“Consolidation” of courses by universities could explain why there appear to be fewer programmes available through clearing this year, according to Ucas leader Jo Saxton.

Speaking ahead of A-level results day on 13 August, the chief executive of the admissions service said although it was still too early to tell whether there will be a “statistically significant” decline for 2026-27 entry, any reduction was likely to be as a result of universities shutting or merging some programmes.  

Most universities have been reviewing their course portfolios given financial pressures across the sector, with several closing programmes because of low student demand.

Appearing on a webinar hosted by the Higher Education Policy Institute, Saxton was asked by Mary Curnock Cook, herself a former Ucas chief executive, about the number of courses available.

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Cook said about 27,000 courses are currently being advertised to prospective students, fewer than the .

Asked whether Ucas was “being more precise on numbers” or there were “slightly fewer” courses on offer than in recent years, Saxton said: “The number we’re looking at is changing on a daily basis”.

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Many institutions were still uploading courses they hoped to fill spots on, she continued, adding that the figure had also “shifted” after Scottish exam results were published last week.

But Saxton acknowledged that the rising use of “consolidation” could also be taking effect.

“We have, of course, seen some courses being consolidated across the sector,” she said. “So I think it’s a bit too early to say whether there is a statistically significant decline in the number of courses in clearing…is it going to settle at 27,000 [rather than] 30? If it does, that will likely relate to consolidation that’s taken place.”

Earlier this year, Universities UK found that , with nearly half of universities reporting having reduced their course offering through consolidation (46 per cent) or course closures (44 per cent) over the past three years.

Asked about the possibility of switching to a post-qualifications admissions system, Saxton said she had previously been in favour of a shift to awarding higher education places after people received their exam results but that her perspective had changed.

“Schools and colleges have a busy enough time on results weeks as it is. If you were trying to support entire cohorts through that, that wouldn’t be the right thing.”

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Discussing where applications are going this year, Saxton’s colleague, Maggie Smart, who leads Ucas’ work on data and analysis, said she had been interested to see economics and politics “rising up in popularity”, with social sciences overall experiencing a 10 per cent increase in applications – alongside a third consecutive year of increasing applications for engineering and technology-related courses.

Considering whether the attention on student loans was having an impact, Saxton said new applicants seemed to understand how the system worked.

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Ucas research showed that two-thirds were researching student finance before making an application.

“They’re doing just as diligent research about that [loans] as they are about their courses, about their accommodation. They understand the interest rates, that the rates could change. They understand that they’re going to be paying back on what they earn, not what they owe.”

Saxton said students were, however, overestimating how much they would to have to repay, putting the cost at roughly £500 a month for a £32,000 annual salary when in reality the cost was £50 a month.

Separately, Saxton admitted she found narratives that involved “kicking higher education incredibly frustrating”.

Asked whether she believed politicians were embarrassed to promote the university route for fear of seeming elitist, the Ucas leader said she would not speculate on their motivations, but that promoting technical and skills-based learning did not have to contradict the potential of higher education to change lives.

It comes after Andy Burnham pledged to shake up education to prioritise access to work experience and practical training, saying it was time to “value the hard hat as much as the graduate cap”.

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“Anything politicians want to do to support parity, it just shouldn't be at the expense of higher education – which was good enough for them, after all,” Saxton said.

georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com