance of being able to trade up after better than expected results could be a life-changing one. 

It ought not to be impossible to have a policy for universities that is about both promoting excellence and widening access. But it is important to recognise, all the same, that they are two different things, and there is always a risk that pursuing one objective might jeopardise the other. This year's decision to remove the recruitment cap on students with ABB or higher at A-level may be a case in point. For the individual student, the chance of being able to trade up after better than expected results could be a life-changing one. For the ecology of higher education, a flight to prestige – if it really happened – might deprive some of the newer universities of the students they need in order to remain viable in the long term. Some of those in the system think that in parts of the government, this is now regarded as a desirable consequence.

Even among some ministers who talk about the importance of broadening access, there is a perception that Britain has in practice a two-tier university system: the Russell Group of 24 older universities – and all the rest. More...

By Richard Adams. Fewer students having to take part in clearing, suggesting universities have been making more generous offers. A record number of students have been accepted and confirmed on university courses, as the rush to secure a university place continues the day after A-level results were released. The latest update by Ucas, which administers the UK university admissions process, said that as of Friday morning more than 401,000 applications had been accepted by colleges and universities, the highest number on record. The previous highest total at this stage was 397,000 in 2011. Read more...