Dear Ms Leaman,

Re: Freedom of Information request - M100 Law admissions statistics

I refer to your e-mail below dated 20 January 2021, the contents of which
are noted.  The response on behalf of Clare College regarding your request
for information made under the Freedom of Information Act 2020 is as
follows:

Could you kindly provide information on how many applicants you received
for the M100 Law course for 2021 entry please.

The information requested, insofar as it is held (noting that the current
undergraduate applications cycle is ongoing), is exempt under section
36(2)(c) of the Act because its disclosure would be likely to prejudice
the effective conduct of public affairs, in this case the integrity of the
College’s applications and admissions process which form a fundamental
part of its mission as an educational institution.  As the information
requested is statistical in nature, the opinion of the qualified person
did not need to be sought for this application of section 36.

The College considers that the disclosure of detailed statistics about
applications made within the current cycle would be likely to prejudice
the notion of a fair and confidential admissions process whereby each
applicant has the same information at their disposal and partial granular
data is not disclosed to specific members of the public while the process
is ongoing.  As this is a qualified exemption, the College has considered
whether, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in
maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the
information.  The College considers that, while some people might have an
understandable private interest in these statistics, there is no genuine
public interest in them when set against the extensive statistical
information available about previous admissions cycles published at
[1]https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.u..., coupled
with the prevailing public interest in maintaining a level playing field
in terms of the information available to all applicants.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the request please request an
internal review of the decision.  If, after following those procedures you
are still not satisfied with the way in which your request has been dealt
with you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.  Generally, the Commissioner will not entertain your complaint
unless you have exhausted any relevant internal review procedures.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Easterbrook

Emma Easterbrook

Assistant Bursar

Clare College

Trinity Lane

Cambridge CB2 1TL

E-mail: [2][email address]

[3]www.clare.cam.ac.uk

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