Uni rules may force pupils on to dole

School principals fear thousands of pupils could be forced on to the dole as tough new entry criteria blocks them from university.

The Secondary Principals Association has pleaded with universities to relax the criteria as financially stressed institutions demand higher NCEA pass rates to enter previously open-entry courses next year.

Universities have also advised they will cut more students with flagging grades and clamp down on new enrolments because of a cap on domestically funded students.

Association president Patrick Walsh, principal of Rotorua's John Paul College, said he had pupils worried they would miss out on university.

"How do you tell someone who has worked really hard to give themselves the chance of going to university that they might not get in?

"It's very disappointing when students capable of making a very good contribution to the economy for years to come are turned down. Instead, it could lead to more students being unemployed, which is not a good situation."

Steve Maharey, Massey University vice-chancellor, has blamed the tightening of university entrance criteria on the Government's funding cap.

Victoria University has said it is clamping down on new enrolments for the remaining two semesters this year. It expected 1500 new students would be turned away as a result.

Maryan Street, Labour tertiary education spokeswoman, was concerned that pupils were being denied the chance to go to university.

"If young people pass the entry requirements, they should be able to go to university if that is what they want to do. Similarly, people who are wanting a second chance at education should be able to enrol at a university and give it a go."

New Zealand Students Associations Union co-president Pene Delaney said the Government could not just stand by while students were turned away from universities.

"As there is no tracking of what happens to people who are turned away from study, it is possible that thousands of people may continue to languish ... on the unemployment benefit due to these changes."

Massey and Victoria universities said schools had been given plenty of warning about the new NCEA criteria and they were ensuring they knew how it worked.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said there were likely to be several factors that could free up university places for school-leavers. These included the country coming out of the recession, student loans being linked to academic progress and an extra 5600 government-funded places next year.

- © Fairfax NZ News