English university offers dental students cash to defer following surge in university applications
An elite English university is offering students hoping to study dentistry a cash payment to defer following a surge in applications and a rise in the number of students achieving top grades.
Students who have been offered a place to study dentistry at the university have been offered a sum of £10,000 to defer to a different university, which has places available. Universities are facing a challenging situation, as many more students have achieved the grades needed to secure places on courses, which were oversubscribed, including medicine and dentistry.
This year alone, almost 29,000 students applied for a place to study medicine or dentistry. This represents an increase of 21% on last year, according to UCAS.
The vice-chancellor of the university, who asked not to be named, confirmed that the dental course was oversubscribed and added that this is a problem that is going to affect universities all over the country. There is a shortage of clinical training places available, and the situation may get worse, as many practices are facing a risk of closure due to the pandemic.
Students who have applied for dental courses at the university have been offered £10,000 through a brokerage scheme, which has been launched by the Department for Education. Under new guidelines, students can claim £10,000 if they move from a university that is oversubscribed to one that has places available.
Representatives from the Dental Schools Council said that the initiative was working well but stressed that few places were available. Recently, the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, announced urgent funding for medical and dental courses, which usually have caps managed by the government. So far, a handful of schools have accepted the funding for additional places, including Queen Mary University of London.
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