Universities run out of places after record applications

Universities swamped with thousands of calls from sixth-formers looking for courses amid unprecedented demand for degrees

But with up to one in seven students chasing every vacancy in clearing, many colleges are full and teenagers are being told to consider studying part-time.

The new “adjustment period” — introduced to allow students with better-than-expected A-levels to upgrade their choice of university — has also been hit.

Record numbers of top A-level grades meant more candidates met their offers than ever this year, leaving universities with less room to be flexible with those who narrowly missed the grade. More than 370,000 have had their places confirmed.

Brunel University reported unprecedented interest in clearing, receiving 7,000 enquiries from students interested in 600 places. A spokeswoman said: “We have been much busier this year. We haven't experienced this level of activity before.”

Leading institutions, including Bristol, Oxford, Imperial College London, London School of Economics and University College London have already announced they have no vacancies at all through clearing. UCL said it had no places for “adjustment” candidates either.

The LSE said: “Another record-breaking year for A-level passes has meant the school is already full for undergraduate study. Unfortunately some applicants did not meet the conditions of their offer and, due to the high success rate, the school has been unable to confirm their place.”

King's College London had potential vacancies for UK undergraduates only in nursing and nutrition. Bristol listed a limited number of courses in which “adjustment” applications were still open to students who had achieved better grades than expected, including in French, German and Spanish.At Birmingham, the only undergraduate vacancies were in biomedical materials science. Cardiff had places for physiotherapy but warned that students would need a minimum of two As and a B to be considered.

Anthony Baafi, 19, from Hayes in Middlesex, narrowly missed out on his first choices to study business at either Royal Holloway or Queen Mary after achieving two Bs and a C. He said: “I never anticipated any trouble finding a place to study.”

Anum Naveed, 19, from Ilford, Essex, was refused places to study medicine despite achieving four As in her A-levels. She said: “I was so happy with my results but am totally confused by the fact that I cannot find a place for medicine. I will not give up on my dream, though.”

For the first time, admissions service Ucas has been suggesting students consider part-time courses because full-time places are in such short supply.

A record 600,000 candidates applied to university this year, a rise of 60,000 since 2008. Ministers have only funded an extra 13,000 places. Ucas said numbers rose as mature students seek to go back to college after losing their jobs in the recession.