Nottingham University has apologised for the "simple error"

The University of Nottingham has apologised to Welsh-speaker Cemlyn Davies, 17, from Aberystwyth, after it said Welsh was not equivalent to an A-level in English.

But the University of Bristol said it had been misrepresented in a similar dispute.

CRE Wales director Chris Myant said he was "extremely concerned" by the approach which some in control of admissions to several courses at universities appeared to be taking.

""Any school or student who has experience of this issue should get in touch with us immediately," he added.

An A-level is an A-level whatever subject it is in Welsh Secretary Peter Hain

Mr Myant has said that the suggestion that qualifications in Welsh or in ethnic minority languages were in some way second rate would be "deeply insulting" both to the speakers of the languages and to the students.

He added: "We will be contacting the universities where it is suggested this has happened to get their explanation for their actions." Nottingham has described its rejection of Welsh as an appropriate A-level subject as a "simple error".

It said the person handling Cemlyn Davies' application to study French with politics there had "regrettably misinterpreted" its rules on language subjects.

Speaking on Radio Four's Today programme, 17-year-old student Tomos Dafydd claimed he had applied to Bristol to study politics but had been told his A-level in Welsh was not "relevant or useful" to the degree.

A spokesman for the University of Bristol said there was "no question" of bias in any way against the Welsh A-level.

"The allegation was deeply offensive to us," he said.

Cemlyn Davies said he was upset by the university's stance

He said that like any university, Bristol made offers based on the A-level subjects most relevant to the course to be studied.

Welsh Secretary and Commons leader Peter Hain told MPs at question time on Wednesday that he had written to the vice-chancellors of Nottingham and Bristol.

Mr Hain was replying to Cardiff West Labour MP Kevin Brennan, who urged the Government to condemn "the practice of some universities in England in rejecting Welsh A-level as a qualification of entry".

Mr Hain said: "An A-level is an A-level whatever subject it is in. A Welsh A-level is just as valid as an English A-level or indeed an A-level in any other language."