The choice to defer a year of university could cause a more competitive challenge for students applying for places next year.
The COVID-19 pandemic had had a huge impact on schools and colleges in the initial lockdown. But UCAS figures shows that it is still having a concerning effect a year on.
Students already have to make a difficult decision as to what to do after they leave school; whether they go forward into further education at university or decide to go down the path of apprenticeships.
But COVID-19 has made the decision that much harder.
18-year-olds finishing their exams have decided to defer a year or so before going to university. This is causing a rising concern for those at the Cheltenham UCAS headquarters.
One student says: “I’m worried that I won’t get my money’s worth and I won’t get the most out of my academic experience because of the possibility of still having to learn online.”
She continues to say: “No one knows at this point what will happen in the next academic year and I’m worried I won’t get the full social experience like people have done in previous years.”
Statistics show that there has been a 15% rise in the number of deferrals; with a total of 24,855 pupils postponed compared to 21,670 in 2020.
The concern is not the student’s decisions to defer but the potential backlog for the following years.
The choice to not go to university this year will then place students next year in a more competitive field to get into the course and university of their choice.
For more information, visit https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/when-apply/deferred-entry
