Good Practice
Planning and Managing Admissions
Good Practice in setting entry criteria and offer-making
Recommendations for setting entry criteria
Ensure there is:
- An appropriate level of requirements, ensuring that the candidates admitted will have the skills and knowledge to enable them to successfully complete the course.
- Legal validity in the entry criteria set, assuring that any contractual obligations with external admissions organisations and any contractual agreements with applicants are adhered to, and that nothing included or omitted from published entry criteria leaves the institution open to arbitrary dispute.
- Professionalism of admissions staff, both administrative and academic, in considering entry criteria, including informed understanding of the structure, methods of learning and assessment of qualifications, supported by training appropriate to the level of judgement employed in determining and enacting entry criteria.
- Justifiable basis for the entry criteria set, endeavouring to ensure that it is equivalent to the requirements for other qualifications and that it does not indirectly raise additional barriers to participation.
- Transparent, clear and accessible representation of entry requirements to allow advisors and applicants to make the most informed and suitable match in their choices.
- Reliable and consistent methods of assessing applicants, recognising the full range of provision and learning styles offered and the different ways in which outcomes may be represented.
- Monitoring of progression embedded into the review of entry criteria to ensure that standards upon entry continue to support requirements for study and so that appropriate in-sessional support or alternative course delivery can be considered.
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Reviewed and updated: October 2010