Pupils who have studied vocational A-levels are less likely to go to leading universities and more likely to drop out, a study says.
Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) also found such students were less likely to get first or upper second class degrees.
A small number of vocational students went to leading universities, it said.
Ministers say the report is misleading and that graduates with vocational A-levels benefit from their choices.
The report compared students with different qualifications but the same number of university tariff points.
Vocational or applied A-levels and BTecs can be taken at schools and colleges in a wide range of subjects including business studies, health, performing arts, engineering and media.
Researchers at Hepi found that those with vocational A-levels were up to 25% more likely to drop out of university.
After a year in higher education, 91% of general A-level students were still on a full-time course, compared to 79% of vocational A-level students and 80% of BTec students.
'Selective universities'
The report said that some allowances should be made for the fact that GCE (general) A-level students tended to have higher grades and study different subjects, but this did not account for all the differences in attainment.
Hepi said students who had studied vocational A-levels were also less likely to go to leading Russell Group universities.
"An unexpectedly small proportion of students with vocational level 3s attend selective universities," its report said.
"A student with vocational level 3 qualifications is five times less likely to attend a Russell Group university than a GCE A-level student with the same number of tariff points studying the same subject."
"The other possibility is that vocational study is not a good preparation for university"
Vocational - or applied - A-levels, and some other vocational qualifications, are likely to be subsumed into the new Diplomas being brought in by the government in England.
Bahram Bekhradnia, director of Hepi, said: "It is possible that we are not comparing like with like. VCE (vocational) A-levels are not equivalent to GCE A-levels, despite the fact that Ucas tariffs give them the same scores.
"That then becomes a problem about the equivalency of qualifications for university.
"The other possibility is that vocational study is not a good preparation for university.
"We don't know which of the two possibilities it is that's causing these differences, but there is a difference with outcomes which needs to be investigated, particularly by the government."
Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said: "Research shows that those who graduate from higher education having done applied A-levels benefit from the choice they made, with improved employment prospects and higher earnings over their working lives.
"Applied A-levels are valid qualifications that offer learners flexibility and choice and it would be a great pity if this report misled these students into not applying to selective institutions, or university at all, and this is not the first Hepi research of questionable reliability."
New qualifications
President of Universities UK Professor Rick Trainor said: “This report rightly identifies prior attainment and subject choice as important factors in progression and achievement at higher education level.
"Whilst the findings are not conclusive, it does demonstrate the importance of ensuring that universities are fundamentally involved in the design of new qualifications, if they are to be valued by all universities.
"It is important that universities are involved because there is still much work to do to ensure that students understand the range of qualifications and progression routes that are available to them."
Peter Mitchell, of independent education foundation Edge, said: "It is hardly surprising that students who have gained a vocational qualification do less well if they go onto the highly academic courses offered by the Russell Group universities – their talents may lie in more practical-based learning.
"Edge is calling for universities to establish high quality vocational courses, endorsed by employers. This would enable students who have gained good vocational qualifications to build on these at a higher level."
^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~17~RS~)