Universities that “pressure sell” unconditional offers are “unethical”, the Education Secretary has warned as he urges institutions to stop the practice.

Damian Hinds has called for a review of university admissions, arguing that it is unacceptable for students to feel “backed into a corner” when deciding which offer to take up.

The number of unconditional offers has risen sharply in recent years, with students now 30 times more likely to receive one than five years ago.

Fierce competition between universities to attract students has seen sixth form pupils increasingly offered places regardless of their exam results.

Some institutions hand out “incentivised” offers, where they tell students that their offer will be unconditional but only if they accept it as their first choice university.

The universities watchdog has warned that applying “psychological pressure” or “creating an impression of urgency” in decision making could be a potential breach of consumer protection law.

The Office for Students (OfS) published a report in January that examined the impact of unconditional offers on students’ decision making.

It found that applicants who accept an unconditional offer are more likely to miss their predicted A-level grades by two or more grades.

“It is simply unacceptable for universities to adopt pressure-selling tactics, which are harming students’ grades in order to fill places,” Mr Hinds said.