Britain’s leading universities still have thousands of empty courses, figures show, as they prepare to drop their standards to fill places.

Over 4,000 courses still have vacancies at 15 out of the 24 elite Russell Group universities, ahead of A-level results day this Thursday.

Admissions tutors for sought-after courses such as Law and English Literature that typically require A* and A grades at A-level are poised to drastically lower their entry requirements in a bid to entice as many students as possible.

A dip in applications has left even top ranking institutions scrabbling to fill places, as this year a significant drop in the number of EU students combined with a decline in the youth population has led to applications to British universities falling by four per cent.