It’s been a very positive recruitment year for the University with a record number of first year undergraduates preparing to join us this autumn.
Following the release of A-Level results just over a week ago, the University has confirmed places for over 6,000 first year students – Southampton’s largest ever single year cohort. This is in line with the University’s planned growth for 2015-16 following the lifting of undergraduate recruitment restrictions by the UK government.
Over Thursday and Friday, 13 and 14 August, the University received an exceptional response with over 40,000 calls from prospective undergraduate students to the Clearing Hotline. Over 4,000 of these calls were then directly referred to faculties.
The University also achieved its most successful number of students applying through Adjustment – so much so that it attracted around 5% of all applicants nationally who used this scheme.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor Alex Neill, offered his thanks to the thousands of staff involved in all aspects of recruitment, admissions, marketing and communications following these positive result.
“This year’s success in our recruitment cycle is the result of months of hard work,” said Professor Neill. “It’s the first time we’ve operated in a genuine ‘market’ for students and we’re very pleased with the way that’s worked out for the University.
“Our success in recruiting good quality students in such high numbers, across the board, is very much in keeping with the recent expansion of our accommodation provision for new students and our continued ability to teach all students to a high level of quality.
“Our success can also be attributed to the incoming students’ response to our reputation for quality as reflected in our excellent QAA review, our much improved NSS results and continued rise in league table positions in recent months.
“We’re now working with colleagues throughout the University to ensure that we have everything in place so that our new students are made to feel as welcome as possible and comfortable with their new environment and educational challenges.”