Durham University students raised money to take off after exam U-turn

A university offers students financial incentives in a bid to persuade them to postpone their studies to the U-turn on A-level results.

Durham University has promised a scholarship and guarantee of accommodation for anyone defending until 2021.

It said it had “capacity issues” due to the “unusual situation”.

Exam qualifications for students in the UK have changed due to a backlog of grade systems.

Durham University said: “it is possible that some providers will have to enroll in 2021 instead of next month because they are struggling to provide enough places.

In an effort to “minimize” the number of affected people, it said it would “seek out volunteers” and offer the incentives “to help with their transition to university life” next year.

It is not confirmed how much the scholarships would be worth.

‘Failed students’

With students unable to sit exams due to the coronavirus pandemic, ministers in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on Monday decided to go back to teacher-rated grades instead of those decided by an algorithm.

Scotland had returned to teacher-graded grades on August 4 after a similar shock.

This led to a rush for university places, as students tried to get spots back after being rejected just days before.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has accused the government of failing students and universities.

It said A-level results “should never be released before they are under control outside of Ofqual” and that ministers “should not have to rely on shocked 18-year-olds on results day to realize there was a problem”.

The government plans to remove caps on student numbers and said it will work closely with universities to address the challenges they face.

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