Former Manchester United footballer and UA92 co-founder Gary Neville takes A Level clearing calls

Gary Neville has taken to the phone lines to help A-level students hopeful of securing a place at UA92, the further education institution he co-founded.

The football pundit helped establish University Academy 92 with brother Phil and former Manchester United team-mates Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes.

The institution said it is forecast to welcome more than 550 students over the next educational year, up 49.2% on last year, and countering a reported nationwide decline in students applying for university.  

A joint collaboration with Lancaster University, it has a campus in Old Trafford and a business school in Manchester city centre and aims to offer an alternative to traditional universities with fixed morning or afternoon timetables and no end of year exams.

Taking part in the clearing process, Neville told ITV Granada Reports: "I come here every year and there's obviously excitement, there's joy but there's also the element of disappointment and it's like life.

"You win, lose and you draw sometimes and there's no point in trying to dress it up. It's a disappointing day.

“What we try and do is introduce them to the students and tell them the journeys of people who've been down that pathway, they haven't quite got the results and how they've recovered so quickly and they're in a great place now."

Figures released last week by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) revealed that applications by UK students have fallen for a second year in a row to 41.9% compared to 42.1% in 2023 and 44.1% in 2022.

The drop has been attributed to the cost-of-living crisis, particularly student debt and the price of accommodation.

University Academy 92 believes its all-encompassing student support initiatives and deliberately different approach to teaching its digital, business, media and sports degrees is helping it buck the trend.  

Neville added: “I have always believed that education isn’t just about the skill you learn but how you develop as a person and that’s what young people are looking for now."

More than 900 students enrolled in degree and higher education courses at UA92 in the last academic year.

Over 40% of its students are from the most disadvantaged areas of the community, with targets to increase this to 50% within the next five years.

The academy offers a wide package of financial assistance for students.