Diverse range of qualifications and employers' confusion over scores prompts admissions agency to overhaul process

The university admissions system is to be overhauled amid fears that the practice of scoring applicants' qualifications has become outdated, and is being wrongly used by employers to recruit graduates.

The admissions service, Ucas, is to review the "points-based" system, that uses a tariff to give every applicant a score, because it has become too crude to accommodate the modern diverse range of qualifications.

There are also signs that with university places more competitive than ever, it is failing to give admissions tutors enough information when they are faced with dozens of candidates for every place.

The review could take up to two years and will not affect this year's record number of applicants.

By some estimates nearly 100,000 more candidates are competing for a university place this year despite there being only 10,000 extra places. Last year more than 630,000 people applied for places with about 480,000 applicants successful in gaining places.

Sir Robert Burgess, chair of the Ucas board and vice-chancellor at the University of Leicester, said: "The Ucas tariff has been very valuable to the higher education sector which uses it in many different ways to support the admissions process and understanding of qualifications.

"A review is appropriate at a time when applicants are using an increasingly diverse range of qualifications to progress in to higher education."

Ucas said that the points scored by students were too often being taken at face value – especially since applications have risen dramatically in recent years – meaning admissions tutors sometimes might not consider able candidates on the bases of a couple of missed points.

The tariff scores were designed when most students applied for university places after taking A-levels. However, half now come with other qualifications and while most are included in the tariff it does not indicate how appropriate a school or college is as a primer for a particular university degree.

Ucas has also found evidence that some graduate recruitment schemes and internships are asking for tariff scores in their application process.

Mary Curnock Cook, Ucas's chief executive, said: "Getting onto your chosen course in higher education has always been competitive. Ucas wants to make sure that everyone can understand the currency of particular qualifications for entry to particular courses and can make a realistic and successful application."

Aaron Porter, the NUS president, said the review was encouraging: "Students come with an increasingly diverse range of skills and experience, and the application process should recognise these factors.

"Those applying for higher education courses should be sure that the course they are applying for suits their aspirations and qualifications."

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