Universities UK said that institutions were "prepared" for changes to the process this year, including the introduction of the government's policy allowing unlimited recruitment of students with A-level grades of AAB or above.

Some media reports have suggested that students who have been predicted such grades but fall shy of them could struggle to find a university place.

But Nicola Dandridge, UUK's chief executive, said students who just miss out on their first choice of institution would have "plenty of options".

"Every year, we hear dire predictions of chaos in university admissions," she said.

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"These doom-laden forecasts put young people who have worked hard for their results under even more pressure, and [they] invariably turn out to be wrong. Each year, the system ends up coping remarkably well."

She added that although it was too early to tell how the admissions process would respond to policy changes, universities were "adept" at dealing with such shifts.

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"The reality for most students is that 2012 will work no differently from previous years," Ms Dandridge said.

On the government's removal of the student numbers cap in England for students with AAB or above, Ms Dandridge added: "We do not yet know the full implications of the government's reforms, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by aspects of the reforms."

simon.baker@tsleducation.com