Strict limitations on university admissions are reportedly set to be imposed to prevent a free-for-all, with many in financial turmoil due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Each university will be restricted on how many UK and EU undergraduates it can admit in September, a government source has told the Guardian.
The move - the first limit since the admission cap was lifted in 2015 - has apparently been backed by higher education leaders.
British universities face losing hundreds of millions in tuition fees as students from countries hit hardest by Covid-19 are forced to cancel or postpone enrolments.