UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Minority Report: the impact of predicted grades on university admissions of disadvantaged groups

Murphy, R; Wyness, G; (2020) Minority Report: the impact of predicted grades on university admissions of disadvantaged groups. Education Economics , 28 (4) pp. 333-350. 10.1080/09645292.2020.1761945. Green open access

[thumbnail of Wyness_main_body_April2020revised_accepted.pdf]
Preview
Text
Wyness_main_body_April2020revised_accepted.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (955kB) | Preview

Abstract

We study the UK's university application system, in which students apply based on predicted examination grades, rather than actual results. Using three years of UK university applications data we find that only 16% of applicants’ predicted grades are accurate, with 75% of applicants having over-predicted grades. However, high-attaining, disadvantaged students are significantly more likely to receive pessimistic grade predictions. We show that under-predicted candidates are more likely to enrol in courses for which they are over qualified. We conclude that the use of predicted rather than actual grades has important implications for labour market outcomes and social mobility.

Type: Article
Title: Minority Report: the impact of predicted grades on university admissions of disadvantaged groups
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/09645292.2020.1761945
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1080/09645292.2020.1761945
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions
Keywords: Higher education, university application, information, mismatch
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Learning and Leadership
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Learning and Leadership > Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10096670
Downloads since deposit
917Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item