The BIS settlement also required that Hefce protect "as far as possible" high-cost subjects, such as science, technology, engineering and maths, and additional funds for widening participation and access to higher education, funded through Hefce's student opportunity allocation.
They may also ask for an additional science, such as chemistry or maths (or further maths or pure maths).
Using data from the British Cohort Study, which follows the lives of 17,000 people born in a single week in 1970, researchers predicted that an additional month's progress in maths at the age of 10 would increase average wages by £100-£200 per year.
Some top universities, in particular Oxford and Cambridge, also already ask applicants to take additional tests in subjects such as maths and law, it was suggested.
There is financial help available with additional bursaries for shortage subjects such as maths.
In addition, colleges are picking up an enormous additional workload with thousands of students who did not gain A*-C at GCSE English and maths at school facing resits.
In inner London, 83% of children with English as an additional language achieved level four passes in reading, writing and maths, compared with just 81% of native English speakers.
"One school was looking for a second of department in maths and the only way they could recruit was by offering additional responsibility pay of around £10,000.
