If you have submitted a Freedom of Information request please accept this
email as acknowledgement that your request has been received. You should
expect a response from us within 20 working days. 
For details on how we use your personal information, please see UCL's
general privacy
notice: [1]www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/privacy/general-privacy-notice
Data Protection Office
Office of General Counsel 

References

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Dear Anies Desai

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request of 6^th March 2024. 
Apologies for the delay in responding to your request.

 

We have completed the compilation of information in response to your
request for information about UCL’s BSc Statistics, Economics and Finance
programme for the previous 5 academic years, specifically for home student
applicants who study 3 or more A-Levels.

 

We can confirm that we do hold information of the description specified in
your request and this information is provided  embedded in your request
below.

 

Your Request:

 

 1. Number of applicants who belong to the specified cohort

 

Year Count
2020 82
2021 112
2022 149
2023 234

 

 2. Number of offers made to the specified cohort

 

Year Count
2020 60
2021 68
2022 48
2023 81

 

 3. Number of applicants who belong to the specified cohort who took
Further Mathematics as one of their A-Levels
 4. Mean number of A* predicted grades for offer holders from the
specified cohort
 5. Mean number of A* (Grade 9 or 8) achieved grades at GCSE, of whom
received an offer from the specified cohort
 6. Mean number of A (Grade 7) achieved grades at GCSE, of whom received
an offer from the specified cohort
 7. Mean number of Grade 6 achieved grades at GCSE, of whom received an
offer from the specified cohort
 8. Mean number of Grade 5-U achieved grades at GCSE, of whom received an
offer from the specified cohort

 

• The information requested in questions 3-8 above is exempt from
disclosure because they are available to you at a cost from UCAS Exact
here:
[1]https://www.ucas.com/providers/our-produ....

 

The information requested is exempt from disclosure on the basis of
Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) – Commercial
Interests.

 

Section 43(2) states that:

 

“Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would,
or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person
(including the public authority holding it).”

 

This information has been withheld owing to the prejudice that would occur
to UCAS Exact’s commercial interests on account of the provision of such
specific and bespoke requests being part of UCAS Exact’s commercial
activity.

 

Section 43(2) is a qualified exemption, and as such, a public interest
test must be performed to establish the harm that would occur from
disclosure, and where the balance of interest lies.  Please see below for
the outcome of this public interest test.

 

Public interest test for the application of Section 43(2):

 

Arguments in favour of disclosure:

 

• There is an inherent public interest in ensuring openness,
transparency and accountability with regards to UCL’s quantitative
information.

 

Arguments against disclosure:

 

• UCAS Exact provides Higher Education statistics to members of the
public, and it provides this service at a cost.
• UCL already provides general statistics for free to members of the
public in the interests of transparency.  If UCL were to also provide
its statistics for very specific and bespoke requests, no one
interested in UCL’s statistics would use UCAS Exact.
• UCAS Exact’s provision of Higher Education statistics is its
commercial activity.  To disclose specific and bespoke statistics
which support UCAS Exact’s commercial activity would prejudice UCAS
Exact’s commercial position.
• Undermining UCAS Exact’s position in this way would in turn be likely
to have a detrimental impact on UCAS Exact’s commercial revenue.  Such
an impact would prejudice UCAS Exact’s core business functions and
even undermine its ability to fulfil its role, which is not in the
public interest.

 

Out come of public interest test:

 

• On this occasion, we consider that the public interest arguments
against disclosure outweigh those for disclosure in this instance.

 

 

You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for
example by publishing or issuing copies to the public, will require the
permission of the copyright owner.

 

If you are unhappy with our response to your request and wish to make a
complaint or request a review of our decision, please email
[2][email address]. Emails should include the words ‘Internal
Review’ in the subject and be marked For the Attention of the
Vice-President (Operations), alternatively you should write to:

 

Vice-President (Operations)

University College London

Gower Street

London

WC1E 6BT

 

Please note, complaints and requests for internal review received more
than two months after the initial decision will not be handled.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you may
apply directly to the Information Commissioner by using the following web
address: [3]www.ico.org.uk/foicomplaints. You should do this within two
months of our final decision.

 

If you have any queries or concerns, please contact me using the details
provided in this letter and including the request reference number.

 

Further information on the Freedom of Information Act is available from
the Information Commissioner’s Office:

 

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

SK9 5AF

 

0303 123 1113

[4]https://ico.org.uk/

 

Kind regards,

 

Janine Small

Data Protection and Freedom of Information Adviser

University College London

Legal Services

E: [5][email address] Data Protection: [6][email address]
FOI: [7][UCL request email].

Telephone: +44 (0)203 108 7862 (internal 57862)

 

Working hours: Please note that I work from home on Mondays.

 

References

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5. mailto:[email address]
6. mailto:[email address]
7. mailto:[UCL request email]