Currently people have to apply before knowing their results

Post-qualification applications or PQA would replace the present system, where applications and place offers are based on predicted exam grades, not results.

The Higher Education Minister, Alan Johnson, said it was "right in theory" and could make admissions fairer.

But a battle is thought likely over whether universities or schools should alter their term dates to fit the plan.

Mr Johnson said it would need more consideration and support from across the UK if it were to work properly in practice.

"The bottom line is that it needs to be agreed with key stakeholders and across all UK borders," he said.

Term dates

An official paper on the subject, published on Wednesday, said there were only two ways PQA could work and it was unlikely to be viable until 2008 at the earliest.

"This could happen either by sitting exams earlier and changing the school year to preserve teaching time, or speeding up the publication of results, by changing the higher education academic year and/or compressing the admissions process."

The paper was produced with the help of an advisory group which included representatives from the higher education sector, schools, colleges, exam boards and local government.

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It followed a recommendation in the final report on A-level standards by government education troubleshooter Mike Tomlinson, and a commitment in the Higher Education White Paper to look at the issue.

"The paper suggests that within the current system the most likely way to get PQA is to move the start date of the university term," Mr Johnson said.

"But there are lots of practical issues with this and I would like to find a way to deliver PQA which requires the minimum of changes for universities."

Last week, Universities UK - representing vice-chancellors - also backed the idea but said it must be compatible with both the university and school year, and the timing of national examinations.

It said a later university start date would not be acceptable for most higher education institutions.

Elitism

Mr Johnson added: "We cannot look at PQA in isolation. It is wrapped up with other developments such as the Tomlinson report on the future of 14-19 curriculum and assessment, modernisation of the exam system and the Schwartz taskforce on admissions.

"This is a long-term goal that can only be achieved with widespread support."

His department made the point that a number of studies or groups in recent years had recommended PQA or put forward specific models.

One of the main criticisms of the present system is that it favours candidates from schools with a strong track record.

The argument is that their predicted grades are more likely to be believed by university admissions officers than those from relatively poorly performing schools - thus perpetuating an elitism in higher education.

'Difficult'

John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said this was an "encouraging report" on "an idea whose time has come".

"It is manifestly right that university application decisions should be based on actual, rather than predicted, grades," he said - which were difficult for teachers to draw up six to nine months ahead of the exams.

"The present process is inefficient and wasteful of time and resources, with students having to decide many months in advance the courses for which they are applying."

The wide agreement that would be necessary to implement PQA would not be easy to attain, but it would be important that schools, colleges, universities and examination boards were all prepared to contribute to extending the time between the publication of examination results and the start of the university year.

"Head teachers strongly believe that PQA would be a fairer and more efficient system."