UK university applicants without a pass in English GCSE will no longer be eligible for tuition and maintenance loans, under plans reportedly being considered by the Department for Education (DfE).

Prospective students could be blocked from receiving government-backed finance for higher education if they failed to meet minimum grade requirements.

The move would have serious implications for both providers and the number of young people entering higher education, with suggesting one in 12 UK-based undergraduates starting a full-time degree has no formal qualifications.

According to , ministers are now discussing the possibility of making a pass in English GCSE the threshold for being able to access loans via the Student Loans Company.

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A DfE spokesperson told the paper the department would not comment on speculation, but said: “We are restoring our world-class universities as engines of opportunity, aspiration and growth.

“That is why we are cracking down on poor-quality courses so that students can be confident they’re getting value for money from university degrees.”

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In recent weeks, the Russell Group of research-intensive universities has voiced support for the introduction of a minimum entry standard to study at university, with chief executive Libby Hackett suggesting the change “cannot happen soon enough”.

Others have been more cautious, with the chief executive of Universities UK, Vivienne Stern, calling it “really important” for institutions to “determine their own approach to admissions”.

The debate was again stirred up by the publication of a by right-wing thinktank Policy Exchange, which called for a 30 per cent cut to student numbers in the UK.

Tarnished Towers: Fixing England’s Broken Higher Education System called for a “smaller” HE system with “higher academic standards” including the introduction of minimum entry thresholds.��

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Earlier this year, Adam Tickell, the vice-chancellor of the University of Birmingham, called for a review��of the��academic level��at which students are entitled to draw on student loans, saying that those who start degree courses with no formal qualifications required significant investment in��“people who…we are not really capable of graduating”.

Libby Hackett, chief executive of the Russell Group: said:��“In principle, we support a national minimum entry standard to higher education. Typically, there are minimum entry requirements in place to study A-levels, apprenticeships, many further education courses, and most university courses. With significant levels of graduate contribution alongside public subsidies, minimum entry thresholds can act as an important safeguard to protect student interests and tax-payer investment.

“Crucial to any ongoing discussion will be balancing this with appropriate flexibility for trusted institutions, so they can determine equivalent entry routes for mature students and those from under-represented backgrounds.”

But��Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, said was adamant that the sector should reject any attempt to impose admissions criteria��centrally.��

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“Higher education should be about recognising and realising potential, not imposing blunt barriers”, she said.

“Universities are autonomous institutions and are best placed to make decisions about admissions and to assess applicants on a broad range of qualifications and experience. Introducing centrally imposed minimum requirements would undermine institutional autonomy whilst unnecessarily restricting access.”

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georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com