University of Surrey ‘Guilty of Spiralling Grade Inflation’ Says Regulator

Published on: 31 Dec, 2018
Updated on: 4 Jan, 2019

By Anthony Parker

The University of Surrey, along with many other universities, is guilty of “spiralling grade inflation” which risked undermining public confidence, according to the Office for Students, the independent regulator of higher education in England.

In just five years the proportion of first-class degrees has more than doubled with 50% of students being awarded firsts last year.

This percentage, which was the highest in the country, increased from 19% in 2010/11 to 50% in 2016/17. Nearby Kingston University awarded 1st class degrees to 27% of its graduates.

Jane Powell, vice-provost at the University of Surrey said the increase in the number of first-class honours was the result of “national trends and the University of Surrey’s concentrated focus on enhancing all aspects of our educational provision”.

She added: “Our high rate of first-class degrees reflects a combination of factors, including our major investments in high-quality teaching, resources, and academic support. These have enabled us to attract students with increasingly strong academic backgrounds and high levels of motivation, and then to ensure that they achieve their potential.”

However, Ms Powell refused to answer whether or not all students receiving firsts today would have been awarded top academic honours in 2010, and admitted they are undertaking a review to ensure that “all assessments are sufficiently stretching”.

Professor Smithers of the University of Birmingham said grade inflation was in the universities own self-interest. “They have every incentive to do so. Awarding firsts pushed universities up the league tables. Students like to have top class honours and may choose universities on that basis. If every other university is doing it, you don’t want to be left behind.”

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