Universities UK and GuildHE, representing institutions across the higher education sector, have jointly announced plans to return to pre-pandemic levels of first and 2:1 awards to be awarded over the next two years. Universities have been criticized by ministers and the higher education regulator for year-on-year increases in the percentage of top grades awarded, and the Office for Students (OfS) has accused universities of damaging the reputation of higher education. By the end of this year, universities are expected to publish degree outcome statements setting out how they intend to align future awards with the proportion of first and upper second class degrees awarded in 2019. The impact of the measures will reduce the proportion of first class degrees awarded by almost 25%. Anthony McClaran, the vice-chancellor of St Mary’s University, Twickenham and chair of GuildHE, said: “During the pandemic, we have rightly recognized the disruption students have faced and advocated for student achievement to be recognized as flexibly as possible. “As we emerge from the pandemic, it is time to redouble our focus on protecting academic standards and take strong action to ensure we maintain wider trust and confidence in the system.” Universities UK said measures to ensure students were “not unfairly disadvantaged during the unique circumstances of the pandemic” contributed to the sharp increases in firsts and 2:1 awards. In 2021, almost 38% of undergraduates in England were awarded a first, more than double the 16% awarded a first a decade earlier, and well above the 29% awarded before the pandemic. Last year a combined 84% of students achieved a first or upper second, compared with 67% a decade earlier. Analysis of OfS awards carried out in 2021 claimed that more than half of first-class degrees could not be explained by “observable factors”, such as student achievement or social background. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Steve West, president of Universities UK and vice-chancellor of UWE Bristol, said students who have graduated in the past three years “should feel proud and confident about the qualifications they have worked so hard to achieve”. Michelle Donelan, higher education secretary for England, said she was “delighted” by the announcement. “Just as the government is restoring pre-pandemic grading to GCSEs and A-levels by 2023, today’s announcement will ensure that universities also eliminate the grade inflation that occurred during the pandemic in the same timeframe,” he said. . “Hard-working students deserve to know that getting a first or upper second really counts and that it carries weight with employers, who in turn should be able to trust the high value and rigorous assessment of university courses ».
