As hundreds of local pupils await their GCSE results today, Ceredigion’s two universities have said they welcome the A-level grades U-turn and will honour places for those whose grades have changed.

Aberystwyth University’s Prof Tim Woods, pro vice-chancellor for learning, teaching and student experience, said: “We welcome the announcement by the Welsh and UK governments that A-level grades will now be awarded on the basis of centre assessment grades.

“We fully appreciate that applying to university can be a stressful time, and that’s especially true this year. At Aberystwyth University we will honour places for those students whose grades have changed in light of the latest announcement and who now meet our offer.

"We will also hold open offers of places for those students who decide to appeal their A-level results or resit their examinations.”

“We are keen to be as supportive as possible with the aim of ensuring that anyone who can benefit from higher education in Aberystwyth has the opportunity to join us.

"Our clearing team at Aberystwyth University is here to make the process as smooth as possible by offering applicants a step by step guide to ensure they find the right course.”

And the U-turn has been welcomed by Lampeter’s university, which says it will honour places for students with revised grades.

A spokesperson said: “The University of Wales Trinity Saint David welcomes the announcement by the Welsh and UK Governments regarding A-level exams grades in Wales and England.

"The university will honour places for students with revised grades and is advising applicants to contact us directly so we can work closely with them. We have places available on a wide variety of courses and are welcoming applications through clearing.

“We also wish to reassure students that we consider a number of factors in our admissions process, including students’ past academic achievements, their wider experiences as well as their future potential.

“An applicant’s achievement will be considered holistically and the current context will be taken into account. The university believes that anyone who is able to benefit from studying a higher education qualification should be given the opportunity to do so.”